Teaching Strategy. Building Confidence. Empowering Girls to Master the World.
She Plays To Win.
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Discover Our Programme
She Plays To Win is a national programme for girls in UK primary and secondary schools, as well as females studying at university. We support players at every level — from enthusiastic beginners to active tournament players. The programme costs £42 and runs for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Expert Coaching
Live sessions with experienced female coaches for players rated under 1000 on Lichess.
Monthly Challenges & Prizes
Complete engaging ChessKid activities and earn rewards monthly.
Exclusive Tournaments
Access to SPTW-only online and in-person competitions.
ChessKid Gold Membership
Full access from Sept 2025–2026 included with sign-up (value ~£38).
Supportive Community
A welcoming, all-girls space to learn, grow, and connect with peers, mentors and friends.
Pathway for Progression
From first tournament to international play — our top Lionesses represent SPTW in the 4NCL and beyond.
Enrol Today
Whether you're enrolling one participant or more, She Plays To Win offers flexible options for families, schools, and clubs.
If you're signing up more than two girls, please contact us for group registration options.
For just £42, any girl attending full-time school in the UK can join She Plays To Win’s 2025–2026 academic programme and unlock expert coaching, tournaments, and more.
Have two girls from the same household or school? Use this option to enrol a second participant with full benefits while using the same email address.
One year of
ChessKid Gold
Membership included
With ChessKid, our official learning partner, girls in the SPTW programme can earn stars by completing lessons, watching videos, and playing games while developing their chess skills. The more they engage with the platform, the more stars they can earn, making learning chess a fun and rewarding experience.
There will be exciting monthly challenges, such as solving puzzles and earning stars on ChessKid, with many opportunities to win monthly prizes — including one-to-one chess lessons.
The ChessKid Gold membership runs from September 2025 to September 2026.
The SPTW Development Pathway
Gazelle
For girls learning the basics and starting to play online or at school
Encouraged to join tournaments and online coaching
Weekly online training with SPTW
No rating required
Zebra
For confident players taking part in tournaments and team events
Developing tactics, openings, and game analysis skills
Weekly online training
Suggested rating: ~1000 ECF or active tournament play
Leopard
For girls in or aiming for SPTW’s Lioness B & C 4NCL teams
Training includes 5 Friday sessions with IM Lorin D’Costa
Entry level: 1300+ ECF (Rapid or Standard)
Prepares for top-level Lioness squad
Lioness
Starts at 1900+ FIDE
SPTW’s top players in the Lioness A team (4NCL)
Coaching from world-class female masters
May be selected for the European Women’s Club Cup
Explore Our Squads
We offer four levels of squads to support girls at every stage of their chess journey, from complete beginners to national-level competitors. Read below to see where you might fit best.
Gazelles
The Gazelle Squad is ideal for beginners who are brand new to chess or still learning the basics. Most girls in this group are ungraded or have an online rating under 1000. You don’t need to know how to play yet — just bring curiosity and a willingness to learn!
- Weekly online group sessions led by chess coach Cassie Graham
- Lessons on rules, tactics, and strategy
- Game analysis to understand mistakes
- ChessKid Gold membership
- Online tournaments just for SPTW girls across the UK
- On-demand video replays
When
Every Tuesday online during term time
Tournament at 5:15pm, followed by team training from 6:00 to 6:30pm
Supportive community
Gazelle families can access all the training links, news, and updates through the member pages. Parents are invited to join our WhatsApp group. It's a helpful, friendly space for questions, advice, and support from others with girls just starting.
Zebras
The Zebra Squad is for girls ready to take the next step in their chess journey. Most players in this group have some tournament experience or are beginning to compete. A rating of 1000+ ECF (or Lichess equivalent) is typical, and the focus is on improvement and tournament readiness.
- Weekly online group sessions led by Woman International Master Camelia Ciobanu
- Structured lessons to strengthen key tactical and strategic skills
- Game analysis and insight during live play
- ChessKid Gold membership and monthly competitions
- Entry to our online multi-stage tournament with a chance to reach the Athena Finals
- On-demand video replays
When
Every Wednesday online during term time
6:30–7:15pm — 3-round Swiss tournament (5+3 time control) with Zoom game analysis
Supportive community
Zebra families stay connected through member pages and our parent WhatsApp group — a friendly space for support and shared advice from others with girls progressing in chess.
Leopards & Lionesses
Our advanced squads are for girls with strong tournament experience and a serious commitment to high-level competitive play. Leopard players are typically rated 1300+ ECF and may be invited to join the Lioness B and C teams in the national 4NCL league. As they progress, they can earn a place in our top-tier Lioness A squad, where players approach or exceed 1900 FIDE.
Girls in these squads benefit from high-level online training, including five Friday evening events with IM Lorin D’Costa, and are invited to our Elite Training Day — a highlight of the season. In 2025, our top players took part in a training session with Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz. More grandmaster training is planned this year.
To be considered, girls must be signed up to the SPTW Programme and actively involved in rated competition. Selection is based on rating, commitment to training, and recent performance.
University Students
Studying at uni? You can still be part of the SPTW community! Our full programme is free while you're at university. Just click below and fill out the form to join.
Free Programme Access
Join the full SPTW programme at no cost while you're at university.
Elite Training Day + Tournaments
Get access to all SPTW-run tournaments and our Elite Training Day completely free.
Play for the 4NCL Uni Squad
Compete for our uni team. We’ll cover entry fees and shared accommodation.
Train with Lorin
Uni 4NCL Squad will take part in 5 online prep sessions with IM Lorin D’Costa.
University Tournaments
Join our student-only events during the year. Entry is free!
ChessKid Not Included
This university tier does not include ChessKid.
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March 2025
80 girls who qualified via both Enyo Semi-Finals will be invited
Plus, 10 primary & 10 secondary winners from the SPTW Girls Schools Online Leagues will qualify to play in our most elite tournament of the year.
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January & February 2025
The qualifiers will play in either Enyo Semi-Final 1 or Enyo Semi-Final 2.
The girls will compete in a single category, and the top 40 participants will advance to the Athena Finals.
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September - December 2024
This will be the first round of our multi-stage competition. All girls who have joined can compete in one of the four Ismini Qualifiers.
There are two tournaments: Primary (U11) and Secondary (U18).
A score of 3/6 in any qualifier grants entry to the Enyo Semi-Finals.
Donate My Gold
She Plays To Win is for EVERY UK girl regardless of location in the UK or socio-economic background.
Girls who sign up for the SPTW package and do not wish to use their Chesskid Gold Membership can donate this to another girl via our ‘Donate My Gold’ scheme.
Parents/carers who attend our online webinar on Friday, 4th October, with their girls will receive these gold memberships under our scheme to help those eligible for our free package.
Please scroll down to check your eligibility for this scheme.
Meet our Coaches
Our chess coaches are highly skilled chess masters with extensive experience working with young people. With this experience, they understand the fundamentals of practical training and creating a fun atmosphere.
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International MasterFounder of She Plays To Win
Lorin coaches chess full-time in London schools, has coached the England women's team at the Olympiads four times, and has coached the European team championships.
Lorin consistently coaches the SPTW girls, starting from the beginner Zebra Squad all the way up to the Lionesses!
You can read more about Lorin here.
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Woman International Master
She Plays to Win is proud to provide girls with the opportunity to receive one-on-one coaching from top female coaches.
Woman International Master Camelia Ciobanu offers these lessons regularly and has worked with many SPTW girls in previous years. You can view her profile here:
For all inquiries regarding additional training, please contact SPTW.
FAQs
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No, any girl currently studying an undergraduate, master’s, PhD course, or a recent graduate under 28 does not need to purchase a package to get involved with SPTW.
However, they need to complete the form to indicate whether they want to participate in any events or training.
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No, Chesskid is designed with younger and older kids in mind. Whether she is 4 or 14, she can benefit from suitable content, including favourites such as puzzles, game analysis, and much more.
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No, Chesskid is rich with tools for all levels of chess. There are beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, which are regularly updated with new features added. Here is a guide to the Chesskid features.
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The charge will still be £30, but you are welcome to donate your Chesskid Gold membership via our ‘Donate my Gold’ plan.
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We ask all parents to apply in confidence. Offering all girls the chance to get involved with SPTW to learn, play, and benefit from chess is SPTW’s primary mission statement.
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We encourage girls to continue their chess learning journey. While it may take work for some, the benefits of chess are enormous!
Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds for this programme, which includes access to the paywall content and a ChessKid membership.
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No problem! Please get in touch by clicking here, and we will be happy to help.
Free Package Eligibility
She Plays To Win is for EVERY UK girl regardless of location in the UK or socio-economic background. To help with this, SPTW provides eligible girls with a free package. We kindly ask parents to apply in confidence.
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Girls in receipt of, or whose parents/carers receive, one or more of the following benefits:
• Universal Credit (provided you have an annual net earned income of no more than £7,400, as assessed by earnings from up to three of your most recent assessment periods)
• Income Support
• Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance
• Support under Part VI of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999
• The guarantee element of Pension Credit
• Child Tax Credit (provided you’re not also entitled to Working Tax Credit and have an annual gross income of no more than £16,190)
• Working Tax Credit run-on – paid for four weeks after you stop qualifying for Working Tax Credit
