Dame Allan’s Year 3 pupil takes podium place at UK Chess Challenge Terafinal against the
country’s top young players after winning a British championship title weeks earlier

A seven-year-old Newcastle schoolboy has secured third place in a national chess final,
taking on some of the country’s strongest young players – many of whom were older than
him.

Hansen J, a Year 3 pupil at Dame Allan’s Junior School, scored eight points from 11 games at
the 2026 UK Chess Challenge Terafinal, finishing third in the Under-8 age group with seven
wins, two draws and two losses.

He said: “Most of the games were hard and you cannot afford to make any blunders. I’m
happy with the trophy overall. All the players become friends during the competitions, and
we appreciate each other’s achievements.”

Hansen’s performance followed an impressive year on the chess circuit, including winning
the British Chess Championship under-1500 rapidplay title in August with six wins from
seven games.

He qualified for the Terafinal after winning all his games at the Northumbria Megafinal
before competing in three Gigafinals in Edinburgh, Manchester and Esher. He secured 17
wins from 21 games across the three events to earn his place in the national final.
His mum, Yunfen, said: “This was his first time competing in such a high-level junior
competition, so he has done amazingly well and is very happy with his third-place trophy.”

His dad, Yameng, added: “The experience has given him valuable insights into playing
serious games, particularly the importance of avoiding dropping points from winning
positions. He is full of confidence and looking forward to competing again next year.”

Chess is part of the Year 3 curriculum at Dame Allan’s, where pupils take part in a ten-week
course of weekly lessons. Hansen has continued to develop his interest through the Junior
School’s chess club, where he initially learnt from older students and now helps his
classmates understand the game.

He also practises for around 30 minutes every day, attends Forest Hall Chess Club each
week, where he plays children and adults for almost three hours, and receives coaching
from International Master David Eggleston. He also plays for Forest Hall Chess Club in the
Northumberland league.

He said: “I really enjoy spotting tactics and playing fast games with very tight time controls.”

Geoff Laidler, Head of Dame Allan’s Junior School, said: “To achieve third place nationally at
just seven years old, competing against players who are mostly a year older, is a fantastic
achievement.

“We’ve introduced chess into the Year 3 curriculum to help develop pupils’ strategic
thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as giving them opportunities to learn from one
another. Hansen started out learning alongside older pupils in our chess club and is now
helping his classmates. His achievements give other pupils someone their own age to look
up to.”