Staffordshire Congress Friday 27th to Sunday 29th March

 Following the success of the Stoke-on-Trent Centenary Chess congress this summer the organising team lead by Jonathon Blackburn, Neil Hankey and Andrew Crosby are preparing to run the Staffordshire Congress at Kidsgrove Town Hall on Friday 27th to Sunday 29th March. The venue has been booked and the NSDCA & Staffordshire Chess Association Websites will provide further information as it becomes available.

If you wish to help with preparation for the Congress please contact Neil.

Finally if you cannot wait until spring for a congress opportunity the Shropshire Congress will be at Telford from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th January. Please see here for an entry form.

Staffordshire Under 1850 Team

 The Staffordshire Under 1850 Team has two matches in the new year. Firstly against Nottinghamshire on Saturday 24th January at Bramcote Memorial Hall, Church Street, Bramcote, Nottingham NG9 3HD. In February the team will play Lincolnshire on Saturday February 21st at a neutral venue, St Hilda's C of E Church, Ling Dale, East Goscote Leicestershire England, LE7 3XW.

Qualified Players who represent a Staffordshire Club or who were born in the county and are of a suitable rating are invited to contact Peter Evans.

Latest Member Clubs Information

 Macclesfield have a new Secretary, Chris Riley and he may be contacted by email. Meir Chess Club have created a new website that may be viewed here.

Staffordshire Junior Championship Saturday 22nd November

 This year’s championship will be held at Painsley Catholic College, Cheadle, Staffordshire, ST10 1LH on Saturday 22^nd November. The event will be a six round rapid play with sections from Under 8 to Under 18.

For further information please see the website and entry form here or contact Jonathon for further details.

Clubs Opening New Venues

Thanks to the hard work of Colin Abel the fixtures for the coming 2025-26 season are all available on the LMS. 

Three NSDCA Clubs are opening additional venues. Alsager are playing matches on both Tuesday at Alsager Cricket Club and on Thursdays at the 13 Club. Gables are still meeting at the the Gables pub, but their first team will play on Tuesdays at the New Finney Gardens.

Holmes Chapel's A & B teams will continue to play at the Victoria Club on a Thursday Evening. They will be holding a club night on Wednesday at the Kings Lock Inn, Middlewich. The Holmes Chapel C team will host their home games at the Kings Lock on a Thursday.

For full address and post codes of the new venues please see either the LMS or the Member Clubs Page.

Staffordshire Revival Congress

 The Staffordshire - Stoke Centenary Congress was held in August and was enjoyed by most entrants. Thanks are due to the City of Stoke-on-Trent who provided the excellent Kings Hall free of charge as part of the Centenary celebrations. The Lord Mayor, Councillor Steve Watkins opened the event.

Fittingly the congress winner, Jonathon Blackburn and two of the section winners Alan Thomason of Alsager Chess Club and Mark Hughes of Kidsgrove all play in the NSDCA.

For a fuller description of the event and details of the organising committee please see the Staffordshire Chess Association website. Andrew Crosby (Kidsgrove Chess Club) has written a full report from the ECF magazine, Chess Moves.

Busy Summer for Crewe Chess Club

These days chess no longer stops for the summer months and at Crewe Chess Club it is certainly the case. Apart from the popular Crewe Congress which sees most members as either participants or organisers; the club played their annual WC challenge against Wallasey  over 32 boards.

This gave Crewe two mentions in the July Edition of Chess News on Pages 20 and 43.

AGM Report: Julian takes the chair and Northwich join the League

 At the AGM held on July 16^th, Julian Cook of Kidsgrove Chess Club has been elected Chairman of the NSDCA. He has been assisting retiring Chairman Robert Milner over the last two years. Julian’s term as President of the Association has come to an end and it is hoped that Robert will accept the Presidential role so that his wisdom and experience are not lost to the league.

Next season we will have a new club joining. The request of Northwich Chess Club to enter the league has been accepted. It is not yet agreed which division they will enter. This is the first new club entering since the return of Crewe Chess Club in 2014.

The meeting was well attended, and the association would like to thank Meir Chess Club for giving up their regular club night so the meeting could be held.

Late News: Robert Milner has become NSDCA President.

Local Success at Crewe Congress - Congratulations to Jacob

 The 2025 Crewe Chess Congress was held this weekend. There was success for two NSDCA players in the Open Section of the Crewe Congress. Jacob Connor Boswell, who began his chess career as a junior at Cheddleton and Leek,  won the section with a score of four wins and a draw from 5 rounds. Among the runners up was Jonathan Blackburn of Alsager Chess Club with four points.

NSDCA AGM Wednesday 16th July at Meir Chess Club

 The AGM of North Staffs and District Chess Association will be held the home of Meir Chess Club on Wednesday 16th July starting at 19:30. The venue address is The John Marston, 44 Longton Hall Rd, Stoke-on-Trent ST3 2NQ. Any member of a club playing in the league is entitled to attend. Trophies will be presented to winners of the 2024-25 competitions.