The English Youth Grand Prix 2017-18 (EYGP) started on 1 July 2017 and is open to all ECF junior members eligible to play for England who will be aged 7-18 next birthday at 31 December 2017 i.e. born in the calendar years from 2000-2011.
The EYGP offers a total of twenty-four English Youth Chess Champion titles for boys and girls ages 7-18 years old, a prize of £100 for each champion and the opportunity to play for England in an international tournament, subject to the ECF’s Junior Selection Policy.
The full rules for 2017-18 can be found here including a list of the designated EYGP tournaments. In particular, it should be noted that:
- For children aged 7-14 years old (born 2004-2011), only the listed junior tournaments count towards EYGP. In respect of the Junior 4NCL, only the best result over the three weekends will count, with each of the weekends included in the EYGP counted as a separate congress.
This is broadly the same as in previous seasons.
- For children aged 15-18 years old (born 2000-2003), the following additional events will count:
- Any standard play congress which starts on a date from 1 July 2017 to 18 March 2018, provided the results are submitted to the ECF for grading within one month of the end of the congress.
- The main 4NCL 17-18 Weekends 1-4 will be included in the EYGP, treating the results from all these weekends combined as a separate congress.
This represents a change from previous seasons, particularly for children aged 15-16 years old.
Information on joining the ECF can be found here, including one year’s free Junior Silver Membership for players who have not previously been ECF members. Information on renewing an existing membership can be found here.