Frodsham Weekend Chess CongressA Short HistoryFrodsham Community Centre, Fluin Lane, Frodsham, Cheshire, WA6 7QNPre-HistoryThe first weekend congresses at Frodsham took place in 1986 and 1987, organised by the Cheshire & North Wales Chess Association, as the C&NWCA Annual Congress, at which county titles were awarded. This congress moved to the MANWEB (Merseyside and North West Electricity Board, now absorbed into Scottish Power) offices in Chester. It continued there until 1991, moving to the Rolls Royce (subsequently Bentley) works canteen in Crewe and held there from 1992 to 2004. (There are details of C&NWCA congresses up to 1988 in The Cheshire Hundred (1888-1988) and the C&NWCA 1988 Review, compiled by Richard Furness.) There were also one-day Rapidplay Congresses at Frodsham from 1988 to 2006. From 2001, thanks to the friendship between Roger Edwards (Chief Controller) and Tony Atkins, then Secretary of the British Go Association, a one-day Cheshire Go Tournament was held alongside the Crewe Congress. In 2005, however, the Crewe Congress had to be cancelled because the Bentley works canteen, at short notice, was unavailable, though the Go found an emergency venue in Wilmslow. Recent HistoryIn 2006, the Congress (and Go Tournament) moved to the Community Centre in Frodsham, with the same organiser (Jim McPhillips) and control team (Roger Edwards, Robert Milner and Jim McPhillips), where it has been held ever since. In 2009, Jim McPhillips stood down as Congress Organiser (but continued as a section controller), with Pat Ridley taking over. In 2010, Ian Campbell joined the control team. Up to 2010, Maureen Edwards and helpers provided refreshments, raising funds for Tunstall Special Needs Club, as she had done while the congress was at Crewe. In 2011, funds were raised for the Canal Boat Adventure Project. Since 2012 members of the Chess club and their families and also Go players have manned the refreshments. Fischer time limits were introduced for the first time in 2011. After the 2014 event, Roger Edwards finished as arbiter after 35 years at the job. In 2016 Alex Holowczak took over as chief arbiter, with David Clayton in 2019. In 2020 the arbiter is Francis Bower. Winners
Next Congress - TBAWith 2021 cancelled and 2022 not organised due to pressure of work, it is not known when, or even if, the next Congress will be. Links
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