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The British Schools Chess Championship is an annual competition for school chess teams that has been in existence continuously from 1958. The tournament is administered by the English Chess Federation and is open to all schools from the United Kingdom. The competition has been won by teams from all four countries of the UK.
At the height of the tournaments popularity in the 1970s, in excess of 1000 teams took part. Unfortunately since the teacher strikes of the mid-1980s a continuous decline in the number of teams has taken place. In 2006-07 only 93 entries were accepted.
[edit] Eligibility
Entry is open to any school in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All players must be under-19 on 31 August of the year in which the competition begins. Teams are made up of six players, with an age handicap system in operation based on the average age of each team.
Age Handicap
Age Difference |
Winning Score for older team |
0 to 11 months |
No handicap - board count |
1 year to 1 year 11 months |
3.5-2.5 |
2 years to 2 years 11 months |
4-2 |
3 years to 3 years 11 months |
4.5-1.5 |
4 years or more |
5-1 |
Teams initially compete in regional zones with the winner of each zone progressing to the National stage of the competition.
[edit] Finals
The tradition used to be that the final four teams got together at a top London hotel for the finals. For a long time the finals were contested at the St Ermin's Hotel, but with the diminishing numbers the finals are now held at 'less prestigious' venues outside London. Since 1994 there has also been a Plate Competition for regional zone runners up.[citation needed]
[edit] Notable Players
The competition has been graced by many top players over the years. These include: -
GM Michael Adams (Truro School) GM Nigel Short (Bolton School) GM Tony Miles (King Edward's School, Birmingham) GM Julian Hodgson (St Paul's School, London) GM Raymond Keene (Dulwich College) GM James Plaskett (Bedford Modern School)
[edit] Sponsorship
In 1938 The Sunday Times (UK) made an offer to the then British Chess Federation to donate a trophy for a competition between teams from Public schools.[1] Before further investigation of this offer could be completed the war intervened. Finally in 1957-58 competition got under way under the sponsorship of The Sunday Times (UK) newspaper. Their patronage continued until 1983, when their sister paper The Times took over. Since the withdrawal of sponsorship by The Times after the 2001 finals, the championship has continued without a sponsor.
[edit] Current status of competition
Entering the 2006-07 season (the competititions 50th year) unfortunately the tournament can no longer be called a UK championship as zones for Scotland and Northern Ireland have been omitted. The lack of numbers in the competition in general have caused the omission of teams from these regions.
[edit] NATIONAL FINALISTS
|
Winners |
Runners Up |
3rd Place |
4th Place |
ENTRY |
1958 |
Calday Grange GS, Wirral |
|
|
|
241 |
1959 |
Calday Grange GS, Wirral |
|
Nottingham High School |
|
247 |
1960 |
Wolverhampton GS |
Manchester GS |
Bishop Vesey's GS |
|
331 |
1961 |
Colfe's School |
|
|
|
358 |
1962 |
Liverpool Institute |
|
|
|
390 |
1963 |
Hove GS |
|
|
Magdalen College School, Oxford |
489 |
1964 |
Liverpool Institute |
Dulwich College |
|
|
580 |
1965 |
Dulwich College |
|
Allan Glen’s School, Glasgow |
|
673 |
1966 |
Dulwich College |
|
|
|
703 |
1967 |
Battersea GS |
|
Trinity School, Croydon |
|
706 |
1968 |
Bolton School |
Dulwich College |
Battersea GS |
Great Yarmouth GS |
789 |
1969 |
Dundee HS |
King Edward's School, Birmingham |
Trinity School, Croydon |
King Edward VII School (Sheffield) |
|
1970 |
Dulwich College |
Ayr Academy |
Methodist College Belfast |
Manchester GS |
761 |
1971 |
Ayr Academy |
Manchester GS |
Ilford County HS |
Plymouth College |
|
1972 |
Ayr Academy |
Dulwich College |
Trinity School, Croydon |
Manchester GS |
760 |
1973 |
Bolton School |
Latymer Upper School |
Bristol Grammar School |
Glyn GS, Ewell |
846 |
1974 |
Southern GS, Portsmouth |
Bedford Modern School |
King Edward's School, Birmingham |
Paisley GS |
961 |
1975 |
St Paul's School, London |
Ilford County HS |
Southern GS, Portsmouth |
Bristol Grammar School |
|
1976 |
Bolton School |
Great Salterne, Portsmouth |
Glyn GS, Ewell |
Royal Belfast Academical Institution |
|
1977 |
Bluecoat School, Liverpool |
Glyn GS, Ewell |
Paisley GS |
Bristol Grammar School |
|
1978 |
St Paul's School, London |
St Albans School |
RGS, Newcastle |
Bluecoat School, Liverpool |
|
1979 |
St Paul's School, London |
Bolton School |
Methodist College Belfast |
King Edward VI School, Southampton |
|
1980 |
King Edward VI School, Southampton |
Watford GS for Boys |
|
Royal Belfast Academical Institution |
|
1981 |
St Paul's School, London |
Watford GS for Boys |
Manchester GS |
King Edward VI School, Southampton |
|
1982 |
St Paul's School, London |
Nottingham HS |
St John's College (Portsmouth) |
Bluecoat School, Liverpool |
|
1983 |
Queen Mary's GS, Walsall |
Paston GS, North Walsham |
RGS, Newcastle |
Grove School, St Leonards |
|
1984 |
RGS, Newcastle |
Plymouth College |
St Paul's School, London |
Queen Mary's GS, Walsall |
|
1985 |
St Paul's School, London |
Nottingham HS |
RGS, Newcastle |
King Edward VI School, Southampton |
|
1986 |
Plymouth College |
Colchester RGS |
Bluecoat School, Liverpool |
Methodist College Belfast |
|
1987 |
Queen Mary's GS, Walsall |
St Paul's School, London |
Millfield School, Street |
Greenwood Academy, Irvine |
|
1988 |
St Paul's School, London |
Abingdon School |
Queen Mary's GS, Walsall |
Antrim GS |
358 |
1989 |
St Paul's School, London |
Manchester GS |
Truro School |
Antrim GS |
|
1990 |
St Paul's School, London |
Truro School |
|
|
[2] |
1991 |
Manchester GS |
Sutton Manor School, Surrey |
Hymers College, Hull |
St Columb's College, Derry |
[3] |
1992 |
Nottingham HS 'A' |
Truro School |
City of London School |
RGS, Newcastle |
[4] |
1993 |
Truro School |
Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree |
Manchester GS |
RGS, Newcastle |
[5] |
1994 |
Ipswich School |
Manchester GS |
St Columb's College, Derry |
Westminster School |
[6] |
1995 |
Methodist College Belfast |
Maidstone GS |
Truro School |
Ipswich School |
[7] |
1996 |
Manchester GS |
Maidstone GS |
Oakham School |
St Columb's College, Derry |
|
1997 |
Manchester GS |
Oakham School |
Hampton School |
Methodist College Belfast |
|
1998 |
Manchester GS |
Torquay Boys GS |
St Paul's School, London |
Queen Elizabeth GS, Wakefield |
|
1999 |
St Paul's School, London |
Oakham School |
Manchester GS |
Torquay Boys GS |
|
2000 |
St Paul's School, London |
Manchester GS |
Nottingham HS |
Queen Elizabeth's GS, Barnet |
|
2001 |
Oakham School |
Manchester GS |
St Paul's School, London |
Yateley Manor Prep School |
246 |
2002 |
Hampton School |
RGS, Guildford |
Oakham School |
Manchester GS |
192 |
2003 |
Oakham School |
RGS, Guildford |
Southend HS |
Blue Coat School, Oldham |
153 |
2004 |
Monmouth School |
Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree |
Blue Coat School, Oldham |
Southend HS |
143 |
2005 |
Nottingham HS 'A' |
Blue Coat School, Oldham |
Monmouth School |
RGS, Guildford |
126 |
2006 |
Nottingham HS 'A' |
Dulwich College |
Millfield School, Street |
Lancaster RGS |
93 |
2007 |
|
|
|
|
93 |
[edit] Sources
- ^ Belfast Newsletter Chess Column 24/03/1938 Page 12
- ^ The Times 29/06/1990 Page 2 and 30/06/1990 Page 3
- ^ The Times 05/07/1991 Page 2 and 06/07/1991 Page 2
- ^ The Times 03/07/1992 Page 2 and 04/07/1992 Page 2
- ^ The Times 02/07/1993 Page 9 and 03/07/1993 Page 9
- ^ The Times 02/07/1994 Page 7
- ^ The Times 01/07/1995 Page 2
[edit] External links
- [1] - Official updates from Competition Controller