A pupil at The Crypt School in Gloucester has won the Under 14 title at the 2026 Delancey UK Chess Challenge Terafinal, following a dramatic final-round victory over his closest rival at Blenheim Palace.
Zack Norris went into the final round half a point behind tournament leader Emils Steiners, knowing that only a win would be enough to take the championship. After a long and tense game in which both players had chances, Zack eventually prevailed to finish on 9 points from 11 games, with Emils just half a point behind.
The Terafinal, held on 17–18 October, is the culmination of the Delancey UK Chess Challenge, the UK’s largest chess competition for children. Around 20,000 children take part each year, with just 60 reaching the national final after progressing through a series of qualifying tournaments across the country. The finalists compete in five age groups, with 12 players in each section facing one another over 11 rounds.
Zack’s route to the title was anything but straightforward. Emils, himself a former Under 8 Terafinal champion, had led the section going into the closing stages, but both players lost their penultimate games in round 10. That set up a winner-takes-all encounter between the two leaders in the final round.
Zack’s family described the deciding game as a wild and exciting contest that left him exhausted. Having suffered a disappointing defeat in the previous round, he had to put that result behind him and find the determination to compete again. Emils defended stubbornly and had opportunities of his own before Zack eventually won a lengthy endgame to take the title.
It was a fitting conclusion to a chess journey that began rather more casually in the family kitchen during lockdown.
Zack first became interested in chess while playing against his father. With opportunities to play competitively limited at the time, he began teaching himself using YouTube videos, gradually developing his understanding of the game. He joined a chess club at the age of ten and has been competing regularly ever since.
Zack has won the Cotswold, Bristol and Warwickshire congresses, represented England in junior chess competitions and qualified for the UK Blitz Final. Blitz chess, in which players have only a few minutes to complete their moves, is his favourite form of the game.
He is also one of just ten junior players selected for the Chess Trust Accelerator Programme, which provides elite coaching and development support to some of England’s most promising young chess players. Through the programme, Zack receives coaching from Grandmaster John Emms.
Away from the chessboard, Zack enjoys art and running. His family say that winning the Terafinal is particularly satisfying because it shows that the time and effort he has put into improving his game are paying off.
The result also adds to his excellent record at the national final. Across two Terafinal appearances, Zack has now scored a combined 19 points from 22 games.
Sarah Longson, Chief Executive of the Delancey UK Chess Challenge, said:
“Zack’s final game was one of the highlights of the weekend. He knew he had to win against a very strong opponent who had led the tournament, and there were moments when the result could have gone either way.
“What impressed me was the way he recovered from losing the previous round. It’s difficult enough to play eleven games against this standard of opposition, never mind having to win the last one to take the title. Zack thoroughly deserves his success, and we congratulate him on an excellent performance.”
The 2026 Terafinal also marked the end of Delancey’s longstanding sponsorship of the UK Chess Challenge. Delancey has supported the competition for many years, helping hundreds of thousands of children across the UK discover and enjoy competitive chess. The UK Chess Challenge is enormously grateful for Delancey’s generosity and commitment to junior chess, which has played an important part in the competition’s success.