Regular tournaments and coaching days are held at weekends throughout Kent and South-East London between September and July. The Calendar page lists upcoming events. It also shows details of major regional and national tournaments and of team Championships. If you have entered at least one of our events, you will automatically be sent all entry forms for at least one season after the season in which you last entered. If you have given us your email address, these will be sent to you by email. Otherwise, they will be sent a little later by post. We prefer to distribute by email, as it saves us printing and postage costs and enables you to receive the forms more quickly and more reliably. We aim to distribute entry forms 3 times per season – at the beginning of July for events from September to December, at the beginning of December for events from January to March and at the beginning of March for events from April to July. Entry forms can also be downloaded from the Entry Forms page.

Success in tournaments usually leads to selection for the Kent junior County teams. We aim to field teams from Under 9 to Under 18 and to give as many players as possible the experience of inter-County representative honours.

The tournaments are sub-divided into age groups, e.g. Under 9, Under 11 etc. Results of games are sent to the English Chess Federation (ECF) for ‘grading’. Players will receive a national grade after they have played 12 games or more. The ECF re-calculates grades annually each July/August with a mid-season revision in February. The current start-of-season grades of all Kent juniors are shown on the Grades page.

Most of the tournaments make up an annual Kent Junior Grand Prix (GP), similar to the one in motor racing. Results in each of the constituent GP tournaments earn points towards the overall GP. These points are automatically calculated and accumulated for all eligible participants. The up to date GP Tables are published on the GP Tables page. Most of the tournaments are also part of the ECF Grand Prix, details of which are on their website, www.englishchess.org.uk.

There are 4 GP sections for individuals: Under 9, Under 11, Under 14 and Under 18. There are also 2 GP sections for schools: Primary and Secondary.

Calculation of GP Points

Each player’s best 4 scores count. The best 3 scores from each eligible player in all GP tournaments count towards the Schools GP. It is also possible to send in results from outside individual (not team) tournaments until 1 June by submitting an Outside Tournaments Form available at KJCA tournaments or through the website to the GP Manager. The relevant fee must be attached. All points scored are carried forward to the GP Final. Points scored in the GP Final are then added.

GP points are awarded according to the tournament section in which a player has played. The multiplier used is different for each section.

The GP multiples for Championship events, i.e. Kent Primary and Secondary Championships and qualifying events for the England Junior Squad or Under 11 Trial, will, in all cases, be one higher than those shown in the table above.

If sections combined, the higher multiplier will apply.

GP Eligibility

All players who were born in, live in, are educated in or belong to a chess club in Kent or South-East London are eligible. For the purposes of the GP, Kent consists of Kent, Medway and the London Boroughs of Bexley and Bromley and South-East London consists of the London Boroughs of City, Croydon, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. Players who have appeared in a Kent junior team are also eligible. Please note, however, that any eligible player who appears for a team other than Kent in an inter-County competition is automatically disqualified and thereby ineligible for that season. Such a player can, therefore, win trophies and cash prizes at the individual GP tournaments but cannot win the end-of-season GP trophies nor share in the large end-of-season GP cash prize fund. We very much hope that no player will deprive themselves of these opportunities.

GP Prizes

1. In addition to cash prizes and trophies on offer in individual GP tournaments, there is a GP cash fund in individual GP sections of £1,650.
2. Out of the GP cash prize fund, the winners of each of the GP sections will win the following prizes: Under 18 (£200), Under 14 (£150), Under 11 (£125) and Under 9 (£100).
3. The remainder of the cash prize fund will be split between several runners-up in each of the GPs and each of the GP age group winners, boy and girl. Nobody may win more than one GP cash prize.
4. There are perpetual trophies for the winners of the following GP titles: Under 18, Under 14, Under 11, Under 9, Secondary School and Primary School. Upon the return of these perpetual trophies to the Trophies Manager, a month before the following year’s GP Final, each of the winners will receive a replacement trophy to keep.
5. All eligible players, who have played in at least 4 GP tournaments during the season and participate in the GP Final, will receive a trophy reflecting their performance in the GP.
6. All eligible players who play in all the GP tournaments in a season will additionally receive a loyalty trophy.
7. Each of the County Team Managers will award a trophy to each of a maximum of 3 players whom they consider have made the greatest contribution to their team during the season. This is not solely judged on the basis of who achieved the best playing results. No player may receive more than one of these awards in any season.
8. All the above prizes are awarded at the prize-giving following the end of the GP Final. Winners of any of the above prizes who are unable to participate in the GP Final must pay the GP Fee before the GP Final if they wish to reserve their prize.

Other GP Rules

1. Players can only score GP points for their own GP age section but there is no restriction on entering older age sections within a tournament other than in the GP Final.
2. Players must be in the Under 9 or Under 11 GP for results to count for their school in the Primary School GP and in the Under 14 or Under 18 GP for results to count for their school in the Secondary School GP.
3. The GP multipliers are based on a 6-round competition. If a section has more or less rounds than 6, the multiplier will be adjusted proportionately to make it equivalent to a 6-round competition.
4. A 1-point appearance score will be added to all scores, other than from Outside Tournaments, calculated by the GP multipliers.
5. Juniors playing chess for a Kent team, England or an English regional team in a clashing representative fixture or for their school chess team or playing in a clashing qualifying tournament for the Under 11 Trial, the England Junior Squad or an England team will be deemed to have played in the clashing GP tournament and will be awarded their average GP score based on a minimum of the number of GP tournament scores that can be counted. This award will take place after GP7 and, if necessary, in the GP Final. Such scores do not count towards the Schools GP.
6. If outside results are submitted, only the one best score out of all these results submitted will count towards the GP. Such results do not count towards the Schools GP.
7. The GP Manager will decide any matter not covered above.

KENT JUNIOR CHESS ASSOCIATION

GRAND PRIX RESULTS: OUTSIDE TOURNAMENTS

In addition to the regular KJCA Grand Prix tournaments, it is possible to gain GP points from one other individual (not team) tournament, either junior or adult, outside the GP circuit. You may submit as many outside results as you wish and the best score of all those submitted will be included with all your scores in GP tournaments in calculating your GP points’ total.

The number of GP points gained for each result submitted will be decided by the GP Manager based on the strength of the respective tournament. The calculation will be made by reference to the full GP Calculation Table and all the GP Rules on our website. The following conditions are also applicable:

1. Tournaments to be included must take place between the previous GP Final and the end of May.
2. A fee of £5 (please make cheque payable to Kent Junior Chess Association) must accompany each application.
3. All applications must be complete and reach the GP Manager before 1 June. The GP Manager must be able to verify the result before 8 June.
4. In the event of any dispute, the GP Manager’s decision will be final.

OUTSIDE TOURNAMENTS FORM

Date:

I would like to submit my following tournament result for inclusion in the calculation of my GP points’ total:

First Name:                                                       Date of Birth:
Surname:

Home Address:

Email Address:                                                        Telephone No.:

Name of Tournament:                                                             Date:
Venue:

Section:                                       Grading Limit (if any) for Section:
No. of Rounds:                            No. of Points Scored:

Tournament Organiser’s Name:
Tournament Organiser’s Telephone No.:

I enclose a cheque for £5 in favour of KJCA.

Please detach this form and send it to Sue Maguire, 36 Sherwood Road, Croydon, CR0 7DH.