National School Team Chess Championship Under-12
by All India Chess Federation (AICF)
National title, team trophy and medals
AICF's national championship for Under-12 school chess teams, with its own trophies, player medals and board medals.
Mode
In-Person
Fee
₹4,000
Duration
3 days, nine rounds
Format
Team · Teams of 5
Time needed
Three rapid rounds a day for three days, at 45 minutes a player plus 10 seconds a move
Eligibility
- Age range
- 6 to 12 years
- Location
- Nationwide
Academic requirement
Every player must be a bona fide student of the entering school for the academic year, certified by the principal or headmaster.
Prerequisites
- Bona fide student of the entering school
- Current AICF player registration
- Birth certificate registered within a year of birth
School teams of players who have not turned 12 before 1 January of the championship year. For the 2025 edition that meant born on or after 1 January 2013. All five players must be bona fide students of one school, only Indian nationals may play, and teams may be boys, girls or mixed.
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Rewards and recognition
Prizes
National title, team trophy and medals
The top three Under-12 teams receive trophies, and their players receive gold, silver or bronze medals. The top three players on each of the five boards receive gold, silver and bronze board medals.
Certificate
Merit certificate for every medal winner
AICF issues a merit certificate to every medal winner, team or board.
Recognition
National Under-12 school team title
Skills your child builds
Key dates
- Registration opens
- 15 Aug 2026
- Registration closes
- 25 Sept 2026
- Competition
- 8 Oct 2026 to 10 Oct 2026
To be announced, Andhra Pradesh
How to apply
- 1Register every player with AICF for the season
- 2Form a team of four players and a reserve from the school's bona fide students
- 3Email AICF the Excel entry form, birth certificates and the principal's bona fide certificate
- 4Pay the team entry fee online at the AICF payment portal before the deadline
Fees & financial support
Fee details
Rs 4,000 per team, paid online at the AICF payment portal. Schools from the North Eastern states and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands pay half. A late fee of Rs 1,000 per team applies after the date in the circular; the fee is not refunded after the first-round pairings, and teams arrange their own stay.
About this opportunity
The National School Team Chess Championship Under-12 is the All India Chess Federation's national championship for school teams of players under 12. Each team is four players and a reserve from one school, and it plays in its own Under-12 section.
Schools send their entries straight to AICF, with no state qualifier. A school may enter more than one team, named A, B and C, and a team may be all boys, all girls or mixed. Every player must be a bona fide student of that school for the academic year, hold a current AICF registration, and prove age with a birth certificate from a Panchayat, Municipality or Corporation registered within a year of birth.
Play follows the FIDE Laws of Chess in rapid format, 45 minutes a player plus 10 seconds a move, over nine Swiss rounds in three days, and every game is FIDE rapid rated. The top three teams receive trophies and their players receive medals. The top three players on each of the five boards receive gold, silver and bronze medals, and every medal winner receives a merit certificate.
AICF's regulations name the championship as India's selection event for the FIDE World Schools Team Championship. AICF places each edition in a host state in its national calendar, and the edition circular gives the venue, the fee and the entry deadline.
Rounds & format
Nine rounds on the Swiss system over three days, three rounds a day, at 45 minutes a player plus 10 seconds a move from move one. Teams are seeded on the average rating of their best four players, and each captain fixes the board order at the technical meeting. Prizes are presented at the closing ceremony on the last day.
How entries are judged
A win earns one game point and a draw half. A match goes to the team with more game points across its four boards, and standings rank teams on match points, then direct encounter, game points and Sonneborn-Berger. Rapid rules of the FIDE Laws of Chess apply.
Selection process
Entry is open to any school team that meets the age and bona fide student rules, with no state qualifier. Standings are decided on match points, then direct encounter, game points and Sonneborn-Berger. The top three teams take the trophies, and the top three players on each of the five boards take the board medals.
Academic details
Difficulty: Mixed Levels
Frequently asked questions
Who can play in the Under-12 section in 2026?
Bona fide students of one school born on or after 1 January 2014, going by the rule of past editions. Teams may be all boys, all girls or mixed.
Does a school need to qualify through a state event?
No. The school sends its entry straight to AICF, and a school may enter more than one team, named A, B and C.
What do the winners receive?
The top three teams receive trophies and their players medals. The top three players on each of the five boards receive gold, silver and bronze medals, and every medal winner receives a merit certificate.
Are the games rated?
Yes. Every game is FIDE rapid rated, so it counts toward each player's FIDE rapid rating. Play is 45 minutes a player plus 10 seconds a move, with nine rounds over three days.
When will the 2026 venue and deadline be known?
AICF names the host city, venue, fee and entry deadline in the edition circular, posted on aicf.in under upcoming nationals. In past editions a late fee began about two weeks before play and entries closed a week before it.
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