National Primary Schools' Chess Championships

2026 Competition

Here is the invitation to the EPSCA National Primary Schools Chess Championship Semi-Finals.

Link to invitation : INVITATION

Link to Entry Form : ENTRY FORM

Due to the limited number of Zones that ran this year, we are delighted to invite all teams to join the  Semi-Final Stage of the National Primary Schools’ Chess Championship, taking place in May and June 2026.

Next Steps:

Please complete the Semi-Final Entry Form to confirm which Semi-Final event you wish to compete in.

Entry Form Link:

Rules and Regulations:

The official tournament rules for the Semi-Final Stage, including player eligibility, team composition, and tiebreaks, are detailed in the official regulations document. You can access the full document here: NPSCC Regulations 2025

Semi-Final Venues and Dates:

  1. London, Mill Hill – 17th May 2026

    • Venue: Mill Hill School

  2. Hertfordshire – 17th May 2026

  3. Birkenhead – 3rd May 2026

    • Venue: Birkenhead School

    • Note: This Semi-Final is for northern teams only, and London-based teams are not eligible to compete in this event.

  4. London, Wimbledon – 7th June 2025

  5. London, Baker Street– 13th June 2025

    • Venue: Uni of Westminster Marylebone Campus

Please Note:

While every effort will be made to allocate your school to its preferred Semi-Final, priority will be given to schools that hosted Zone events.

Insurance:

Please note that EPSCA insurance will only cover the tournament chess activity.

Qualification to the Finals

  • The top two teams from each Semi-Final will qualify for the Final Stage of the competition.

  • The Finals will be a two-day competition, held on 27th-28th June 2026 at:

The Science Museum, London.

Entry Fee and Payment Details:

  • Entry Fee: £90 per team

  • Payment Method: Bank Transfer to David Knight (EPSCA Treasurer)

Bank Details:

  • Sort Code: 08-90-66

  • Account Number: 15270469

Medal Packs:

We are pleased to offer souvenir medal packs containing 6 medals for £20 per pack. These packs can be ordered via the Semi-Final entry form.

  • Please order and pay for these at the time of entry.

  • Medal packs will not be available for purchase on the day of the event.

Tournament Format:

  • Each team consists of 5 players plus 1 playing reserve.

  • Only six named players may participate for any one team in the competition.

  • The Semi-Final will be a Swiss system tournament with 5 rounds - time control 15+10 

We look forward to receiving your entry and welcoming your team to the Semi-Final Stage.

Angela Eyton
National Schools Controller

2025 Competition

2025 National Primary Schools Chess Championship – Finals Results

The NPSCC Finals were held at Westminster School on 28–29 June 2025. After two days of exciting and high-quality chess, we are delighted to announce the results:

Under 11 Section – Final Standings:

Full U11 results
1st  St Paul’s Juniors 2025 NPSCC Under 11 Champions Team photo
2nd  King's College School
3rd  The Pointer School
4th  Westminster Under School

Under 9 Section – Final Standings:

Full U9 results
1st – Westminster Under School  2025 NPSCC Under 9 Champions Team photo
2nd   Hereward House School
3rd   St. Paul's Juniors
4th   Hallfield School

Semi-Finals

This year’s competition saw 249 teams from 135 schools take part across five Semi-Finals.

11 May – Belmont, Mill Hill Prep School

18 May – Mill Hill School

8 June – Nottingham High School

8 June – King’s College School, Wimbledon

15 June - Haberdashers’ Girls’ School, Elstree

Angela Eyton 

EPSCA National Schools Controller 2025

Getting ready to play! The magnificent venue for the Grand Final, 2023. More photos here.

2023 Final

Congratulations to our 2023 champion schools: Westminster Under (Under 11) and Kings College (Under 9). Thanks to Mike Forster for these photos of the final.

Under 11 Final
Westminster Under 29.5
Dulwich Prep. 24
Highgate 19.5
Hallfield 19.5
University College S 17.5
The Hall 13.5
RGS Newcastle 11
St Martins 5.5
   
Under 9 Final
Kings College 27
The Pointer School 22.5
City Juniors 21
Eltham College 21
The Hall 14
Hereward House 14
Hallfield 14
The Beacon 6.5

Details

This successful competition started in 1969. It is open to all schools in England, Scotland and Wales. Although the aim is to find the strongest chess-playing schools in the Country, it is intended to be an interesting challenge to schools of any chess-playing ability. The format can vary from year to year, so the following is just to give an idea of how it works.
Teams:     5 players – plus 1 reserve
Under 11 (Year 6 & below)
Under 9  (Year 4 & below)

Stage 1: Zones
Local events where a number of schools send teams and try to qualify for the semi-finals. Usually held in January, February and March.

Stage 2: Semi-Finals:
Teams qualifying from the zones play in semi-finals, usually in May and June.

Stage 3: National Finals:
Usually a two-day event held in July