English Youth Championship, March 7-8, 2026

[Mick Norris]

The inaugural English Youth Championship will be held on March 7-8, 2026 at Nottingham High School, and is aimed at selecting England Open and Girls to play in 2026 World and European Youth and Cadet Championships.

Separate Open and Girls Championships will be held for Under 18, Under 16, Under 14, Under 12 and Under 10 players (based on their date of birth on 1/1/26).

Details and online entry here

Pity about the clash with county matches, but diary clashes are inevitable

[Roger de Coverly]

The inaugural English Youth Championship will be held on March 7-8, 2026 at Nottingham High School, and is aimed at selecting England Open and Girls to play in 2026 World and European Youth and Cadet Championships.

They may have given it a new name, but isn't some form of selection tournament something that's been done in the past? One drawback is that a weekend tournament at a relatively fast move rate may not be the best selection criterion for a one round a day tournament at a slower pace.

[Andrew Martin]

I think it’s a great idea. Nottingham High School is an excellent venue and the fact that kids can attend training lectures is the icing on the cake.

A positive move forward.

[Brian Beattie]

It is definitely a step in the right direction. I do question the requirement for the U10s and U12s to have an A category standard rating. Some qualification of either classical or rapid should suffice for these age groups. Rapid events already dominate junior chess over these ages with a full schedule of school, club, local and national tournaments. Adding another 30 games of standard seems overly burdensome.

[Alex Holowczak]

It is definitely a step in the right direction. I do question the requirement for the U10s and U12s to have an A category standard rating. Some qualification of either classical or rapid should suffice for these age groups. Rapid events already dominate junior chess over these ages with a full schedule of school, club, local and national tournaments. Adding another 30 games of standard seems overly burdensome.

The best players in Europe/the world in these age groups are racking up 30+ classical games per year quite comfortably. The tournament is designed as a qualifying path for England selection to events with classical time limits. If you want to be the best...

At the risk of speaking out of turn, it being the inaugural year, Tim is intending to be fairly understanding when it comes to the "regional nomination" route.

[Brian Beattie]

It is definitely a step in the right direction. I do question the requirement for the U10s and U12s to have an A category standard rating. Some qualification of either classical or rapid should suffice for these age groups. Rapid events already dominate junior chess over these ages with a full schedule of school, club, local and national tournaments. Adding another 30 games of standard seems overly burdensome.

The best players in Europe/the world in these age groups are racking up 30+ classical games per year quite comfortably. The tournament is designed as a qualifying path for England selection to events with classical time limits. If you want to be the best...

At the risk of speaking out of turn, it being the inaugural year, Tim is intending to be fairly understanding when it comes to the "regional nomination" route.

Well, I do notice that the top two U11 boys in the country (top 20 or so world) also currently have K ratings (although one of them has an A in rapid). Of course, I imagine if they so desire they could quickly acquire eligibility via the Hikaru route. Or simply the regional nomination would be extended.