Welcome to 3Cs Chess Club ...
Founded 1978
As seen on BBC1's "The One Show"
3Cs Chess Club
St.Edward's RC Parish Hall
Spring Lane, Lees, Oldham, OL4 5AJ
Thursdays 7pm - 9pm
Click these links for 3Cs contact details ....
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The next 3Cs club night is this Thursday 26 June 2025 (7pm) when we will be joined by His Worship, The Mayor of Oldham and will also feature the latest club blitz competition.
3Cs 3 - 2024-25 MANCHESTER LEAGUE C DIVISION CHAMPIONS
Congratulations to our third team who have won the Manchester League C Division Championship
MAYORAL VISIT TO 3Cs
3Cs are delighted that the Mayor of Oldham, Cllr Eddie Moores, will be attending one of our weekly club nights next Thursday 26 June and are more honoured that it was the Mayor himself who actually contacted club founder Steve Rigby asking to visit after speaking to a grandparent of one of our young players at another event and who had explained about 3Cs to the Mayor.
That evening will coincide with our next club blitz competition while the 3Cs first team will also be playing upstairs against Atherton in a South-East Lancashire Summer League match.
We therefore ask as many members as possible to be present that evening, not only to highlight the success of 3Cs but to give our honoured guest a very warm welcome.
2025 King's New Year's Honours - Stephen Rigby - British Empire Medal
Steve Rigby has now been presented with the British Empire Medal which he was awarded in the 2025 King's New Years Honours.
Although still regularly attending 3Cs, Steve now lives in Powys, Wales and the presentation was made by the Lord Lieutenant of Powys, Mrs.Tia Catherine Jones in her role as the King's representative.
Click this link for more details of Steve's award ...
Last update 12.20am Mon 23 Jun 2025
Thank you all for your support of the club.
Recent updates:
Welcome (Sponsors)
News (3Cs On Tour)
News (Club Competitions)
Fixtures (Match Diary)
Fixtures (Summer League)
Future Events (Main page)
Coaching (Main Page)
Coaching (Quotes 1)
Puzzle Board (Daily Puzzle 1-6)
3Cs' Forthcoming Matches
South-East Lancashire Summer League
Tomorrow
Tuesday 24 June (7.30pm)
u-1300 Development Division
Eccles Dev 2 v 3Cs Dev 2
Thursday 26 June (7.30pm)
A Division
3Cs 1 v Atherton 1
Welcome to 3Cs' website
Click on the relevant heading at the top of this website to view the main page of your required section. Alternatively just place your cursor over the heading to reveal a drop-down box giving further options and then click on the one you want.
3Cs, or to use its official name "The Children's Chess Club of Oldham", is dedicated to providing the opportunity for local youngsters to learn and play the game of chess.
The club is recognised as one of the most successful production lines of young talent throughout the country, with both the club itself and many of its individual members having gained major honours at local, regional, national and international level.
3Cs CONSIDERING A RETURN TO THE 4NCL (FOUR NATIONS CHESS LEAGUE) FOR 2025-26 The club formerly had teams in the League prior to its cancellation due to the Covid crisis and twice reached a position to qualify for the European Club Championships. Further information will be announced soon.
Photograph courtesy of Brendan O'Gorman
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2024 ECF "Club of the Year"
2024 saw 3Cs win the English Chess Federation's "Club of the Year" award for the third time - having also received the honour in 2006 and 2014 - while no other club throughout the country has won it more than once since it was first presented in 1984.
Click this link for details of all the 3Cs awards ...
BREAKING NEWS :
Mohammed Rohman finished as runner-up in the Minor section (u-1600) of the Ilkley Congress with a score of 4 / 5 and with his only efeat being to the eventual undefeated winner of the event. Mother and daughter Crystal and Alannah Ashton competed in the Open section, both scoring 2.5 / 5.
Our second team began their quest for the Summer League B Division title with an excellent 5-1 home win against Stockport 1. Tim Hilton, Ben Newton, James Marshall, Ved Boganadham and Nana Frimpong all won their individual games for 3Cs.
3Cs' Manchester League season ended with a 1.5-4.5 home defeat against Eccles 2 in the B Division play-off final. Draws by Andy Lewis, Kyle Pelling and Tim Hilton provided the 3Cs points.
Selected details from Phil Adams's latest 3Cs' Newsletter (17 June) can be seen on our main "Coaching" page. The full content of the newsletter (available only to 3Cs' members) includes several training puzzles as well as up-to-date news of events both local and afar. If any current or former 3Cs' members do not receive the Newsletter but would wish to do so, please e-mail Phil at "phil1948a@hotmail.com"
The opening match of the South-East Lancashire Summer League saw our two u-1300 Development teams face each other with the first team gaining a 4-0 win.. The individual winners were Kamila Shanazarova, Aaron Lewis, Sofia Daysh and Yavuz Kocak.
The 3Cs rapidplay team, 3Cs 6, ended their season on a high with a 4.5 - 3.5 away win against champions-elect Ashton 3 and for their third win in a row. The rapidplay league sees each player facing the same opponent twice but with a change of colours, with father and son, Sean and Noah Hicks winning all their games while Ved Boganadham drew one of his.
Our 5th team's 2024-25 Manchester League season came to an end by going down 3.5 - 2.5 away to Glossop in E Division . The individual points for 3Cs came via wins by Ved Boganadham and Vic Pelling together with a Charlie Locke draw.
3Cs 4 ended their Manchester League D Division season in excellent style with a 4.5 - 1.5 away win against Chorlton 4. James Marshall, John Walton, Sean Hicks and Ved Boganadham all won their individual games for 3Cs while Declan Johnston drew.
ENGLISH CHESS FEDERATION MEMBERSHIPS
A relevant level of membership of the national governing body for chess in this country (ECF) is often required before being able to compete in events both locally and nationally, with such memberships covering a 12 month period.
Click this link for more details and also for when current memberships of 3Cs players expire ...
21 April 2025
The Bolton tournament took place as usual over the Easter weekend at which 3Cs were well represented, including (as shown in the photograph from left to right), Mohammed Rohman, Sean Hicks, Noah Hicks and Claire Kerton.
Click this link to see where 3Cs players have travelled to take part in various tournaments both home and abroad ...
NATIONAL AWARD FOR 3Cs' FOUNDER
In 2023 3Cs' founder Steve Rigby was personally honoured by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who recommended him to receive a "Points of Light" award which is a National Honour bestowed upon individual volunteers whose efforts have made a difference to their community.
The Prime Minister's personal award is in recognition of the 45 years Steve has spent encouraging youngsters to play chess since forming the 3Cs chess club in 1978 and with Steve becoming the first person to receive the award for services to chess.
For more information, click on this link ...
3Cs Chess Club featured on the BBC1 primetime television programme "The One Show" on Friday 13 October 2023.
Photographs of the BBC filming at 3Cs HQ can be seen by clicking on this link ...
The BBC have kindly given permission for 3Cs to reproduce the broadcast on this website - the section involving 3Cs is therefore available for viewing by clicking the box below.
3Cs were very prominent in the December 2023 issue of the English Chess Federation's monthly newsletter "Chess Moves", including articles about the formation and history of the club; Steve Rigby's "Points of Light" award and our International Master Andy Horton becoming the British blitz champion.
Click this link for further information ...
3Cs won the 2023 British Chess Educational Trust award for their outstanding achievement and encouragement of chess at junior level and is the most prestigious national honour specifically for the promotion of junior chess.
The club received an engraved chess board, boxed pieces and clock (shown below) while more details of the award can be seen by clicking this link ...
6 chess puzzles - updated every day - plus 3 "Play the Computer" options are available via the drop-down box of our main "Puzzles" page.
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Images from 3Cs' club nights showing some of our junior members (above) and those with more experience (below).
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3Cs' very own Grandmaster STEPHEN GORDON who joined the club while still at primary school and has since progressed to become one of the World's elite group of players.
The photographs above show Stephen in action (left) during the 2019 British Championships and also in conversation with Victor Korchnoi, one of the greatest players of all time.
Despite his talent often being sought by various teams both home and abroad, including regular appearances in the lucrative German national chess Bundersliga, Stephen continues to play for 3Cs.
He has twice won the English Championship, in 2007 and 2012, as well as the 2019 British Rapidplay title while in 2005 he triumphed over more than 1,500 other competitors to win the UK Chess Challenge title.
Away from the board Stephen has also excelled with his ability in promoting the game of chess and for several years hosted "The Full English Breakfast", a chess podcast often highlighting the lighter side of the game. He is also regularly in demand to provide expert analysis of games played at the very top level.
Photographs of all the chess world champions, both male and female, adorn the walls of our main coaching room at the 3Cs' headquarters. Therefore, while youngsters at 3Cs are coached how to play chess, the photographs assist in also teaching the history of the game..
The room also houses the club library as well as a projection screen, trophy cabinet and the 3Cs' Honours Boards.
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3Cs' founder Steve Rigby alongside one of the club's coaches, Crystal Ashton.
Although now living near the Welsh border, Steve regularly attends the club and is still actively involved in much of the behind the scenes organisation for 3Cs.
As well as her coaching duties, Crystal also organises the 3Cs' Junior 4NCL team and has also recently passed an arbiters' exam.
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Just a typical night at a local chess club ???
However, the photograph (left) is from a 3Cs' weekly club night and the "typical kind of members" include Grandmaster Stephen Gordon (seated) as well as International Master Andy Horton (second left) and Women's International Master and six times French women's champion Sophie Milliet (third left).
Also in the picture are Helal Ahmed (extreme left); Michael Tebelev (third right) and head coach Phil Adams (extreme right).
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Much of the 3Cs' success for several years is due to many of its juniors continuing to play with the club in their later years ... with this photo providing such an example.
From left to right, Dale James, Andy Lewis and Adam Ashton, all began playing chess for 3Cs while at junior school and are all still involved with the club.
Founded in 1978 to promote and develop chess in Oldham Primary Schools and the surrounding districts, 3Cs has grown since then into one of the largest and strongest junior chess club in the country. Any child is given a welcome, although most are recruited from the Oldham Primary Schools and join by invitation, while they are then encouraged to continue attending once they reach secondary-school age.
The club also has adult members of course who usually fall into one of three categories: ex-juniors who have since grown up; parents of juniors; player-coaches. However, any adults are also made welcome on condition that they actively support the aims and ethos of the club, whose main focus is the development and welfare of the children.
The overall achievements of the club have resulted in it receiving the English Chess Federation's "Club of the Year" award on three occasions - and being the only club throughout the country to gain the honour more than once - whilst in 2017 the club gained a place among the very best by qualifying to play in the European Club Cup, a feat they repeated twelve months later.
However, despite these successes locally, nationally and Internationally, both as a club and for many of its members individually, 3Cs' greatest satisfaction - and forever the main focus of the club - is still seeing local youngsters coming through the door on their weekly club nights (Thursdays 7pm - 9pm) to just enjoy learning and playing the game.