English Chess Forum

Steve Rigby, the founder of Oldham-based 3Cs chess club over forty-six years ago, has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2025 King’s New Year’s Honours for services to chess and his work with young people in the community, therefore becoming only the thirteenth person in the country to receive a national honour from the monarch specifically because of their involvement with chess.
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The honour has been granted to Steve just twelve months after he also received the national "Points of Light" award; the recipients of which are personally selected by the Prime Minister (then Rishi Sunak) for outstanding voluntary service within their community and on that occasion was the first person to have had their work for the benefit of chess recognised in such a prestigious manner.
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It was in 1978 that Steve, a former headteacher at a number of Oldham schools, founded the “Children’s Chess Club of Oldham” (now known locally, nationally, and internationally as “3Cs”) along with fellow local teacher Roy Williams after they were informed that many already established chess clubs were unwilling to allow children into their midst.
​
Therefore, Steve and Roy agreed to establish an Oldham schools’ chess league assisted by notable contributors such as Gareth Lewis, Brian Whitworth and Arthur Marsden as well as other teachers interested in providing opportunities for Oldham children to compete in what was at that time considered a somewhat elite academic pastime. From this early schools’ league the Oldham under-11s and later under-9s teams were formed, both of which continue to represent the town to this day under the care and capable hands of Dale James, himself one of Steve and Roy’s original group of players in 1978 and who eventually became the first player from 3Cs to win a British Championship when becoming the national under-14s' champion in 1984.​​

Mick Norris wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 04, 2025 5:29 pm

3Cs website with photos

Steve Rigby, the founder of Oldham-based 3Cs chess club over forty-six years ago, has been awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2025 King’s New Year’s Honours for services to chess and his work with young people in the community, therefore becoming only the thirteenth person in the country to receive a national honour from the monarch specifically because of their involvement with chess.
​
The honour has been granted to Steve just twelve months after he also received the national "Points of Light" award; the recipients of which are personally selected by the Prime Minister (then Rishi Sunak) for outstanding voluntary service within their community and on that occasion was the first person to have had their work for the benefit of chess recognised in such a prestigious manner.
​
It was in 1978 that Steve, a former headteacher at a number of Oldham schools, founded the “Children’s Chess Club of Oldham” (now known locally, nationally, and internationally as “3Cs”) along with fellow local teacher Roy Williams after they were informed that many already established chess clubs were unwilling to allow children into their midst.
​
Therefore, Steve and Roy agreed to establish an Oldham schools’ chess league assisted by notable contributors such as Gareth Lewis, Brian Whitworth and Arthur Marsden as well as other teachers interested in providing opportunities for Oldham children to compete in what was at that time considered a somewhat elite academic pastime. From this early schools’ league the Oldham under-11s and later under-9s teams were formed, both of which continue to represent the town to this day under the care and capable hands of Dale James, himself one of Steve and Roy’s original group of players in 1978 and who eventually became the first player from 3Cs to win a British Championship when becoming the national under-14s' champion in 1984.​​