Counties and clubs

[MJMcCready]

Thanet isn't part of England is it?

[Kevin Thurlow]

"Thanet isn't part of England is it?"

It is an island, but then so is Portsmouth...

[IM Jack Rudd]

Barnstaple to Plymouth will be hard to beat, but probably not impossible.

They play in the same league?

Yes, although Plymouth haven't actually entered any of the competitions this season, and the events this season are jamborees at various venues around the county. Still, Barnstaple did take two teams down to the Moyle Cup in Newton Abbot.

[PeterFarr]

In the south, Hastings to Chicester is 65miles, but I think they play in different leagues despite both being Sussex.

Correct, though Chichester or Bognor v Hastings can be a possible fixture in knockout competitions. Horsham v Hastings is the longest journey in Sussex for a regular evening league fixture, 90 mins+ each-way.

[John Upham]

don't even talk to me about Bishop's Stortford!

I'm curious to know your thoughts regarding Bishop's Stortford Roger.

[John Clarke]

There is also the North Circular Chess League for teams near the A406.

Yes. Interesting the way that one has evolved over the decades. When first started in the late fifties, it was pretty much a Middlesex affair, with clubs in Finchley, Southgate and Wood Green, among others. And Enfield was what you might call its HQ club, providing many of the principal league officers. The only Essex club was North Chingford, for much of the time one of the weakest in playing strength - no-one would have been very surprised to see it fold altogether.

Yet now, sixty years on, all those Middlesex clubs have dropped out bar Enfield (and they too disappeared for a time). The axis is now definitely based in Essex, what with Ilford, Wanstead, Barking, et al. And Chingford, minus the "North", is still there!

[MJMcCready]

So you've got a league on the move? Where's it going to end up? I didn't know we had leagues based on roads but understandable given the time frames of evening league matches.

[MartinCarpenter]

The biggest chess counties, in terms of distance, are presumably Cumbria, Northumberland, Lincolnshire, Cornwall, Devon and (North) Yorkshire?

Northumberland and Cumbria have the lowest population densities.

According to Wiki, North Yorkshire is largest in terms of area all by itself (!). Much of that, outwith Middlesbrough - who've never played in the Yorkshire league, I think? - is empty space of course.

The rest of Yorkshire is OK for distance, iirc the longest Yorkshire league trip is Hull to Sheffield (Settle now they've got a team?!), not pleasant but survivable. An awful lot of the teams/clubs are clustered around the west riding and/or Sheffield.

If you were setting a northern weekend teams league today, with modern transport, I think you probably would try to also include the towns round GM. Maybe some neutral venues needed.

But it all started back in 1885 when the Pennines really were a barrier! And obviously it is meant to be a Yorkshire league

[Mike Gunn]

Posters to this thread may find the chingland website interesting: https://mjh.orpheusweb.co.uk/chingland/cframe.htm. I haven't looked at it for a few years and when I just looked now it seems it's no longer being kept up to date, which is a pity.

[MartinCarpenter]

Fascinating thanks The treatment of Yorkshire is intriguing, but I think pragmatic/appropriate to the reality on the ground.

[Roger Lancaster]

don't even talk to me about Bishop's Stortford!

I'm curious to know your thoughts regarding Bishop's Stortford Roger.

It's very convenient if flying, John, being close to Stansted Airport.