
Welcome to 3Cs Chess Club ...
Founded 1978
Website sponsored by ...
Miners Arts and Music Community Centre, Moston, Manchester.
Details via "Sponsors" section of drop-down box on "Welcome" page
The next 3Cs' club night is tomorrow, Thursday, 23 March 2023 Coaching for our younger players will again start at 6.30pm
The Oldham under-11s' team have qualified for the national final of their event, therefore providing a successful outcome after all the hard work put in by many people at 3Cs during the past few weeks. The under-11s' success means all three Oldham teams (under-11s, under-9s, girls) have qualified for their respective national finals




3Cs Chess Club
St.Edward's RC Parish Hall
Spring Lane
Lees,
Oldham, OL4 5AJ
Thursdays 7pm - 9pm
Oldham play this Saturday in the Girls' under-11s' Nationals Finals in Nottingham.
Parents note that a minibus will leave Hulme Grammar School at 8.30am and should arrive back around 6.30pm
Updated 9.05am Wed 22 Mar 2023
Thank you all for your support of the club
Recent updates:
Who We Are (Photo Gallery)
News (3Cs On Tour)
News (Club Competitions)
News (UK Chess Challenge)
Fixtures (Main Page)
Fixtures (Teams)
Fixtures (Future Events)
Club Honours (ECF Awards)
Coaching (Main Page)
Puzzle Board (Main page)
Puzzle Board (Daily Puzzle 1 - 7)
Forthcoming 3Cs' Matches
Manchester Chess Federation
Tonight
Wednesday 22 March (7.30pm)
Reyner Shield - Semi-final
3Cs 1 v Bolton 1
and
Rapidplay Division
3Cs 5 v Eccles 5
Monday 27 March (7.30pm)
D Division
Bolton 4 v 3Cs 4
Click the following link for this season's Manchester League fixtures, match results and current league tables ...
BREAKING NEWS ....
An excellent result for our third team who won 4.5 - 1.5 away to Stockport 2 in C Division of the Manchester League. Nathan Butterworth, Andy Lewis, Karl Moorcroft and Marlon Espiritu all won their individual games with Mohammed Rohman gaining a draw.
Selected details from Phil Adams's most recent 3Cs' Newsletter (21 March) can now 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' second team (in name only as the players were all from our 3rd and 4th teams) lost 3.5 - 2.5 away to Chorlton 2 in B Division of the Manchester League. Andy Lewis won his game for 3Cs while draws came from Mischa Tebelev, Karl Moorcroft and Rebecca Correa.
It is hoped to recommence the Manchester Chess Congress later this year after several years absence due to the Covid pandemic. The weekend planned for is August 18-20 although more details will be released shortly.
Oldham under-9s finished fourth in the regional qualifiers for the English Primary Schools Inter-Association Championships and although the top three qualify, one of those was Nottingham, who actually have automatic entry into the finals as hosts of the event. Hence, it is hoped that Oldham will therefore also gain a final place.
3Cs 4 achieved a fine 4-2 away win against Urmston 2 in D Division of the Manchester League due to wins by Claire Kerton as well as brother and sister Edward and Rebecca Correa while John Walton and Everson Correa both drew their games,.
3Cs 5 remain the only unbeaten team in the Manchester Rapidplay division following a 7-1 away win against Bolton 6. Edward Correa, James Marshall and Declan Johnston won both of their games while top board Rebecca Correa provided the other point for 3Cs.
Congratulations to 3Cs' Becky Kerton on being joint winner in the intermediate section of the Leyland Rapidplay with a score of 5/6 despite having started as the 18th seed out of 26 players. Further details are in our "3Cs On Tour" section (via the drop-down box of the main "News" page).
3Cs 6 won 6-2 away to Blue Club 5 in the Rapidplay Division in which players face the same opponent twice, once as white, once as black. Aaron Lewis and Declan Johnston gained a double success in their games while James Marshall and Jack Gladwin each won one.
3Cs 1 remain unbeaten in A Division of the Manchester League following a 4.5 - 1.5 away success at Blue Club 1. Mitchell Burke, Dale James, Rob McLean and Kyle Pelling all won for 3Cs while top board Sarah Longson drew.
Welcome to the 3Cs' website
To access any of the pages just click on the appropriate heading at the top or alternatively place your cursor over the heading to see 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' 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.
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Much of 3Cs' success over several years is due to many of its juniors continuing to play with the club in their later years ... with the photo (left) 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 actively involved with the club.
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3Cs' coach Dale James has been presented with his trophy after being honoured by the English Chess Federation as winner of their 2022 "Contribution to Junior Chess" award.
Further details of the award as well as Dale's chess career can be seen in our "ECF Awards" section (via the drop down box of the main "Club Honours" page).
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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The Manchester regional Megafinal in the 2023 Delancey UK Chess Challenge be played over the weekend of 27/28 May at Cheadle Hulme school.
Further information and entry details can be seen in our "UK Chess Challenge" section, via the drop-down box of the main "News" page.
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Images from a recent 3Cs' club night showing some junior members (above) and those with more experience (below).
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Our "Puzzle Board" section includes
7 new positional problems every day
3 "You versus Computer" games
Just a typical night at a local chess club ???
However, the photograph shown is at 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.