The British Schools Chess Championship is an annual competition for school chess teams that has been in existence continuously from 1958. The tournament is administered by the English Chess Federation and is open to all schools from the United Kingdom. The competition has been won by teams from all four countries of the UK.

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.

Sponsorship

In 1938 The Sunday Times (UK) made an offer to the then British Chess Federation to donate a trophy for a competition between teams from Public schools.Belfast Newsletter Chess Column 24/03/1938 Page 12 Before further investigation of this offer could be completed the war intervened. Finally in 1957-58 competition got under way under the sponsorship of The Sunday Times (UK) newspaper. Their patronage continued until 1983, when their sister paper The Times took over. Since the withdrawal of sponsorship by The Times after the 2001 finals, the championship continued without a sponsor until 2008.

At the height of popularity in the 1970s, in excess of 1000 teams took part, but since then a decline in the number of teams has taken place. In 2007-08, the accepted entry increased from 93 teams to 135 teams, which represented the highest number of entries for four years. Yateley Manor School, from Yateley in Hampshire, sponsors from 2008-2011, supported the event through a difficult period and deserve special mention.

The competition, now known as the National Schools Chess Championships, was relaunched by the English Chess Federation in 2012 with sponsorship from St Catherine's School, Bramley to support a tournament for girls, with both U11 and U19 sections, Heathside Preparatory School, from Hampstead, London for a new U11 open section and Winchester College for the U19 open section.

National finalists

1950s

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 4th Place ENTRY 1958 Calday Grange GS, Wirral Varndean Nottingham High School Colfe's School 241 1959 Calday Grange GS, Wirral William Ellis, London Queen Elizabeth's GS, Barnet Glyn Grammar School, Ewell 247

1960s

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 4th Place ENTRY 1960 Wolverhampton Grammar School Huddersfield New College Bishop Vesey's Grammar School Winchester College 331 1961 Colfe's School Hove Grammar School Weston-Super-Mare Grammar School Bradford Grammar School 358 1962 Liverpool Institute Bemrose School King Edward's School, Birmingham Whitgift School 390 1963 Hove Grammar School Colfe's School Liverpool Institute Magdalen College School, Oxford 489 1964 Liverpool Institute Dulwich College Hove Grammar School Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys 580 1965 Dulwich College Wallasey Grammar School Allan Glen's School, Glasgow Hayes County Grammar School 673 1966 Dulwich College Manchester Grammar School Hove Grammar School Bradford Grammar School 703 1967 Battersea Grammar School King Edward VI School, Nuneaton Wintringham Grammar School Trinity School, Croydon 706 1968 Bolton School Dulwich College Battersea Grammar School Great Yarmouth Grammar School 789 1969 High School of Dundee King Edward's School, Birmingham Trinity School, Croydon King Edward VII School (Sheffield)

1970s

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 4th Place ENTRY 1970 Dulwich College Ayr Academy Methodist College Belfast Manchester Grammar School 761 1971 Ayr Academy Manchester Grammar School Ilford County High School Plymouth College 1972 Ayr Academy Dulwich College Trinity School, Croydon Manchester Grammar School 760 1973 Bolton School Latymer Upper School Bristol Grammar School Glyn Grammar School, Ewell 846 1974 Southern Grammar School, Portsmouth Bedford Modern School King Edward's School, Birmingham Paisley Grammar School 961 1975 St Paul's School, London Ilford County High School Southern Grammar School, Portsmouth Bristol Grammar School 1976 Bolton School Great Salterne, Portsmouth Glyn Grammar Grammar School, Ewell Royal Belfast Academical Institution 1977 Bluecoat School, Liverpool Glyn Grammar School, Ewell Paisley Grammar School Bristol Grammar School 1978 St Paul's School, London St Albans School Royal Grammar School, Newcastle Bluecoat School, Liverpool 1979 St Paul's School, London Bolton School Methodist College Belfast King Edward VI School, Southampton

1980s

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 4th Place ENTRY 1980 King Edward VI School, Southampton Watford Grammar School for Boys Calday Grange GS, Wirral Royal Belfast Academical Institution 1981 St Paul's School, London Watford Grammar School for Boys Manchester Grammar School King Edward VI School, Southampton 1982 St Paul's School, London Nottingham High School St John's College (Portsmouth) Bluecoat School, Liverpool 1983 Queen Mary's GS, Walsall Paston Grammar School, North Walsham Royal Grammar School, Newcastle Grove School, St Leonards 1984 Royal Grammar School, Newcastle Plymouth College St Paul's School, London Queen Mary's GS, Walsall 1985 St Paul's School, London Nottingham High School Royal Grammar School, Newcastle King Edward VI School, Southampton 1986 Plymouth College Colchester Royal Grammar School Bluecoat School, Liverpool Methodist College Belfast 1987 Queen Mary's GS, Walsall St Paul's School, London Millfield School Greenwood Academy, Irvine 1988 St Paul's School, London Abingdon School Queen Mary's GS, Walsall Antrim Grammar School 358 1989 St Paul's School, London Manchester Grammar School Truro School Antrim Grammar School

1990s

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 4th Place ENTRY 1990 St Paul's School, London Truro School Royal Grammar School, Newcastle Nottingham High SchoolThe Times 29/06/1990 Page 2 and 30/06/1990 Page 3 1991 Manchester Grammar School Sutton Manor School, Surrey Hymers College, Hull St Columb's College, DerryThe Times 05/07/1991 Page 2 and 06/07/1991 Page 2 1992 Nottingham High School 'A' Truro School City of London School Royal Grammar School, NewcastleThe Times 03/07/1992 Page 2 and 04/07/1992 Page 2 1993 Truro School Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree Manchester Grammar School Royal Grammar School, NewcastleThe Times 02/07/1993 Page 9 and 03/07/1993 Page 9 1994 Ipswich School Manchester Grammar School St Columb's College, Derry Westminster SchoolThe Times 02/07/1994 Page 7 1995 Methodist College Belfast Maidstone Grammar School Truro School Ipswich SchoolThe Times 01/07/1995 Page 2 1996 Manchester Grammar School Maidstone Grammar School Oakham School St Columb's College, Derry 1997 Manchester Grammar School Oakham School Hampton School Methodist College Belfast 1998 Manchester Grammar School Torquay Boys' Grammar School St Paul's School, London Queen Elizabeth GS, Wakefield 1999 St Paul's School, London Oakham School Manchester Grammar School Torquay Boys' Grammar School

2000s

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 4th Place ENTRY 2000 St Paul's School, London Manchester Grammar School Nottingham High School Queen Elizabeth's GS, Barnet 208 2001 Oakham School Manchester Grammar School St Paul's School, London Yateley Manor Prep School 246 2002 Hampton School Royal Grammar School, Guildford Oakham School Manchester Grammar School 192 2003 Oakham School Royal Grammar School, Guildford Southend High School Blue Coat School, Oldham 153 2004 Monmouth School Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree Blue Coat School, Oldham Southend High School 143 2005 Nottingham High School 'A' Blue Coat School, Oldham Monmouth School Royal Grammar School, Guildford 126 2006 Nottingham High School 'A' Dulwich College Millfield School Lancaster Royal Grammar School 93 2007 Nottingham High School 'A' Royal Grammar School, Guildford Magdalen College School, Oxford Manchester Grammar School 93 2008 Millfield School Nottingham High School 'A' Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree Royal Grammar School, Guildford 140 2009 Wellington College, Berkshire Nottingham High School 'A' Norwich School Dulwich College 157

2010-2015

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 4th Place ENTRY 2010 Wellington College, Berkshire Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree Wilson's School, Wallington Manchester Grammar School 165 2011 Manchester Grammar School Reading School Royal Grammar School, Guildford Norwich School 153 2012 Manchester Grammar School Wellington College, Berkshire Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree Millfield School 114 2013 Manchester Grammar School Reading School Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree Wilson's School, Wallington 135 2014 Reading School Manchester Grammar School Royal Grammar School, Guildford Hampton School 102 2015 Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree Reading School Nottingham High School Hampton School 102

2016 onwards From the 2016 final onwards 16 schools played at the final, with the plate trophy going to the best result by a first round loser. Winners Runners Up 3rd Place= Plate winner ENTRY 2016 Reading School Hampton School Millfield School, Royal Grammar School, Guildford, King Edward VI Chelmsford City of London School 124 2017 Royal Grammar School, Guildford Hampton School Reading School, Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree, Queen Elizabeth's GS, Barnet King Edward's School Birmingham 130 2018 Reading School Royal Grammar School, Guildford City of London School, Hampton School, Nottingham High School Brighton College 163 2019 City of London School Hampton School Reading School, Royal Grammar School, Guildford, Royal Grammar School, Newcastle St Olave's Grammar School 142 2022 Westminster School King's College School Wilson's School, Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, St Olave's Grammar School Brentwood School 112 2023 Hampton School Wilson's School Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet Queen Elizabeth's School, Barnet 2024 King's College School Hampton School Tiffin School University College School

In 2020 the finals were not played due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.https://www.englishchess.org.uk/NSCC/under-19-2019-20/ There was no competition in 2020-21.https://www.englishchess.org.uk/NSCC/previous-years-2/

Plate

1990s

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 1994 Methodist College Belfast Winchester College 1995 St Columb's College, Derry 1996 Tiffin School 1997 St Olave's Grammar School, Orpington King Edward's (Camp Hill), Birmingham 1998 King's College, Wimbledon 1999 King's College, Wimbledon

2000s

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 2000 Oakham School 2001 Hampton School Greenwood Academy, Irvine King Edward VI Edgbaston Park Road, Birmingham & Dr Challoners GS, Amersham

Winners Runners Up 3rd Place 4th Place 2002 Blue Coat School, Oldham King Edward's Camp Hill, Birmingham St Olave's Grammar School, Orpington Torquay Boys' Grammar School 2003 Manchester Grammar School Nottingham High School B Team City of London School St Olave's Grammar School, Orpington 2004 Nottingham High School Commonwealth School, Swindon St Olave's Grammar School, Orpington Lancaster Royal Grammar School 2005 Hampton School Nottingham High School B Team Oakham School Southend High School 2006 Monmouth School Haberdashers' Aske's School, Elstree Royal Grammar School, Guildford Yarm School 2007 Monmouth School King Edward's School, Birmingham Queen Elizabeth's GS, Barnet Aughton St Michael's Primary, Ormskirk 2008 Wilson's School, Wallington Wellington College, Berkshire Nottingham High School B Team Leeds Grammar School 2009 Wilson's School, Wallington Reading School Winchester College Aughton St Michael's Primary, Ormskirk

2010s