Huddersfield & District Chess Association

[MartinCarpenter]

That does seem to be the usual pattern, for whatever reason.

Nothing in central Warrington for instance, but the league while not thriving is doing OK. Not really anything in central Manchester, or Leeds before they started Leeds CCC back up a few years ago.

The Liberal club is certainly a very fine venue

[Stephen Westmoreland]

The first leafue of the season has concluded, with Holmfirth retaining the Keddie Cup for the 3rd year running. Meltham & Denby Dale went in as favourites and leading the field. However, a double loss to Huddersfield and Holmfirth defeating Honley, meant the hosts won.

A great competition in memory of a great guy. It was incredibly close with everyone else finishing with 6 points.

The Watkinsons is due to conclude in February, with plenty more competitions in play.

[Stephen Westmoreland]

It is back. The annual Calderdale vs Kirklees fixture at the Piece Hall OUTSIDE. Who fancies a game for Kirklees?
Team : Kirklees
Match : Calderdale vs Kirklees (Basically the HDCA)
Time & Date : 2pm Saturday 3rd Jan
Location : Outside the The Wine Barrel, Piece Hall, Blackledge, Halifax HX1 1RE
Time control : 1hr20 +20
Conditions : Cold but there are heaters. No requirement to write down moves and the games are not rated. Wrap warm!

This is a great fixture for the fool hardy. Akin to a summer competition in an ice bath. Captains are Dave Colledge (Calderdale) and myself (Kirklees).

[Stephen Westmoreland]

It was 4.5 Calderdale and 7.5 Kirklees in the end, lasting over 4 hours. It was around -2.

Great to see Dave Mills at the event. Did I mention it was cold? Will drop a link in tomorrow with some pictures and a write up. I may feel warm again by then.

[MartinCarpenter]

Goodness me, that was impressively dedicated of all you

[Mick Norris]

It was 4.5 Calderdale and 7.5 Kirklees in the end, lasting over 4 hours. It was around -2.

Great to see Dave Mills at the event. Did I mention it was cold? Will drop a link in tomorrow with some pictures and a write up. I may feel warm again by then.

Well done all

I walked past the Wine Barrel a couple of weeks ago and there were 2 chess games in progress, so it seems to be having a positive effect

[Stephen Westmoreland]

I knocked up a rough draft write up. You can see the pictures (makes me cold just looking at them) from the event here: https://holmfirthchess.org.uk/2026/01/0 ... -kirklees/

[Stephen Westmoreland]

A big congratulations to Alex, Aaron, Seth and Charlie on their England Chessmates' call up.

https://holmfirthchess.org.uk/2026/02/1 ... e-players/

[Stephen Westmoreland]

Dear all,

Tonight was the Huddersfield & District Chess Association (HDCA) AGM. It commenced with a one-minute silence to pay respects to David Robinson.
David was a lovely and well-respected member of the chess community. On coming back to chess, he reached 1700 very quickly and became an established figure in the Yorkshire U1850s, having played for Cumbria in his youth. Outside chess, he was a keen Giants fan, a devoted family man, and enjoyed an excellent career in teaching and academia, with many accomplishments. He was a friend to us all and is greatly missed.

The decade-long rebuild of the HDCA was declared complete, with all competitions back in place, alongside new ones. More importantly, we have new clubs, players, and teams. The HDCA is now functioning, and clubs are increasingly integrating. I want to see this closeness continue — particularly in respect of the County, Calderdale, and Yorkshire Leagues.

It was noted that the HDCA now has four out of five County Captains, a YCA Treasurer, and an NCCU representative. We give considerable effort to Yorkshire.

We had some changes in roles. As promised three years ago, I stepped down as President, having achieved the task of rebuilding the HDCA structure. Having worked on the project for the last decade, with triumphs and failures, I want to return to what I want to do: playing chess and running teams.

I am absolutely delighted that Rob Oldfield has accepted the role of President. Rob is an excellent administrator, holds considerable authority, and is, frankly, an absolutely lovely bloke. I could not think of anyone better.

Mark Taylor and Dave Kilmartin have stepped in as Club Secretaries, with Tony Gilpin stepping down. Dave also takes on the role of organising the John Newsome U1500s, with Rob Oldfield supporting the fixtures.

The HDCA has also retained me as the Kirklees Captain for the annual fixture against Calderdale, basically because I am the only person maniacal enough to organise and play an outdoor match in minus temperatures.

Alec requested flexibility over playing dates, and Huddersfield wanted a league summer tournament to support county players and others. This was agreed without issue.

The revival of the Huddersfield League would not have been possible without considerable efforts from various people. I would like to thank:
• The team that launched Holmfirth, including myself, Andrew Dearnley, David Keddie and Dave Booth.
• Rob Mitchell and Brendan Briggs for launching Meltham & Denby Dale.
• David Kilmartin, Pavan Telukuntla, and Mark Taylor for completely reviving Huddersfield.
• Rob Oldfield, David Firth, and the keen organising group at Meltham & Denby Dale.
• There are many more, and that is the key point: people are pitching in.

Best wishes to the HDCA team going forwards. I am sure you will take us from strength to strength, and I look forward to supporting you in the years to come.

Steve Westmoreland
Huddersfield & District Chess Associate President (retired)

Other role continue, so not escaping:
Holmfirth Club Chairman
Yorkshire u1850s Captain
Yorkshire Treasurer
HDCA B Team Captain
X3 Captain posts for Holmfirth
Kirklees Captain