Meena Santhosh (LEH 1995-2006)

The Emerging Alumnae award has been instrumental in setting up our Chess club for success. We managed to fund our chess equipment and venue for the initial months which meant we had the bandwidth to offer free membership - therefore welcoming juniors and adults of all backgrounds and abilities to trial out our club. 

We have achieved so much over the year - rapidly growing our membership, winning competitions and being acknowledged in the English Chess Federation numerous times. Some of our juniors who started out with us have already participated in national competitions and will be going on to compete in the Surrey County Chess Association. More recently - in response to the demand - we have brought on two more coaches to help us. 

The merits of chess have always gone beyond learning the rules of the game - it sets our juniors up with strategy and problem-solving skills, and improves their concentration and confidence as they become stronger players. These are vital traits to learn, ideally at a young age, that are crucial in setting them up for success in the real world.  

I am very excited to also be hosting a wider Junior tournament at LEH towards the end of the year- the place where my journey in chess started for me! Since lockdown, face to face tournament came to a standstill and we will be one of the few who will look to revive this. 

I am immensely thankful for LEH, for providing the support we needed to achieve this but for advocating the benefits of chess at the school itself, laying down the foundation for the girls to be successful in their futures.