Brentwood School Prep chess siblings make moves at World Championships

Chess whiz Nina Pert, a Year 6 pupil at Brentwood Preparatory School, has finished 6th in the World Junior Chess Championships making her the highest placed England player.

And, proving chess mastery runs in the family, Nina’s younger brother Max, who is also at the Prep School, finished 20th in the world at the annual tournament held in Antalya, Turkey.

Ten-year-old Nina, who holds a string of titles, finished 6th in the Under 11 Girls’ tournament, narrowly missing out on a medal and making her England’s highest place competitor in any category.

Max, who is in Year 4, also enjoyed a very competitive championships, finishing in the top half of the Under 9 Boys’ category having played competitors from as far afield as India and Kazakhstan.

Nina was pitted against the eventual Gold medallist (from Mongolia) and the subsequent Silver medallist from Georgia. For both Nina and Max to be ranked so highly in the world is a staggering achievement.

Jason Whiskerd, Headmaster of Brentwood Preparatory, said: ‘Over the past three years we have been privileged to witness Nina and Max’s wonderful development in chess, and this news from the World Championships comes as no surprise to us at Brentwood Prep.

‘We were delighted to give them both a huge round of applause in our weekly Monday Celebration Assembly and their modesty, dedication and exceptional talent continues to be an inspiration to all of us.’

At the end of last year, Nina was crowned the national Under 12 Girls’ Chess Champion at the English Chess Federation one-day rapidplay Championships finishing a full point clear of the field. She also holds the 2016 British Under 8 and Under 9 girls’ titles and the 2017 Under 9 Girls’ crown. Max competed in the British Under 8 Chess Championships in Hull last summer and finished in 2nd place.

And, it’s not just in solo events that this commanding duo excel. Nina and Max are part of the formidable Prep team, which became the first ever Essex school to win the 2018 English Primary Schools’ Chess Association (EPSCA) National U11 semi-finals held at Camber Sands. The young team finished third in the UK in that same year.

Chess is a family affair in the Pert household. Dad Richard Pert is one of the founding members of British Chess, an International Chess Master and 2018 Essex Chess Champion; 2018 Essex Rapidplay Champion; 2018 Basildon Open Champion and 2018 Bury St. Edmunds Congress Champion.