2026 Chess
Registration to trial for the competitive chess squad will be open on Tuesday 20 January.
Before your child commits to this sport please read the very important information below.
If you have any questions or require additional information about Chess, please email our Sports Department.
Chess Information
General Info
Chess at NX
Our Chess programme offers two pathways for students: Social Chess and Competitive Chess, catering to a wide range of interests and abilities.
Social Chess is open to all students and provides a relaxed, inclusive environment to learn and enjoy the game. Sessions are held every Monday at lunchtime, and no prior experience is required.
Competitive Chess is designed for students who wish to challenge themselves and represent NX in competitions. Trials are held in Term 1, with the group selected from approximately 80 students down to a squad of 35. Competitive Chess runs for the full year.
Students in the competitive programme participate in two main competition streams: New Zealand Chess Federation (NZCF) and Chess Power.
Through the NZCF, students compete in North Shore and Auckland regional events held in Term 3. Those who qualify progress to the NZCF National Championships, held during the September school holidays.
In 2025, four students qualified, and the team placed second overall. Students also qualified for the Auckland Championships in Term 3.
Chess Power competitions run throughout the year and include both in-person and online events. All competitive players are eligible to take part in the monthly Checkmate Challenge, an online competition.
2025 saw students compete in two Auckland regional events, qualifying a team of eight. Finals were held in Auckland, with our team choosing to compete online. In addition, eight NX students qualified for the Individual Championships, which are held onsite and attended under parent supervision.
Our Chess programme continues to grow, offering students opportunities to develop strategic thinking, resilience, and teamwork, whether they are playing for enjoyment or striving for competitive success.
Game times & venue
In School:
Social Chess - lunchtime, day to be confirmed
Competitive Chess - day to be confirmed
Checkmate Challenge:
Date and venue to be confirmed closer to the event.
External school competitions:
Our NX team/s will be notified in good time for registrations to be processed.
Fees
Trial fee:
There will be a small fee of $5 for the competitive chess trials.
Event fees:
All fees will be published closer to the event. Please note: these fees vary according to the event.
Registration
Please register via Kindo, the NX Online Shop to trial for the Competitive Chess Squad. Details will be updated here by Friday 13 February.
When each event information is available, we will email the students involved directly and load the registration details on Kindo.
All registrations for an event NX will enter a team, are to be processed via Kindo. Please do not register directly to the event.
If you are unsure if any event is one that NX will enter, please check with us before registering.
Trials
Social Chess:
There are no trials for Social Chess. These sessions are held one lunchtime per week, day to be confirmed. Please check daily notices for the start date.
Competitive Chess:
Trial dates are to be confirmed.
The trial process will be similar to the following. Updates will be loaded when they become available.
They will run as a tournament of 7 rounds - students have to play in 4(only) rounds out of the 7. This will be running most lunchtimes (and block 5 Thursday) for the next two weeks. If your child is absent or involved in something else they have ample opportunity to make 4 of the 7 sessions.
Students must read the This Day Notices to find out when the trials are running.
Training
The expectation is that all students selected for the competitive squad are required to attend the weekly lunchtime sessions.
We do also encourage our competitive players to participate in competition/club sessions if they wish to gain knowledge and experience in competition.
Please see the Club page below for information about events held outside of the events that NX will enter students/teams into.
Selection process
We go through a very thorough selection process to finalise our teams and players will be placed in a team that our selectors have determined best suits their ability and experience. While inevitably there will be some movement of players, both up and down teams, it is important to remember that this movement can be a result of the following factors:
- New players who didn’t play last year can also create movement for other players, especially if they are placed in a higher team, resulting in other players moving down to a lower team.
- Individual development and growth over the summer months. If individual players have put in an extra effort and completed additional training over the holiday, this can definitely show during trials, resulting in higher performance on the court and some movement between teams.
We understand that some students will have questions regarding the trial process and eventually the team selection – if your child does, please ask them to see Anna in the sports office.
As per our Sports Selection Policy, no correspondence regarding team selection will be entered into. If you wish to view it, please download the document at the bottom of this page.
Club Information
If you are unsure if any event your child is interested in entering is one that NX will enter, please check with us before registering.
All registrations for an event NX will enter a team, are to be processed via Kindo. Please do not register directly to the event.
Selection Process
We go through a very thorough selection process to finalise our teams and players will be placed in a team that our selectors have determined best suits their ability and experience. While inevitably there will be some movement of players, both up and down teams, it is important to remember that this movement can be a result of the following factors:
- New players who didn’t play last year can also create movement for other players, especially if they are placed in a higher team, resulting in other players moving down to a lower team.
- Individual development and growth over the summer months. If individual players have put in an extra effort and completed additional training over the holiday, this can definitely show during trials, resulting in higher performance on the court and some movement between teams.
We understand that some students will have questions regarding the trial process and eventually the team selection – if your child does, please ask them to see Anna in the sports office.
As per our Sports Selection Policy, no correspondence regarding team selection will be entered into. If you wish to view it, please download the document at the bottom of this page.
Coaches, managers & umpires
The chess team often requires a manager at particular events - this is particularly so if a NX staff member is not able to attend. If this is the case, we will ask for volunteers within the registration process.
All coaches and managers are required to be police vetted by Northcross. If you are keen to take on one of these roles and have not yet been police vetted by our school, please email the Sport Department and we will send you through the relevant forms to fill out.
