The NEJCA exists to promote chess at both Primary and Secondary level in the North-East of Scotland and to provide a range of tournaments across venues in the region.

The NEJCA supports all organisations that foster junior chess within Scotland.

Additional information on AIMS  

Although Aberdeen City Council supports a strong chess initiative in schools with a number of tournaments run within the city (see www.aberdeenchessacademy.org.uk) no such local government-supported structure exists for the rest of the North East. The NEJCA, with sponsorship money from various sources, has provided recent tournaments at a number of sites, including Aberdeen, Kemany, Newmachar, Newtonhill and Stonehaven. The sponsorship has helped to keep entry fees to a minimum and the use of different venues has been deliberate to allow easy access for keen youngsters. Currently our competitions attract participants from as far afield as Inverness, Aberdeen, Perth and Dundee. If you think there is a demand for a tournament in your area then please contact us (at chair@nejca.co.uk) and we will offer advice, encouragement and support.”

“Chess has been shown to have a positive benefit in educational terms (see http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Research/Research/14478/SRChess) it also provides a source of enjoyment for many youngsters. There is no barrier to playing based on age, gender, race or handicap and the tournaments are arranged to ensure that pupils play within their level and so gain maximum enjoyment from close competition. There is also a grading system operated by Chess Scotland (www.chessscotland.com) that uses the results of any pupil to provide a grade (similar to a handicap in golf) based on the results of 8 games played in the various competitions held throughout Scotland. Players can then chart their improvement as their skills develop. More than 500 active juniors are now graded throughout the country.”