Chess Competition, Eton College
Eton College is an independent boarding School founded in 1440 by Henry VI. It educates 1,300 students between the ages of 13 and 18, and is one of the 7 original public schools as outlined by the Public Schools Act of 1868. It has obviously done something right over its history, as it has created 19 Prime Ministers and its Etonian network is one of the oldest and strongest in the country.
On 17th May 2017, as part of the Hurlingham chess team, I was asked to visit Eton for a chess tournament. This is a longstanding arrangement, whereby every three years a delegation of players will either come down to us from Eton, or we send a team to them.
On arrival, I was quite taken aback with their dress code; morning suits, which for me, is more associated with wedding attire.
Our team's competition were all lovely, intelligent Chinese students, who had all won scholarships to attend Eton. As small talk we spoke about nuclear fusion and how it was relevant to modern life.
I also had the joy of informing them what an Eton mess was, as they had never heard of it!
Before the tournament began, we were given a tour of the College. What was most memorable for me, was how big it was. One must think of it as an operating business as well as a school. It has multiple functions education being one of its most obvious ones.
The tournament itself was exciting. I lost the main game but won the second, with my opposition claiming that it was a "nasty checkmate", much to my delight! Most Etonians never loose a chess game, as they are the brightest of the bright, so to win, and on their home turf, was an achievement I will always remember.
Following the tournament, we had a feast to end all feasts! Not many people have the privilege of grazing in their golden halls; it felt like feasting in a Cathedral. It was a special experience and all the tastier because I had the lamb!
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