National Schools Entries Increase

The English Chess Federation is delighted to announce that entries to its 2007/8 National Schools Championships have risen by around 45 per cent compared with last year.

In total, some 135 schools have entered the competition, compared with 93 in 2006/7 and 93 in 2005/6.

The increase has been achieved following a marketing exercise carried out by the ECF's junior directorate.

ECF junior director Claire Summerscale said: "It's great to be able to reverse some of the decline that this flagship junior competition has suffered in recent years.

"Although I am very pleased at the rise in entries there is still a long way to go before it can be returned to the position it was in when it was sponsored by The Times and attracted well over 150 entries. We are still actively looking for a sponsor, as it really does represent a fabulous marketing opportunity for any company."