Secondary School Chess Initiatives

[Neill Cooper]

With the discussions about encouraging teenagers to continue to play chess in other topics I thought it worthwhile reminding forumites that when I was ECF Manager of Secondary School chess I started three initiativesto encourage more secondary school chess:
• an ECF secondary school chess newsletter
• one day inter-school tournaments
• afternoon chess inter-school tournaments.
These were designed to support and complement the National Schools Chess Championships, by forming a natural progression from 'Blitz', through rapidplay to long play chess.

In March I launched the afternoon chess tournaments as a nationwide tournament: Secondary School Team Chess Challenge, (described at http://www.teamchesschallenge.org.uk/). An important aspect of these events is that they are accessible to new schools/teams/players by not requiring a large time commitment. Games are short (25 mins in total), clocks are not always used and so, of course, they are not graded. Amongst the entries already received are some from schools new to inter-school competitive chess.

One day tournaments require more commitment from players and by using rapidplay times they are suitable for grading. Each event I have run have drawn in new schools and players. The next event is at Eton in September. Unfortunately the ECF board, against the wishes of the Junior Director, insisted that for such events to be graded then all participants should be ECF members. Hence I resigned but have continued to organise such events independently.

The ECF Board decision has also resulted a delay in the launch of the flagship National Schools Chess Championships. This is an important and historic event, but it is still unclear how it will be run in 2013/14. Normally the entry forms are circulated in good time during the summer term. The late announcement of the event is bound to be detrimental.

[John Swain]

Neill Cooper's initiatives are to be applauded and demonstrate what can be done without the involvement of the ECF (he is continuing to organise these initiatives despite resigning as ECF Manager for Secondary Schools).

The same may be said of many other individuals, clubs and organisations, some of whom have contributed, or are referred to, on other threads.

It may be said that we get the ECF we deserve if we don't get involved and help. I have never found the time or inclination to organise chess events beyond school, congress or county level. There are numerous jobs unfilled in the ECF, but this is also true of other regional, county or club organisations.

I share Neill's concerns about the National Schools. It would be regrettable if the numbers fell again, after a modest rise in recent years.