Juniors

Guildford Chess Club runs a thriving Junior section which boasts over 125 paid-up members, on Monday evenings, during term time at the Guildford Institute. We received an excellence award from the British Chess Educational Trust in 2025. We run two classes at 5.15pm-6.15pm, one for Beginners and one for Improvers and four classes at 6.15pm-7.15pm for Improvers, Intermediate, Advanced and Elite. We offer the opportunity for advancement up through the ranks for those players who are demonstrating their readiness to step up to the next level.

We cater for children of all abilities from absolute beginners up to strong juniors rated around 2200 and we are keen to welcome new members. Players are streamed into groups with others of similar experience and follow a structured coaching programme. The club also provides the opportunity to play in club matches and tournaments when the players are ready.

The Junior Club is managed by International Master Andrew Martin (pictured), who is also our Lead coach, and he is ably supported by:

National Master Mark Josse, 2019 British Senior Champion, FIDE National Instructor, ECF Level 3 chess coach, Steps method trainer and ECU schools certified trainer.
Clive Frostick, who has represented England at both junior and senior levels.
Emma-Jane Billington-Phillips, FIDE international chess coach, arbiter and Surrey junior chess team manager.

Andrew is a very highly regarded chess coach who was previously Head of the English Chess Federation Chess Academy. He is also the author or presenter of over 100 Chess DVDs and 15 chess books. As a very strong player, Andrew has had much success over the board, including twice winning the British Lightning championship, and he was even the Guinness World Record Holder for playing 321 opponents in a simultaneous display!

A first taster session is offered for free. Thereafter, coached membership for each individual junior costs £75 per term or a discounted rate of £205 for a full year. Junior members, who do not attend coaching sessions but who wish to play for the main club, pay an annual subscription of £45.

We plan to start the 2025/26 season on Monday 8 September.The Autumn term will run for 12 weeks, with the Spring and Summer terms both running for 10 weeks.

Please note that membership of the Junior Club does not include membership of the English Chess Federation. Juniors wishing to play in ECF-rated events, including tournaments and league matches, will need to join the ECF separately. For details of ECF membership, see the Membership page on this website.

To enquire about joining the Junior Club please complete the form below. Please email any questions to juniors@guildfordchessclub.com.

Chess is “both a sport and a cultural pursuit” that “every child should have the opportunity to learn.”
– Oliver Dowden, former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport

Behaviour Guidelines for Guildford Junior Chess Club

Junior membership

Full Name*

Email*

Date of birth*

Name of contact*

Email of Contact (if different from above)

Phone number of contact*

Brief details of player's chess experience*

School*

Other information

Details of medical conditions or anything else we should know

Lichess ID (if registered)

Chess.com ID (if registered)

ECF membership number (if registered)