Online Entry Payment Last day to enter online After 2026-02-05
Click Here to enter Paypal 2026-02-06 £2 late fee

NEJCA 2026 Keith Hoban Memorial over the board chess event

Saturday 7 Feb 2026

10:30 am - 5:00 pm (approx)

First round games will start at 11:00 am

Venue: Hazlehead Primary School, Provost Graham Ave, Aberdeen AB15 8HB

Entry to the event is online via the NEJCA section on the Congress.org.uk website until 1800 on Friday February 6th. The online entry fee is GBP 5.

Last on-the-day registration on 7 Feb will be at 10:45 am. Entries cannot be accepted after 10.45 am on the day.

Late and on-the-day drop-in entry fee will be GBP 7 and will be able join from round 2 (They will be allocated a 0.5 point bye for round 1).

This event is supported by the family of the late Mrs Jackie Hopper.



Happy New Year.

NEJCA will be organising the 2026 Keith Hoban Memorial over-the-board chess tournament on 7 Feb starting at 10:30 am. This event is open to all young people attending school in Scotland. The player’s current (live) grade on the Chess Scotland Allegro list will be used to enter the event sections. New players will be added to the list based on the details they supply. There are limited spaces at the event, and entries may close earlier if the maximum number is reached.

All games will be graded on the Chess Scotland Allegro list.


Tournaments in three groups:

Primary Novice - Primary school pupils who are ungraded or graded below 300 in the Chess Scotland allegro list.

(For example, a player graded 300 will be entered in the intermediate category).

Intermediate - any Primary or Secondary pupil graded below 750 (including Ungraded) and

Open (advanced) - (Keith Hoban Trophy) - any junior player graded or ungraded


All sections will have a time control of 20 min + 5 second increment (or equivalent) per player.

Please use the online entry page ('Enter' tab above) to add your entry, then use the Pay button to pay by PayPal. Entries will be automatically added to the Entries page when the payment is accepted.

There is no fee for participants who claim free school meals. If you wish to claim free entry, please fill out the form. Instead of pressing the pay button at the end, let us know via the contact page that you have filled out the form.

Once successful, the player's name will be displayed on the 'Entrants' list on this website.

Please add school and year information in the text area provided within the form

Please ignore the FIDE details requested on the entry form. These details are not required.

Conditions for entry:

1. Enforce anti-cheating rules.

2. Merge tournaments into one if there is an insufficient entry.

3. Transfer entrants between groups as per their ratings.

4. Take necessary measures to ensure the event's smooth running.

5. Juniors must obtain the permission of a parent/guardian before playing.

6. Primary school children must be accompanied by an adult. One adult can be responsible for eight children.

7. All data will be held in compliance with the Chess Scotland Data Protection policy.

If you wish to enquire, please use the Contact page.

More updates about NEJCA events can be found on the North East Junior Chess Association Facebook page.

If you wish to enquire, please use the Contact page.

More updates about NEJCA events can be found on the North East Junior Chess Association Facebook page.