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Editorial

By Lorin D'Costa, Founder and CEO of She Plays To Win

Some fantastic successes for girls, both on a team and individual front this month, She Plays To Win is proud to report.

The big news was our Lionesses A team in the 4NCL National Chess League, who sensationally won Division 2 — and as champions no less. This is their second promotion in a row, and their second title win in a row. Now the girls get to play in Division 1 with the very best UK players, including International Masters, Grandmasters and former British Champions.

We have 3 other teams in Division 4, meaning over 60 of our top promising UK girls have had the chance this season to gain experience and opportunities in slow-play FIDE-rated chess.

Putting female chess on the map through sheer effort and success is really growing the game for more girls to get involved. In the past week I have been contacted by chess dignitaries from Denmark and The Netherlands who want to discuss She Plays To Win with me, as more and more people across Europe hear about what we are doing.

Speaking of which, we saw more success as 9-year-old Kayal Vijay from Bishop's Stortford won the European Under 9 Schools Championship in Croatia.

Closer to home, around 50 girls attended our girls' event in Liverpool on 26th April, where She Plays To Win worked with Chess in Schools and Communities. Local MP Maria Eagle, a keen chess player herself, came to visit.

Finally, She Plays To Win is proud to announce our first Secondary Schools Series event on Friday 26th June in London. This is a school chess, maths and STEM day for girls aged 12-14 (school years 7-9), combining chess as an educational tool with Maths and STEM.

Female STEM leaders will come and speak to the girls, inspiring them alongside maths problem solving and science challenges.

We would like to thank We Solve Problems (https://wesolveproblems.org.uk/) and Get With The Program (https://www.getwiththeprogram.org.uk/) for working with us on this new pilot event.

Already 14 girls' schools have signed up to participate. We are excited to be able to offer this, and all of the above, to girls of all ages in Primary and Secondary Schools.

Lorin D'Costa
Founder & CEO, She Plays To Win
Charity Number: 1210171
sheplaystowin.co.uk

Lionesses are Division 2 Champions!

The 5th and final weekend of the 4NCL National Chess League took place from 2nd to 4th May.

The Lionesses A team, in Division 2, were ranked 3rd of 12 teams. With 3 teams getting promoted, the dream was on.

A final match win saw the Lionesses sneak into first place ahead of The Sharks 2, who had led going into the final match.

Promotion to Division 1 achieved, with a second title in a row after the Division 3 title this time last season.

The final table of 4NCL Division 2. The top 3 teams are promoted.

This is simply a remarkable achievement by the squad. The girls just never know they are beaten. Four matches this season were won by the tightest 4.5-3.5 margin, and the team saved many difficult matches throughout the season with their immense fighting spirit. This was the same last season in Division 3 as well.

The girls' ability to come back from setbacks, such as in January when they lost heavily in both matches and lost their lead, really demonstrates what these girls are about.

European Women's Blitz Champion Eline Roebers, from the Netherlands, loves being board 1 and leading the squad.

The Lionesses A on the final weekend in Daventry.

There was a larger squad of girls who have taken part in this A team success. Only 8 girls can play in any given weekend, but each and every girl can take huge credit for their contribution to this success.

She Plays To Win also has 3 other teams in Division 4: the University team, and the Lionesses B and C teams.

Those teams are filled with our younger talent. She Plays To Win is glad to offer opportunities to girls across the UK, giving them the chance to play as a female squad against more experienced adults in slow-play FIDE-rated international chess.

This has the impact that over 60 UK girls have taken part across the season and gained valuable experience.

Experience that stretches beyond the chess board: these girls are learning tough skills in a challenging environment against adult male players, with preparation, analysis and resilience among the skills learned.

The University team came a fantastic 7th, just missing out on promotion to Division 3.

The Lionesses B and C teams saw a number of individual rating upsets across the season, such as 13-year-old Diah, who in March defeated two players rated 1900 despite being rated around 1600 herself.

She Plays To Win is extremely proud to be giving these UK girls these opportunities, and has done so for 4 seasons now.

We are extremely thankful to our private sponsor, who believes in the project and in the impact this has for girls across primary, secondary and university ages.

The Lionesses A team now get ready to play next season in Division 1. This will include the absolute top UK players, mostly with Grandmaster and International Master titles, and former British Champions.

Best of luck to the girls on this new challenge!

SPTW & CSC Event, Liverpool, Sunday 26th April 2026

SPTW Founder Lorin with MP Maria Eagle, who came to inspire the girls.

On Sunday 26th April, something powerful happened in Liverpool.

50 girls from primary and secondary schools came together at Holly Lodge Girls' College for a girls-only chess tournament delivered in partnership between She Plays To Win and Chess in Schools and Communities.

For many, it was their first ever competitive experience.

The impact was immediate:

"I thought it would be scary... but it wasn't."

"Using a chess clock was intimidating at first — but I got used to it."

That moment — when fear turns into confidence — is exactly why this work matters.

We were also honoured to have local MP Maria Eagle join us, taking time to speak with and inspire the girls as they competed, learned and grew. She was full of praise for what we are looking to accomplish.

Huge congratulations to our winners:

Annabel (Primary)
Prashika (Secondary)

Our thanks to Chess in Schools and Communities for teaming up with us to provide this opportunity for the girls.

Kayal wins in Croatia

Kayal Vijay — Under-9 Girls European Schools Chess Champion

Kayal Vijay, aged 9, represented England at the European Schools Chess Championship, held from 26th April to 6th May 2026 in Trogir, Croatia. She played in the Under-9 Girls section, a 9-round classical tournament (90 minutes plus 30 seconds), competing against strong players from multiple countries. Kayal finished with an incredible score of 8 out of 9 and emerged as the Under-9 Girls Champion of the European Schools Chess Championship 2026.

Kayal Vijay (ENG), centre, scored an impressive 8/9. Photo credit: Croatia Chess Club.

Kayal started the tournament with an amazing win in 21 moves in Round 1. She was hit with an unexpected setback in Round 2 against an opponent from Georgia. Kayal showed remarkable resilience and mental strength, fighting back to win the remaining seven games in a row, including challenging games against opponents from Turkey.

Nine consecutive rounds were mentally exhausting, especially for children who experience a wide range of emotions in such long tournaments. The victory reinforced her belief that hard work never fails, and she finished the tournament feeling proud of herself and truly happy.

Kayal says: "I am super happy for winning the European Schools Championship. I won 8 out of 9 and won 7 games in a row. I made friends from different countries and am eager to meet them again soon. I really enjoyed playing in the tournament."

Kayal shares some positions from her games from this tournament for the SPTW girls to solve.

Puzzle 1: White to move and checkmate in 3.

Puzzle 2: White to move — how to win material?

Puzzle 3: What is Black's best move, and what happens next?

Chesskid

Well done to the following girls for winning 1-1 lessons by coming 1st and 2nd in the Puzzles and Stars leaderboards for April. These girls all win 1-1 lessons with Woman International Master Coach Cami! https://lichess.org/@/Cami3