Venue
In 2025, the event will take place on Saturday 11 October. The venue will be Twickenham Prep School, 43 High Street, Hampton. TW12 2SA.
Transport and Parking
There will be no parking onsite. Please don’t try to access the school grounds with your car. There are plenty of parking spaces on nearby streets; please use these instead. If you or your child is disabled and absolutely need to park at the school, please get in touch beforehand.
The best local parking spots are on Ormond Crescent and on Ormond Avenue. Parking on High Street outside the school is not advised, as it may cause probelms with traffic flow. Please be mindful of local residents, and ensure that you park safely and legally. It is important to avoid blocking drive ways.
Where possible, we recommend that you use public transport, walk, cycle or use a scooter.
There is ample parking for bicycles and scooters at the school.
Bus services serving the school include:
- 111 from Kingston Cromwell Road Bus Station stops at Stop H on Hampton Court Road; 24 hour service
- 216 from Kingston Cromwell Road Bus Station stops at Stop H on Hampton Court Road
- R68 from Hampton Court stops at Stop T on Church Street
- 111 from Heathrow/Harlington Corner/Hounslow stops at Stop F on High Street; 24 hour service
- 216 from Staines/Ashford/Sunbury stops at Stop F on High Street
- R68 from Kew/Richmond Station/Teddington stops at Stop N on Church Street
Transport for London publishes a map of these services, which you may find useful.
Hampton Rail Station, which is about 10 minutes’ walking distance from the school, provides a regular and frequent service from London Waterloo to Shepperton. Stations served on this route are: London Waterloo, Vauxhall, Clapham Junction, Wimbledon, Raynes Park, New Malden, Norbiton, Kingston, Hampton Wick, Teddington, Fulwell, Hampton, Sunbury, Upper Halliford and Shepperton.
South Western Railways publishes information on this rail service at: SWR Hampton to London.
Schedule
The schedule is as follows:
- 09:20 – Arrivals
- 09:50 – Announcements
- 10:00 – Round 1
- 11:15 – Round 2
- 12:30 – Round 3
- 13:45 – Round 4
- 15:00 – Round 5
- 16:15 – Round 6
- 17:20 – Prize-giving
Refreshments
The school canteen will offer the following from 11:00 to 14:00:
- A bacon roll plus a drink for £5
- A cheese roll plus a drink for £5
Drinks including Fanta, Dr Pepper, Sprite, Capri Sun, Bottled Water, Tea and Coffee, can also be purchased separately throughout the day at a cost of £1.50, as will a selection of chocolate bars and bags of crisps, priced at £1.
Only cash will be accepted.
Parents are responsible for informing the organisers and the kitchen staff of any known allergies.
It is, of course, allowed to bring a packed lunch. However, in this case, we must insist that no nuts are included, due to the risk of anaphylaxis.
Use of the Venue
All games will be played in the School Hall. Parents are welcome to listen to the Announcements before the start of the tournament, but must then leave the Hall. Parents may leave their children and leave the venue, or they may choose to stay in the Music Building, where there will be ample accomodation for the day. Children must leave the Hall when they have finished their game in a given round, but must then return to the Hall in time for the next round. The Prize-Giving will also take place in the Hall, and parents are encouraged to take part.
A list will be taken of parents who are present in the school. Parents must inform the organisers on arrival if they will be staying, and they must also inform the organisers if they will be leaving.
WiFi
Details of the guest WiFi service will be displayed throughout the school, and parents are welcome to use it, subject to normal restrictions on site access appropriate to an educational establishment.
WhatsApp Group
A WhatsApp Group has been set-up so that the organisers can easily communicate with parents during the event. A link to the Group will be given to all parents in the day before the event starts. Please use this link to join the Group.
Time Control
All games will be played with clocks, at the rate of 20 minutes each plus 10 seconds per move. Assistance will be given to children unfamiliar with chess clocks.
Pairings
Players will be paired in each section using a computerised Swiss system. Pairings, results and standings will be posted online, as well as at the venue.
The pairings for each section will be posted online at:
No player gets knocked out for losing a game, players are expected to play all rounds. If a player has to leave early, please inform the controllers.
Withdrawal
A player may withdraw at any point up to the closing of normal entries on Thursday, 9th October, subject to a £5 administration fee. Withdrawal subsequent to this forfeits the full entry fee.
If a player chooses to leave the tournament early, they must inform the organisers, to ensure that no one is paired against an absent player,.
Rating
All games will be sent for ECF rapidplay rating.
Prizes
All participants will receive certificates. Winners of all sections receive a cup. under 12 & 10: Trophy for LJCC Major Qualifiers, plaques for LJCC Minor Qualifiers. Under 8: Trophy for LJCC Qualifiers.
Finals
The finals will be held at the University of Westminster on the following dates:
Please refer to the LJCC website for further information.
Qualifying
To qualify for the finals of the LJCC from the Richmond Junior Chess Congress, players need to obtain a qualifying score. U8: a score of 4/6 or more will qualify for the final. U10/U12: a score of 4½/6 will qualify for the Major and a score of 3½/6 or 4/6 will qualify for the Minor. More information can be found on the LJCC website.
Photography
Parents may take pictures of their children, but not of others, unless they are close school or family friends. No pictures should be placed on social media, without the express permission of the parents concerned.
First Aid, Fire Alarms & Evacuation
Richmond Juniors staff have First Aid training with St John Ambulance.
Parents should ensure that children with allergies bring an epipen, children with asthma have an inhaler, children with diabetes have blood monitoring, insulin and glucose, and children with any other medical condition have all their medicines that are needed with them.
If the Fire Alarm sounds, everyone should evacuate the building to the main playground.
Disclaimer and Parental Responsibility
The organisers accept no responsibility for any loss, theft or accident during the tournament. Adult supervision will only be provided in the chess playing areas. Parents are responsible for their children during the tournament.
RJCC is grateful to Twickenham Prep School in allowing us to use their venue and for their help in organising the event. We ask all participants to respect the school’s generosity, and ask everyone to keep it clean.