Club of the Year and Small Club of the Year 2006

Club of the Year
From some excellent submissions we selected 3C’s (Children’ Chess Club, Oldham). Founded in 1978 by three teachers who thought that children in Oldham should aspire to something to be proud of, the club now has something to shout about. As well as running nine teams in the local leagues, they have 2 in the 4NCL and have produced British champions through all age groups at the British Chess Championships.

Small Club of the Year
Of some very good submissions the best and most comprehensive was from Salisbury Chess Club. Despite a relatively small membership Salisbury manage to run several events and engage with the local community. We were impressed with the range of activities, including some charitable, and some for juniors.

John Wickham

3Cs Oldham named “Club of the Year” by the English Chess Federation

Although there have been successful chess clubs in Oldham since 1890, none of these were dedicated to encouraging children. Chess and children did not mix, apparently. It was against this back-ground that in 1979 two young Oldham primary school teachers, Stephen Rigby of Christ Church and Roy Williams of Alexandra Park, knowing that the children are the future, founded the “Children’s Chess Club” of Oldham - 3Cs as it is now known, nationally and internationally With help from Arthur Marsden of St. Mary’s, Failsworth, an Oldham under-eleven chess team was formed. The first match against Manchester was a disastrous 23-1 defeat. Disappointed but not discouraged, Stephen and Roy worked to improve the team’s performance, but it took a friendly fixture against the “Wenlock Wizards,” coached by Ian Smith (then a young teacher and now Director of Education for Tameside) to find the key to 3Cs’s future. The “Wizards”, a primary school team based in Gorton, competed against adults! That was the way to improve the children’s level of skill. This was the blueprint for 3Cs then and so it remains to this day. The club’s roll of honour shows just how successful the formula is, even after twenty-seven years.

The club draws its members mainly from schools competing in the Oldham Primary Schools League, although every child is welcomed into the club.

“The name “Children’s Chess Club” reminds us constantly of our priorities and never lets us forget the primary purpose of the organisation” said organiser Roger Glover. “Irrespective of colour, gender, creed or social back-ground, the children happily compete on equal terms, either as a team against other teams or one to one against each other in tournaments. The club’s members are representative of all of Oldham’s diverse backgrounds and cultures, something, I suspect, that is accomplished by few other youth organisation in the borough.”

As the children’s skill improves, they are given opportunities to play in the local adult leagues. The 3Cs first team dominates Division One of the Manchester Chess Federation league. The strongest players join the club’s “professional”, Grandmaster Nigel Davis, and the club’s own “home-grown” International Master, Stephen Gordon, in competing as “3Cs Oldham” in the first division of British national league, known as the 4NCL, where they gain the opportunity to hone their chess skills against many of Great Britain’s top players.

Stephen Rigby, Headteacher of Christ Church School where the club is based, is still the chairperson of the club and the driving force behind the club’s continued development and success. His aim is to introduce chess into all of Oldham’s primary schools. Phil Adams (3Cs chief coach), Dale James, (coach of England’s top U9 School team), and Roger Glover all actively coach chess in various Oldham schools. Schools are helped with equipment needs and with participation in local and national competitions. Many of the children’s parents also join together to provide assistance in the running of local events and matches.

The local events organised by 3Cs include:-
The Oldham Primary Schools Chess Association Leagues and Cup competitions
The Oldham Junior Chess Championships, sponsored by Hathershaw Community Association.
The Saddleworth and Area Chess Challenge, sponsored by Mr. Phil Whitman
The annual “Megafinal”, generally involving nearly 500 young players from six to eighteen years of age, which is one of the regional quarter finals of the world’s biggest chess tournament, the UK Land Chess Challenge.

Founder member Stephen Rigby said: “All the hard work involved in organising these events is voluntary. Why do we do it? For the children’s sake; we are convinced that playing chess brings great benefits to the children, both educationally and socially. We also feel strongly that Oldham’s youngsters deserve the same opportunities as others and are fully capable of competing, proudly, as Oldhamers, with the very best, whether locally, nationally or internationally.”

Primary contact: Roger Glover 0161 620 5603