Welsh Chess Union (Undeb Gwyddbwyll Cymru)

International Chess Day July 20th 2020

The WCU has received the following message from FIDE.

“Dear chess friend,

Very soon, on July 20th, we will celebrate International Chess Day. As you probably know, this also marks FIDE’s 96th anniversary.

This is a day to celebrate chess, and from the International Chess Federation, we would like to reinforce this tradition.

Last year many of you joined us in this celebration, and thanks to that we achieved resounding success: many people and institutions from “outside” the chess world echoed our campaign, and we managed to attract more people to our sport.

This year we will also count on the invaluable support of the United Nations and UNESCO.

We would like to invite you to take part in this celebration again. Our plan for the International Chess Day 2020 is simple but ambitious: we want to make an appeal to the members of our chess community and ask you to teach someone how to play chess to mark this day.

You will find detailed instructions below. I would kindly ask you to distribute this information among your friends, members of your chess club or federation, associates and sponsors, and representatives of the media in your respective countries.

Arkady Dvorkovich
FIDE President” Continue reading International Chess Day July 20th 2020

Hugh Price RIP – An appreciation by Stuart Hutchings

Cardiff Club secretary Bill Hunt and I had both been regular weekly/fortnightly visitors to Hugh in his Care Home the last 18 months or so, where we always found him alert, speaking knowledgeably about world events and taking a keen interest in chess at the Cardiff club and wider afield.

Bill and I had to cease visiting because of the Covid-19 restrictions and thus we did not see him for many weeks. It was therefore a great surprise when he phoned both of us on 27th April to say his ‘goodbyes’ as he had been told he only had days to live. This gesture showed the character and the dignity of the man, and although days turned into weeks and we knew the inevitable was imminent, it was still very sad to hear today of his passing.

Although this is an unhappy time, I still thought it appropriate to let the chess community in Wales know more about Hugh, and what follows is based on a speech I gave to celebrate the occasion of his 80th birthday. Continue reading Hugh Price RIP – An appreciation by Stuart Hutchings

Hugh Price RIP

It is with great sadness that we have learned that Hugh Price passed away earlier today at the age of 94.

Hugh had been in a care home for a couple of years with various illnesses, but died peacefully in his sleep with his niece and nephew at the bedside. Hugh was associated with the Cardiff Chess Club for over 70 years and for most of that time was at the centre of chess life in the Cardiff area.

He will be remembered with great affection by players, past and present, by the many juniors that he coached and their families, and by the wider chess community in Wales and beyond. Hugh’s unfailing patience,kindness and generosity endeared him to all who knew him. He was the perfect gentleman and will be greatly missed.

Cardiff Chess Club will commemorate Hugh in an appropriate way when restrictions are lifted.

The World Chess Federation (‘FIDE’) are organising an on-line Chess Olympiad at very short notice. The full details can be found here. It is open to one team per member country. Entries need to reach FIDE by 13 July and include a list of players and reserves. A team captain also has to be nominated. We therefore need to identify very quickly those who wish to participate (if selected).

Continue reading Urgent: FIDE On-line Chess Olympiad: Selection of Welsh Team and Captain