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EnglishWhat teams and competitions does Stratford Chess Club take part in?
Updated
Stratford Chess Club fields four teams — A, B, C and D — in the Leamington & District Chess League (LDCL) for the 2026–27 season, and members can also play internal club competitions or casual games. If you want to play team chess against other clubs, the route is to join the club first, then make your interest known to the team captains.
The four LDCL teams
The club's news post "SCC team composition for 2026-27" lists the squads for the Leamington & District Chess League, with team captains underlined in the original post:
| Team | Players listed |
|---|---|
| A Team | Ben Larkin, (TBC), Carl Hibbard, Richard McNally, Alexander Roberts, David Gardiner |
| B Team | George Clifton, Richard Dobedoe, Luke Lane, James Scarpellino, Paul Budd |
| C Team | Aidan Keavy, Peter Stiff, Richard Buxton, Brian Eastgate |
| D Team | Paul Davies, Adrian Grimes, Simon Payne, Michael Wheeler, Mark Reason, Loreno Doncses |
The A Team list includes one place still marked "(TBC)" — to be confirmed — so the final line-up can change.
What competitions are involved
- League chess (LDCL): the A–D teams play against other chess clubs in the Leamington & District Chess League. The club describes joining one of its teams to "play against other chess clubs" as one of the reasons to be there.
- Club competitions: the club also runs internal competitions for members, alongside friendly games.
- Online tournaments: the club meets online on chess.com every Thursday at 19.00 for a Swiss-style, three-round tournament — a separate, lower-commitment way to play competitively.
- External events: the news feed also advertises non-club events, such as the Coventry Rapidplay on Sunday 18th October, an ECF and FIDE rated tournament with entries open via its own website.
How to follow fixtures and results
The club site has dedicated FIXTURES (listed as "FIXTURES 2026-27") and RESULTS pages in its main navigation, so you can check the schedule and outcomes without needing to be a member. Team composition and captain information is published in the NEWS section rather than on a fixed team page, so it's worth checking news posts at the start of a season.
How to get involved in team play
- Join the club. New members are welcome regardless of strength — the club states it doesn't matter whether you are a beginner or a Grandmaster.
- Contact the club. The site gives [email protected] as the address for joining in.
- Attend a Tuesday evening session at Venture House, Avenue Farm Industrial Estate, Birmingham Rd, Stratford-upon-Avon CV37 0HR, from 19.30 onwards, and speak to a captain about team availability.
- Check the news posts for the current season's team lists and captain names, since these are republished each year.
One practical note from the club's own posts: membership subscriptions are handled separately from team selection, and the treasurer has asked members to pay before the season starts, with bank transfer as the preferred method. Team places are allocated by the captains, so joining the club is the starting point rather than a guarantee of a specific team.