Eligibility
Entry is open to any school in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. All players must be under-19 on 31 August of the year in which the competition begins. Teams are made up of six players, with an age handicap system in operation based on the average age of each team.
| Age Difference | Winning Score for older team |
|---|---|
| 0 to 11 months | No handicap - board count |
| 1 year to 1 year 11 months | 3.5-2.5 |
| 2 years to 2 years 11 months | 4-2 |
| 3 years to 3 years 11 months | 4.5-1.5 |
| 4 years or more | 5-1 |
Teams initially compete in regional zones with the winner of each zone progressing to the National stage of the competition. The 2012/13 event may also have weekend zonal sections for those schools for whom this is most convenient. There have been four occasions where Primary Schools have won their Regional finals against secondary and sixth form teams. Two of these occasions were by St Teresa's RC Primary School, Colchester.
Read more about this topic: British Schools Chess Championship