Durham County Chess Association

The Durham County Chess Association has been supporting Chess in the region since 1925, run by a small central committee of passionate volunteers from chess clubs in Hartlepool, Darlington, Bishop Auckland, Peterlee, Hetton, Durham, Gateshead and South Shields. Faced by dwindling membership and growing competition from other pastimes there is a greater effort, largely unheralded, by our members to encourage new players, of all age groups to take up or to return to the game. Initiatives such as volunteering in local libraries and after school chess clubs are helping to increase participation. Chess has many undisputed benefits including improving confidence in children and giving older people opportunities for social interaction. This pastime crosses all age groups and social barriers. The Association will run its annual weekend Chess Congress in May 2020, having failed to run for the past 3 years, but this time under a revitalised and determined management and a move to high profile venue in central Darlington, we have very ambitious plans to re-establish it as an annual event and to generate some profit that will go towards the following year’s event and into the recruitment activity involved in teaching chess to the wider community around the region. The prize money if successful would go towards chess clocks and sets and a shield to be given to the highest scoring team. However it’s the additional exposure we feel will help to raise the profile of the Tournament, and attract other sponsors and more importantly increase much wider participation.