08/06/2026
๐๐ก๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐ง๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐๐ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฒ ๐ข๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ง๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ฌ โ๏ธ๐
At ๐๐๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ค๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฅ๐ฎ๐, we are not here just for the big winners. We are here for all of our players.
The truth is that everyone can perform well. In junior chess, different players take turns winning tournaments. The winners can change all the time. What matters most is not who wins on a particular day, but how the experience helps you improve, develop confidence, and become a little better than you were before each game.
Many children think:
โข โIf I win, Iโm good.โ
โข โIf I lose, Iโm bad.โ
This way of thinking creates anxiety and can make children afraid to take risks.
Instead, we encourage our juniors to focus on questions such as:
โข Did I use my thinking routine?
โข Did I check for threats before moving?
โข Did I stay focused throughout the game?
Training a juniorโs mindset is often more important than training openings or tactics. Many children donโt struggle because they lack chess knowledge. They struggle because they havenโt yet learned how to handle pressure, mistakes, winning, and losing.
This is why tournaments like the Delancey Megafinals are so valuable.
As children move through school, tests become more demanding. Time limits become tighter. Expectations increase. GCSEs, A-levels, university exams and job interviews all bring pressure and uncertainty.
If we donโt train our brains to work confidently under pressure, those situations can feel overwhelming.
Chess tournaments provide a fantastic opportunity to practise these skills. Players sit in a competitive environment, manage their time, cope with nerves, solve problems independently, and make decisions while the clock is ticking. They learn that feeling nervous is normal and that they can still perform despite stress or anxiety.
The more experience children gain in these situations, the more resilient and confident they becomeโnot just in chess, but in school and in life.
Young players often believe that strong players rarely lose.
The reality is that every great player has lost hundreds or even thousands of games. World champions such as Garry Kasparov, Magnus Carlsen and Viswanathan Anand have all experienced painful defeats throughout their careers.
Winning teaches confidence. Losing teaches improvement.
Losses should be seen as information, not judgement.
When a child says:
โIโm terrible.โ
We encourage them to reframe it as:
โI played a poor game today.โ
One is an identity statement. The other is simply an observation about a performance.
Before every tournament, we remind our juniors:
โYour job is not to win. Your job is to play your best chess. The result will take care of itself.โ
Those who learn this mindset tend to enjoy chess longer, cope better with setbacks, and often improve faster than those who focus only on trophies and ratings.
For juniors, tournament success is not:
โข Winning every game.
โข Never crying.
โข Never feeling nervous.
Success is:
โข Trying their best.
โข Thinking independently.
โข Behaving respectfully.
โข Learning from mistakes.
โข Enjoying the challenge.
If youโre 18 or below, you are eligible for playing in the Delancey UK Chess Challenge Megafinals. Take the opportunity. Challenge yourself. Learn from the experience. Meet new opponents. Test your skills.
Whether you win, lose or draw, every game is helping you build concentration, resilience, confidence and character.
And those are victories that last far longer than any trophy.
Good luck to all our juniors taking part! We canโt wait to hear about your games afterwards, celebrate your successes, analyse your battles, and learn from the challenges together. ๐
