Welcome to 3Cs Chess Club ...
Founded 1978
As seen on BBC1's "The One Show"
Website sponsored by ...
Miners Arts and Music Community Centre, Moston, Manchester.
Details via "Sponsors" section of drop-down box on "Welcome" page
The 3Cs' weekly club nights take place every Thursday (7pm - 9pm)
"Don't play with your heart, play with your brain" - 3Cs' founder Steve Rigby on BBC1 television's "The One Show" - 13 October 2023.
3Cs Chess Club
St.Edward's RC Parish Hall
Spring Lane
Lees,
Oldham, OL4 5AJ
Thursdays 7pm - 9pm
A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY
THURSDAY 14 DECEMBER (7pm) 3Cs' HEADQUARTERS
DAVID MONAGHAN MEMORIAL
BLITZ COMPETITION
The annual 3Cs' Christmas party will take place together with a junior competition and the David Monaghan Blitz tournament for our more experienced players. Any 3Cs' members, both past and present, are invited to attend to honour the memory of one of 3Cs' longest serving players and coaches.
Dave Pardoe R.I.P.
It is sad to report the death of Dave Pardoe, a member of Stockport chess club for many years and regular player in the Manchester League as well as for the County team and in the 4NCL.
The condolences of everyone at 3Cs go out to Barbara and all Dave's family and friends.
Dave's funeral is at Stockport crematorium on Monday 18 December at 12 noon.
Updated 7.15am Thr 7 Dec 2023
Thank you all for your support of the club
Recent updates:
Who We Are (ECF Memberships)
News (Main Page)
News (Junior Events)
Future Events (Main Page)
Fixtures (Main Page)
Fixtures (Teams)
Fixtures (Match Diary)
Club Honours (2023 National Cup)
Coaching (Main Page)
Coaching (Quotes 1)
Puzzle Board (Daily Puzzle 1 - 7)
Q&A (Who Else ?)
3Cs' Forthcoming Matches
Manchester Chess Federation
Tuesday 12 December (7.30pm)
D Division
Bury v 3Cs 4
Wednesday 13 December (7.30pm)
A Division
3Cs 1 v Blue Club 1
9 November 2023
Sachin Osmond (pictured above with 3Cs' official John Walton) won the November 3Cs' junior competition.
The next tournament will be on 14 December when the club will also hold its pre-Christmas party to which all 3Cs' members, both past and present, are invited to attend.
Our more experienced players will also compete in a blitz event for the Dave Monaghan Memorial Trophy to honour our former member who use to organise the club's annual festive celebration.
2023 ECF NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONS
3Cs have officially become the top chess club in the country after winning the ECF National Club Championship.
Further details are in our "2023 National Champions" section (via the drop-down box of our main "Club Honours" page).
Photograph courtesy of Brendan O'Gorman
Click arrow to listen
3Cs Chess Club were featured on the BBC1 television programme "The One Show" on 13 October 2023.
The section of the programme involving 3Cs can be seen in the video (right) while photographs taken when filming are in our "BBC at 3Cs" section (via the drop-down box of the main "Who We Are" page).
Reproduced by kind permission of the BBC
NOW ON SALE AT THE CLUB SHOP
THE 2024 3Cs' CALENDAR
£2 EACH
All proceeds will go directly to helping our young players improve their chess ability
BREAKING NEWS ...
Our rapidplay team - 3Cs 6 - maintained their unbeaten record this season with a 5.5 - 2.5 home win against Blue Club 4. Matches consist of four players per team facing the same opponent twice with alternate colours and saw James Marshall and Suleiman Nisar winning both of their games while Sachin Osmond won one of his games on his debut for 3Cs and John Walton gained a draw.
Although our third team narrowly lost away to Chorlton 3 in C Division of the Manchester League, a Chorlton player failed to appear and although they provided a reserve, his rating was too high and thus the game was awarded to 3Cs. Hence 3Cs 3 won the match 3.5 - 2.5 and maintained their unbeaten record. The points scored by the 3Cs' players came from wins by Andy Lewis and Nathan Butterworth as well as a draw by Mischa Tebelev.
Selected details from Phil Adams's latest 3Cs' Newsletter (5 December) can be seen on our main "Coaching" page. The full content of the fortnightly newsletter (available only to 3Cs' members) includes several tactic problems 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"
3Cs' founder Steve Rigby has started a new chess club in Welshpool where he now lives. Further information can be seen by clicking on our main "News" section in the menu at the top of this page.
Several 3Cs' players took part in the Bolton Rapidplay. Go to our "3Cs On Tour" page (via the drop-down box of the main "News" page) to find more information.
3Cs' International Master Andy Horton finished runner-up in the UK Blitz Championships. Further details are on our "3Cs On Tour" page (via the drop-down box of the main "News" page).
3Cs 2 won by 5.5 - 0.5 for the second consecutive match and also avenged a cup defeat earlier in trhe season by defeating Altirncham at home in B Division. Wins came from Mitchell Burke, Rob McLean, Andy Lewis, Kyle Pelling and Shever Mapira - playing his first match for the club - while Hunain Malik drew..
Our 5th team gained a 4-2 away win at Ashton in the u-1451 division due to wins by John Walton, Jack Gladwin and Sam Owen, together with draws from Claire Kerton and Ryan Connolly.
Two of our 3Cs' juniors, Suleiman Nisar and Hunain Malik have helped Manchester Grammar School reach the second round of the ECF National Schools' under-19s' Championships, for which the opening matches were played last week in Bolton.
Despite having to face County-based teams, Oldham have entered two teams as themselves to compete in the 2024 Pennine under-16s' Cup which will take place at Swinton on Sunday 14 January.
3Cs 4 achieved a fine 5-1 away win at Marple in D Division of the Manchester League, with all six of our players ending the match unbeaten. Hunain Malik, James Marshall, John Walton and Claire Kerton all won their games while Marlon Espiritu and Mo Rohman both drew.
Noah Hicks finished equal 5th in the Staffordshire under-12s' Championships. Go to our "Junior Events" section (via the drop-down box of the main "News" page) for more details.
Despite a win by Hunain Malik and draws from Marlon Espiritu, James Marshall and Rebecca Correa, the 3Cs' fourth team lost 3.5 - 2.5 away to Urmston 2 in round 1 of the Hartley Trophy.
3Cs 1 won through to the semi-finals of the Reyner Shield and a home tie versus Swinton & Worsley 1 due to a 4.5 - 1.5 away win against Chorlton 1 in round one. Mitchell Burke, Nathan Butterworth and Andy Lewis all won their individual games for 3Cs while Rob McLean, Phil Adams and Joao Rita all drew.
Welcome to 3Cs' website
To access any of the main pages for each section shown in the menu at the top of this page just click on the appropriate heading. Alternatively just place your cursor over the heading to reveal a drop-down box giving further options.
3Cs, or to use its official name "The Childrens' 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 both national and international level.
3Cs have won the 2023 British Chess Educational Trust award for 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 have received an engraved chess board, boxed pieces and clock (shown below). More details are in our "ECF Awards" section (via the drop-down box of the main "Club Honours" page).
Our "Puzzle Board" section includes
7 new positional problems every day and 3 "You versus Computer" games
Go to our "Who Else ?" section (via the drop-down box of the main "Q&A" page) to see which celebrities also play chess.
3Cs' Match Room
The photograph of new World Champion Ding Liren has now been added to those of his predecessors in the 3Cs' Match Room, while photos of all the women's World Champions also now adorn the walls. While 3Cs' youngsters are coached how to play chess, the photographs help the club to also teach them about 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. The 3Cs' Match Room can be seen below ...
_JPG.jpg)
_JPG.jpg)
22 July 2023
The news of the BBC's visit to the 3Cs' headquarters attracted 174 hits to this website during the following 24 hours ... a new daily record !!!
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.
_JPG.jpg)
3Cs won the junior team event at the 2023 Lymm Chess Festival in which seven teams competed and with photos shown below.
The 3Cs' team was (left to right on the photo with their medals)
Maeve Martiniere, Charlie Barnes, Tom Kearns, James Kaliski, Sebastian Kearns and Aaron Lewis.
Click on the arrows to move the photographs left or right and on a main photograph for a large image.
The main "Future Events" section of this website includes details of several forthcoming chess tournaments at various levels and which may be of interest for any 3Cs' members wishing to enter.
Just click on the "Future Events" heading at the top of the page.
9 year old James Kaliski, one of the current group of up-and-coming 3Cs' young players. recently displayed his skills on the open-air chess set in Manchester city centre, receiving plenty of praiseworthy comments from people who stopped to watch as he took on adult opponents.
Yes, James won and was even rewarded with free ice cream courtesy of a vendor who was delighted that James has attracted a large crowd near to her van on such a hot afternoon.
.jpg)
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.
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 the photo (below) providing such examples.
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.
_JPG.jpg)
ALANNAH ASHTON
2023 British Girls' under-12s' Champion
Photograph courtesy of Adrian Elwin
 |  |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Images from a recent 3Cs' club night showing some junior members (above) and those with more experience (below).
 |  |
|---|---|
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
Just a typical night at a local chess club ???
However, the photograph (right) 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 3Cs' head coach Phil Adams (extreme right).
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 twice resulted in it receiving the English Chess Federation's "Club of the Year" award - the only club throughout the country to achieve the honour on two occasions - 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 in 2018.
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.