National Chess Junior Squad

(For players aged 9 to 18 years old.)

Are you good enough to be part of the national chess team?  Players in the national team are selected from the National Chess Junior Squad.  There are teams for different age groups from under 11 to under 18.  This part of the site explores what you need to do to show that you should be part of that squad.

 
If you are aged 9 or 10
Players aged 9 or 10 can compete in tournaments that count towards entry to the England Under 11 Team Trials.  The England's Under 11 Chess Team pages of this website explain what you need to do, and has a guide to the tournaments you should compete in.

The remainder of this page deals with how players aged 11 to 16 can qualify for the Squad.
 

Qualifying for the National Chess Junior Squad if you are aged 11 to 16.

Only the best players can be part of the national squad, so you cannot simply turn up and join.  You have to show the selectors that you play well enough first.  You do that by competing in certain tournaments.  Those who do well are invited to join the squad.  Once you become a squad member, you can play for the national team in your age group until you are 18.

How do I show the selectors that I'm good enough?
To show that you are good enough to join the squad, you have to achieve what is called a full norm.  This will usually mean competing in at least two qualifying tournaments.

• If you achieve a good performance in one qualifying chess tournament, you should be awarded a half norm, and you are part qualified.  If you do the same in a second tournament, you will be awarded a second half norm, and you become fully qualified.  Once you are fully qualified you should be invited to join the squad.

  The exact number of points you need for a good performance varies and will be announced during each tournament.  It will usually mean scoring more points during the competition than you give away.

• Occasionally, if you achieve an excellent performance in just one tournament, you will be awarded a full norm straight away, and be invited to join the squad.  An excellent performance means finishing first, or in some cases second.

In each competition, which section should I compete in
In each competition you should enter the section most appropriate to your own age group.  e.g. If you are 12 years old on 1 September 2009, you should enter the U13 section.  (If the competition does not have a U13 section, you should enter the U14 section etc).  You should only enter the top section for your age group.  e.g. If the competition has major and minor sections, you should enter the major section.

Please note, in the British Rapidplay tournament in Halifax, you enter the adult section appropriate to your grade (not a higher one). e.g. Major, Intermediate or Minor section.

Which tournaments count towards selection?
The tournaments that include qualification for the National Chess Junior Squad are:

Millfield Young Masters	(Somerset)
British Championships	(The location changes each year)
British Rapidplay	(Halifax, West Yorkshire)
London Junior Championships	(London)
South of England	(Camberley, Surrey)
West of England	(Swindon, Wiltshire)
Junior Squad	(The location changes each year)