General Info
General Info
The Garden City Gambit is back!
St Christopher School welcomes teams back for the 3rd year of the GCG, with 24 IQ teams and 32 V5 teams competing for spots at the UK National Championship 2027!
This is a blended event, with both MS and HS teams competing.
We encourage teams who are coming to consider bringing along an IQ team too. It is a great way to not only make the most of transport and time budget for coaches, but will also allow the V5 teams to understand how the IQ competition works and lets your teams support and learn from each other!
- Venue
- St Christopher School
- Address
- Barrington Road, Letchworth Garden City, England SG6 3JZ, United Kingdom
- Dates
- January 31, 2027
- Grade Level
- All
- Skills Challenge
- Yes
- Judging Format
- Digital Engineering Notebook Submissions / In-Person Team Interviews
Registration & Logistics
- Event Type
- Open Tournament
- Event Format
- In-Person
- Field Control
- Smart Field Control
- Capacity
- 32
- Spots Open
- 28
- Event Region
- United Kingdom
- Max Registrations per Org
- 8
- Priority Registration Opens
- 2-Nov-2026 04:00 EST
- Standard Registration Opens
- 6-Dec-2026 04:00 EST
- Registration Deadline
- 24-Jan-2027 04:00 EST
- Payment Deadline
- N/A
- Price
- FREE
Agenda
Plan for the day:
Please note that this plan is provisional and may change.
8:00 - Doors open, teams arrive and check in
8:15 - Inspection opens
9:30 - Opening ceremony and drivers meeting (V5 and IQ)
10:00 - Practice Matches begin (1 per team) and Skills opens
10:30 - Qualification Matches begin (7 per team)
12:00 - Break for lunch and Skills closes
12:30 - Qualfication Matches resume and Skills reopens
15:15 - Qualification Matches end and Skills closes
15:30 - Alliance Selection and Drivers Meeting for Finals
16:00 - Finals Matches and awards begin (V5 and IQ)
17:30 - Finals end
18:00 - Close
Stream
Webcast We will be livestreaming the finals of IQ, as well as the entire V5 competition on the linked channel! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEIhkoJ6CsytFGkTBjl-dsQ
Travel Info
Date: 31-Jan-2027 St Christopher School Barrington Road Letchworth Garden City, England SG6 3JZ United Kingdom Travel Info Parking location: Car park in site. Plenty of space for minibuses. Attendants will be on site to direct you. St Christopher School can be reached via the Letchworth Garden City train station, approx 20 min walk. Detailed instructions will be avaliable closer to the date. If you have any other questions in the meantime, please ask.
Judging Format
Judging Format Digital Engineering Notebook Submissions / In-Person Team Interviews: Team interviews will be conducted in-person at the event. Engineering notebooks will be submitted digitally for evaluation via a link found within the "My Account" panel of the team contact. A submission deadline may be scheduled ahead of the event date.
Volunteer
Volunteer If you wish to volunteer at this event, we would love to have you! Please reach out to us on gardencitygambit@gmail.com. These events can only happen beacause of amazing volunteers across the UK, and we promise to offer a welcoming environment to all, no matter the level of previous experience.
Emergency/Bad-Weather Policy
Emergency/Bad Weather Policy In the case of severe bad weather the event may be cancelled, but this is highly unlikely. The event page will be kept up to date and St Christopher School will aim to notify teams with at least 48 hours notice.