Blog
RIP Mike Basman
Michael John Basman (1946 - 2022) sadly passed away on 26 October 2022. Mike was the founder of the UK Chess Challenge, and his efforts encouraged me and millions of other kids to enjoy the wonderful benefits of this game. I won the girls edition in the...
Terafinal 2022
The 2022 Delancey UK Chess Challenge concluded with the Terafinal held at Blenheim Palace 16th and 17th October. 60 players took part across 5 "all-play-all" age group sections (U8/10/12/14/18). All players had done remarkably well to make it to this stage...
UK Junior Chess Organisations and Tournaments
Junior chess in England is loosely structured with many competing organisations offering competitions and training. This document aims to make some sense of this and give parents some guidance as to which junior tournaments are worthwhile. Organisations...
UK Junior Chess Academy
From September the 'ECF Academy' will now be known as the UK Junior Chess Academy. This is simply a name change and doesn't impact on any of our services, coaches or students. The reasons for the change are two-fold We feel it better reflects our current student base...
Your First Tournament – Survival Guide
So you are taking your youngster to their first chess tournament - very exciting but perhaps you are feeling a little bit nervous about what to expect? Here are our top tips on how to get the most out of the experience. 1) Come prepared A bottle of water is handy. If...
The Rising Tide of AI – Chess and Computers
A history of chess computing and a look into the future Deep Blue was intelligent the way your programmable alarm clock is intelligent. Not that losing to a $10 million alarm clock made me feel any better Chess has been an important hurdle in the...
Chess Learning Personas – Which one is your child?
Everyone learns in a different way and the last thing we would try and do is foist our own preferences onto another individual. Chess is no different and what worked for one player doesn’t necessarily mean it will work for another. In this spirit we have...
Top 10 Tips For Chess Parents
Whether you are a non-playing parent or know a thing or two about chess one thing is the same - being a chess parent is a challenging role. Knowing how best to support your child and help them get the best out of themselves whilst dealing with the inevitable highs and...
UKCC 2021 – What’s New?
Has there ever been a new year with so much uncertainty? 2020 has been a tremendously difficult year for so many people and heading into 2021 there is still a great deal of uncertainty for families and businesses. Whilst we are a bit later than usual we...