Juniors News

There are many events run by the NCA in which juniors take part, such as the grade-limited county teams where we have a dedicated Junior team.  We are hoping to revive the “under 130” grade twelve-board Four Counties team which had five events from 2015-2018. 

Many juniors play in the Nottingham Rapidplay, the Congress and the County Championships, which for the first time a few years ago included a one-day under 12 as well as an under 15 Rapidplay on the Sunday.  Details of these can be found on the Competitions page.

Members of our association also support other events for under 18s, including the Junior 4NCL, the National Youth Chess Association and the National Schools Chess Championships.

Many NCA clubs welcome junior players, and these are specified on our Clubs page. Parents and juniors are advised to contact the club (some of their websites carry details) before attending for the first time, so that the club can ensure that there is a suitable person expecting your arrival who can make you welcome. 

Junior Newsletters

The latest issue of the Junior Newsletter, along with all the previous issues, can be viewed by clicking here:

Junior Newsletters

You can also request there that future issues be sent to you by email.

  • Notts Primary School Age Individual County Championships
    The Nottingham Primary Schools Chess Association held the Individual County Championships, combined with Under 11 England Trial Nottingham Rapidplay tournament on 1st March 2025. Full details can be found on the NPSCA website here.
  • Nottinghamshire School Excels at London Chess Classic
    A Nottinghamshire school team recently competed with great success at the London Chess Classic event in London, held in early December. A team from Pierrepont Gamston school played against schools from London and the South-East and came second overall, missing out on the gold medal by a fraction of a team point. The tournament was organised by Chess in Schools and Communities to run alongside the 8-player GM tournament and involved over 200 primary age children. The event took place at the Emirates Stadium – home of Arsenal AFC. Gamston’s team of 5 are the top stars of the very popular chess club at the school, run by Radcliffe & Bingham members Stuart Humphreys and Nick London. The team and their head teacher, Mrs Claire Bills, were delighted by the outcome and by the memorable day out. All children taking part also had some tuition sessions and a simultaneous challenge with two GMs – one of the Gamston pupils won an award for best play in the Simul.
  • NPSCA Chess Lessons Start on 12th October
    Th Nottinghamshire Primary Schools Chess Association provides lessons at Nottingham High School. The first session takes place on Saturday 12th October. For for more information please see https://nottsprimarychess.uk/, or email.
  • Junior Newsletter

    The latest edition of the Newsletter has been issued and is available at  Junior Newsletter August 2022

    Simon Scott

  • Future Events
    The latest edition of the Junior Newsletter is now available on the Juniors page. It includes details of several upcoming events suitable for Juniors. We are also looking for views on the format for our County Championship later this year. Please take a look on the competitions page