CSC Teesside in London (Part 1)

CSC Teesside took two days off school (shhh!) to attend the 8th London Chess Classic.

I selected five juniors on this occasion: Farrell Scott, Lily Tattersall, Oliver Lowery and Lawrence Wilson from Whale Hill Primary School and Zoe Coates from Outlook Academy Bydales. Parents Sonia, Katie, Dan, Paul and Gary were part of the expedition too.

We had a relatively early start as we met at Darlington Railway Station to catch a direct train to King's Cross. The two full days of fun, excitement and hard work had begun!

After checking in at the Travelodge we assembled again to set off into the city. However, the children showed they were already very much on chess duty, as they were eager to teach the hotel receptionists!

After introducing the children to the extraordinary tube system, it was soon time to show them some sights - and shops! - just prior to settling down for a meal.

Oliver somehow became involved with a knife-throwing unicyclist at Trafalgar Square. His bravery earned him £5!

Then it was off to the Apollo Victoria Theatre to see Wicked. I am convinced that this truly inspirational show - celebrating 10 years of success - helped the children defy chess gravity the very next day.

We arrived back at the Travelodge around 11.00 p.m. and crossed our fingers that the children would be able to get a good night's sleep ahead of their big day at the chess tournament.

Continued in Part 2...

The CSC Teesside London expedition was made possible thanks to generous support from Chess in Schools and Communities, Whale Hill Primary School and CSC Tutor Dave Edmunds.