KJCA Grand Prix Tables

Most KJCA tournaments are part of a series of tournaments that make up the annual Kent Junior Grand Prix (GP). Results in each of the constituent GP tournaments earn points towards the overall GP. These points are automatically calculated and accumulated for all eligible participants. The up to date GP Tables are published here and you can see them by selecting the one you want from the menu on the right. All of our GP Tournaments are also part of the ECF Grand Prix, details of which are on their website,, www.englishchess.org.uk.

In the overall KJCA Grand Prix, there are 4 GP sections for individuals: Under 9, Under 11, Under 14 and Under 18. There are also 2 GP sections for schools: Primary and Secondary.

Calculation of GP Points

For the Individual GPs, each player's score is the sum of their best 4 "GP Scores" from any of the first 7 GP Tournaments, plus their "GP Score" from the GP Final. The Schools GPs are worked out in a similar fashion, except that it is the sum of the best 3 scores from each eligible player from that school that make up each school's "GP Score" for any given tournament.
Not all sections have the same number of rounds, so each player's score is "normalised" as if it were a 6 round tournament. As with the ECF Grand Prix, only graded games count so byes are removed before the calculation. For example, if a player plays in a 5 round section but gets a bye during the tournament, their bye score will be ignored and they will be treated as though they played in a 4 round section. As an example, if they scored 3 (not including the bye), their normalised score would be 3/4*6 (ie 4.5).

The biggest single driver of improvement in junior chess is playing competitive games against other similarly talented players. To reflect this, the standardised score is increased by 1 point so that players that play will always score more than those that do not.

To allow for the fact that it is more difficult to win in older age groups, but also to encourage talented players to "play up" and therefore stretch themselves rather than staying in a lower age group where they may always win but will not develop, GP points are weighted according to the tournament section in which a player has played. Using the following table, you can see for example, that an U9 player section who plays in their own section would have a maximum "GP Score" of 21 ((6 games won + 1 point for competing) x 3) but if they had played in the U11 section they could have taken a higher GP Score with only 4 out of 6 games won ((4 games won + 1 for competing) x 4.5) and had a chance at a maximum GP Score of 31.5! The aim is to encourage risk taking and hence development.

GP Eligibility

“Eligible Players”: All players who were born in, live in, are educated in or belong to a chess club in Kent or South-East London are eligible. For the purposes of the GP, Kent consists of Kent, Medway and the London Boroughs of Bexley and Bromley and South-East London consists of the London Boroughs of City, Croydon, Greenwich, Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. Players who have appeared in a Kent junior team are also eligible.

Please note, that any eligible player who appears for any junior team for any county other than Kent in any congress in which KJCA also enters a team is automatically disqualified and thereby ineligible for that season.

GP Prizes

In addition to cash prizes and trophies on offer in individual GP tournaments, there is a GP cash fund of £900. Out of the GP cash prize fund, the winners of each of the GP sections will win the following prizes:
Under 18 (£100), Under 14 (£80), Under 11 (£60) and Under 9 (£40).

The remainder of the cash prize fund will be split between the runners-up and top girl in each of the GP sections and the top player in each of the GP age group winners from U7 up to U18. Nobody may win more than one GP cash prize; the higher cash prize will always be presented.

There are perpetual trophies for the winners of the following GP titles: Under 18, Under 14, Under 11, Under 9, Secondary School and Primary School. These perpetual trophies will be retained by the Trophies Manager for engraving. Each of the winners will receive a replacement trophy to keep.

All Eligible Players, who have played in at least 4 GP tournaments during the season and participate in the GP Final, will receive a trophy reflecting their overall performance in the GP.

All Eligible Players who play in all the GP tournaments in a season will additionally receive a loyalty trophy.

All the above prizes are awarded at the prize-giving following the end of the GP Final. Winners of any of the above prizes who are unable to participate in the GP Final must pay the “GP Fee” before the GP Final if they wish to reserve their prize. If the Eligible Player is missing the GP Final due to a clash with a national tournament (i.e. one hosted by a national chess body) or an international tournament where the player is representing their country, by paying the “GP Fee”, the Eligible Player will receive an average of their top 4 GP scores as their final score for the GP Final. If the Eligible Player is missing the GP Final for any other reason, they will not receive a score for the GP Final, but by paying the “GP Fee” the player will still be eligible to receive a prize based on their overall GP position.

Other GP Rules

Players can only score GP points for their own GP age section but there is no restriction on entering older age sections within a tournament.

The GP multipliers are based on a 6-round competition. If a section has more or less rounds than 6, the multiplier will be adjusted proportionately to make it equivalent to a 6-round competition. Byes are removed before this normalisation occurs.

Other than for the GP Final (as explained above) no external tournaments may be submitted in place of a KJCA GP tournaments. We may review this policy in future years.
The KJCA Committee will decide any matter not explicitly covered above.