Picture of the day: Sabrina Chevannes
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS
The daughter of a Malaysian-chinese mother and a Jamaican father, Sabrina packs a powerful punch! Competitive, intelligent and yet generous with her time, Sabrina has already rocked the conservative English chess community.
Beauty, brains and determination
”I started playing chess at the age of 8, when my dad taught me how to play. My brother was already very good and playing for England so I guess my competitive nature led me to try and be better than him.
My very first tournament was the Warwickshire Junior Championships. I entered the U8 section and managed to get a bronze medal – my first chess prize!! This tournament brought me lots of success, as from then on, I came away with a trophy every year. By the age of 11 I had won the U8, U9, U10 and U11 Warwickshire Girls’ Trophies. Also, I became the Birmingham U9 champion in 1996 after beating Sumeet Ghasi in an intense match. My first British title was won at the age of 10 when I entered the BWCA U10 tournament and won it.
Another notable title I achieved was in 2000 when I became Mensa Games Chess Champion. I competed in a national tournament travelling to various parts of England until they determined the champion. At the age of 13, this was a great achievement as I beat strong players along the way with grade of 170+.
I made the England squad at the age of 11, being one of only two girls in the team at the time. The other was the late Jessie Gilbert.
I have held British girls titles from the British Chess Championships in the U11, U12, U13, U15, U16 and U18 age groups as well as winning the U13 British overall with Bobby Payne in 2000 at Millfield.
After that 2000 British, I was selected to represent England in the European Youth Championships and have represented the junior team on several occasions, my last being in the World Youth Championships in 2004 in Crete.
In 2007 I was selected to play for the England Women’s Team in the European Team Championships in Crete. This was a great experience to play for my country in such a prestigious event. I also played for England in Oslo in the Four Nations Challenge in February 2008. England came 2nd in this event.
I enjoy playing chess and play in various leagues such as the 4NCL Division 1 for Richmond and the London League Division 1 for Wood Green.”
Sabrina is currently studying Medicine at at St. George’s Hospital Medical School in London.
Her personal website is: http://www.sabrinachevannes.com/
SPRAGGETT ON CHESS