It is, we are pretty sure, exclusive to Pilgrims’ and the game of choice for many, if not all, Pilgrims’ boys during any free time they may get. Played on the life-size chess board outside the Octagon, the ‘net’ is formed by carefully placing the chess pieces side by side across the middle of the board, or court. These chess pieces, once used to play a game of wit and strategy, are now a vital part of a game for which the simple rule is: get the ball over the net onto your opponents’ side before it bounces more than once.

 Because the rules are so simple it is easy to understand even for the youngest of boys that may wish to play. Some of us have come up with other versions of ‘Chennis’, for example, ‘Volleyball Chennis’ where the aim of the game is, as many of you may have already guessed, to not let the ball touch the ground on your side of the court more than once, but can have multiple hits on each turn. There is one other simple rule – teams can be made up of a maximum of three people per side; any more crowds the court too much, but it does mean that you can play with your friends and conquer the Chennis court together! Long live Chennis.

Written by Chenhan and Hugo in Year 8