English Chess Forum

Keep the parents happy. Younger teens still need active support of a willing parent.

Following on from BigMacgate yesterday, I have just had to stop two different sets of parents sitting in the hotel bar eating their own sandwiches. Is this common parental behaviour? Perhaps we should ban children from these events if their parents are unable to conduct themselves properly. I’ve ...

Rightly or wrongly as far as most parents and players are concerned the NCJS is the England junior chess team. It is seen as a major goal for the better county players at U11 level to get a place and I think by and large it is representative of the best juniors in each age group, excepting one or tw...

A group of 20 NCJS kids are playing a match against their French equivalents at Eurodisney this August. The cost is likely to be under £300. Now unless you happen to be an aspiring World Champion that is a lot more attractive to kids and their families than what the World Youth or Euro Youth offer....

Thanks Sabrina! Just as an aside last weekend saw some success for the girls at South Herts Congress (St Albans) with Cosima winning U120 section and Yasmin winning U140 section. I guess like a lot of kids they're now a lot better than their (1 year old) grades, but it was nice to see them tough it ...

Great news!
Glad to see this tournament brought back to life (and I hope the hassle and criticism sometimes directed at organisers doesn't get you down too much Sabrina!)
I just wanted to ask if you think 30 min time control might be a bit short?

I know that in most and probably in all the girls sections (the U14 girls being no exception), there were a number of girls that were strong enough to take part in the trial but for various reasons are not there. The grandprix, grading list and trial last year give a better idea of the strength of ...

Dear all Whilst the social aspects of junior chess are no doubt important, I believe using online training can be a useful adjunct. Training on Chessbase servers with simultaneous Skype voiceover and instant messenger can work very well. Closed tournaments and simultaneous games with a stong player ...

As another parent of a chess playing kid, I just wanted to say a few words in defence of Peter Purland and the current set up. Our own experience has been largely positive. In particular the ‘National Squad’ Peter Purland helps organise at U11 level, and above, offers a realistic goal for many o...