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Welcome to the Cannock & District Chess League website

The CDCL was set up by 4 members of St Mary's Chess Club in Cannock - Ray Dolan, Robin Lewis, Brian Lynam & Robert Mayne - to "... promote the game of chess within its area (now designated as within 20 miles of Cannock) and to organise league matches and competitions between the participating clubs...". The inaugural AGM on 14th April 1999 was also attended by Lee Greaves (St Mary's CC), John Montague (Rugeley CC), Pete Collins (Lichfield CC), Robert Ward (Wolverhampton CC) & Steve Wilcox (Rushall CC). It was decided that the League was to be organised into 2 Divisions to start in the Autumn of 1999. Teams from Brewood, Bushbury & Tamworth also participated in that first season. Division 3 was then added in 2001 & Division 4 has been played regularly since 2022.

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Before the pandemic CDCL seasons ran from September until April. After lockdown was lifted in 2021, we were the first local league to restart playing over the board chess, but with a shorter Autumn 2021 Season from October until December. This then allowed clubs to review the number of team entries for our Spring 2022 Season which ran from January until the end of May.

In our 2022 AGM, clubs voted to return to the traditional schedule with effect from the 2022-2023 Season – the current details of which can be found in the League Rules section of this site. We have 10 member clubs with over 30 teams in total competing across our 4 Divisions & the Chase Trophy – our club knockout competition.

 

Divisions are assembled to allow a good mixture of 4 rated players to play in each team, with their combined rating within a set limit for each division. There is no promotion/relegation in the league - clubs choose which division(s) to enter each season based on the rating strength of their members & means that big & small clubs alike can compete on a level playing field. Having similar strength teams playing in each division means that matches are extremely competitive with the result on every board vital.

 

The CDCL caters for all abilities. Alongside experienced players competing in all 4 divisions, Division 1 teams also include some of the most talented players in the local area, many with ECF ratings around the 2000 mark, while often lower boards in Division 3 & many Division 4 boards contain developing players who are either new to chess or returning to it after an absence.

Individual competitions are also held - these are called the Robert Ward Trophy (our primary individual competition), Robert Ward Plate (for medium/lower rated first round Robert Ward Trophy losers) & Dolan Trophy (unrated & under 1450 ECF rated players). 

 

We use the English Chess Federation's League Management System website to record & show all of our league, cup & individual fixtures, results, standings etc. This means that every game is rated automatically by the ECF. All of the information can be found on https://ecflms.org.uk - just scroll down to the Cannock & District Chess League section or click the link on our main menu.

League Honours

                    Division 1 winners:

2022-2023   Wolverhampton

2022            Wolverhampton

2021            Lichfield

2019-2020   Sutton Coldfield

2018-2019   Sutton Coldfield

2017-2018   Sutton Coldfield

2016-2017   Sutton Coldfield 

2015-2016   Sutton Coldfield 

2014-2015   Sutton Coldfield 

2013-2014   South Birmingham 

2012-2013   Sutton Coldfield 

2011-2012   West Bromwich

2010-2011   Stafford

2009-2010   Stafford

2008-2009   Stafford

2007-2008   Stafford

2006-2007   Stafford

2005-2006   Rushall

2004-2005   Stafford

2003-2004   Lichfield

2002-2003   Rushall

2001-2002   Stafford 

2000-2001   Stafford

1999-2000   Lichfield

 

Chase Trophy winners:

2022-2023  Tamworth

2021-2022  Rushall 

2020-2021  not held - covid

2019-2020  Tamworth & Sutton C 

2018-2019  Wolverhampton

2017-2018  Brewood

2016-2017  Sutton Coldfield 

2015-2016  Tamworth 

2014-2015   Lichfield 

2013-2014   Cannock 

 

Dolan Trophy winners:

2022-2023  Liam O'Connor 

2021-2022  Kevin Brooks 

2020-2021  not held - covid

2019-2020  Stephen Smithson

2018-2019  Richard Bailey 

 

Division 4 winners:

2022-2023 Norton Canes

2022           Lichfield 

2016-2017 Boldmere St Michael's 

    Division 2 winners:

    Rugeley

    Rushall

    Oscott

    Oscott & Rugeley 

    Bushbury 

    Rushall

    Sutton Coldfield

    Rushall

    Sutton Coldfield

    Lichfield

    Rushall

    Sutton Coldfield

    Rushall

    St Mary's (Cannock)

    Stafford

    Stafford

    Boldmere St Michael's

    Sutton Coldfield

    Rushall

    Lichfield

    Rushall

    no records

    Cosford

    Rugeley

 

    Robert Ward Trophy winners:

    Tony Preece

    David Gardiner

    not held - covid

    David Gardiner & Nigel Byrne

    David Gardiner 

    Peter Oliver 

    Mike Hoare

    Rich Wiltshir                    

    Mike Hoare

    Dave Wightman 

Division 3 winners:

Lichfield

Stafford 

Stafford

Rugeley

Norton Canes 

Norton Canes

Wolverhampton

Rugeley

Lichfield 

Cannock

Rushall

Rushall

Rushall

St Mary's (Cannock)

Rushall

St Mary's (Cannock) 

Rugeley

Boldmere St Michael's

Rushall

Rushall

Bushbury

Rushall 

 

 

 

Robert Ward Plate winners

John Moughtin-Leah

Chris Cox

not held - covid

Richard Bailey

Nigel Byrne 

Kevin Spillane 

Jet Ajimal 

Sandy Wilson 

Andrew Smith 

John Fenby 

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