Worcestershire County Chess League

Introduction
The Worcestershire League runs two divisions and a team handicap knock out competition, the Wheatley Cup. The League Competitions Secretary and Grading Officer is Derek Digger (Halesowen) and the General Secretary of the Worcestershire Chess Association is Maurice Bissell (Kidderminster). The Wheatley Knock Out Cup Organiser is Laurence Wheatley (Greenlands). Division 1 matches are for 6 boards and Division 2 and Knock Out Cup matches are for 5 board sides. Membership of the League is open to clubs based within the pre-1974 boundaries of Worcestershire, which includes Dudley, Warley, Halesowen, and Stourbridge, and other clubs approved by Worcestershire Chess Association Executive Committee.

League matches are played during the period September to April. Division 1 matches are played over 6 boards and Division 2 matches over 5. All games are graded. The first playing session should be 3 hours with the first time control at 42 moves. If the game has not been completed at the end of the first session, players may agree a result, go to adjudication or play on at a second session of at least 2 hours with a second time control at move 70 (see League Rules for further details).

How to Enter a Team
Club Secretaries should notify the County Association's General Secretary, Maurice Bissell, of their club's intentions to compete prior to the August Executive Meeting of the County Association. The fees fixed for 2009-10 League season in Divisions 1 and 2 are: first team £40 and £35 for any subsequent team. The 2009 Executive and Fixtures Meeting is to be held at 7:30pm on Wednesday 19 August at Claines Church Institute, Worcester WR3 7RW. The Wheatley Knock Out Cup competition entry fee is £2 per team, but games are not graded. If your club wishes to enter this competition, please contact Laurence Wheatley. For handicap rules used in 2008-9, please click here.

Division 1
In the 2008-9 season there were 4 teams playing 6 boards in Division 1 who played matches home and away: Halesowen 1, Kidderminster 1, Malvern and Worcester City. Home sides took black on the odd numbered boards. The 2008-9 League Champions are Malvern. For the 2008-9 league table please click here.

Division 2
There were 7 sides who played each other once in 5 board matches with the home team playing black on odd numbered boards. Competing teams were Droitwich & St Johns, Greenlands, Halesowen 2, Hagley 2, Headless Cross, Kidderminster 2, and Redditch. Division 2 winners in the 2008-9 season are Hagley. For the 2008-9 league table please click here.

Wheatley Knock Out Cup
Hagley are the winners of the 2008-9 competition, defeating Droitwich in a close match. Of the sides competing, the previous holders, Worcester City were knocked out in the first round. Details for the 2009 - 2010 season are here.