3Cs were not only very honoured to welcome the Mayor and Mayoress to one of their weekly club nights but were also delighted that chess – and especially the success of the game in Oldham – was recognised by such a visit.

To further compound the honour of a Mayoral visit, it was actually the Mayor himself who had written to 3Cs asking if he could attend after being made aware of the club while at another totally unconnected event but where someone had mentioned about the success of 3Cs locally, nationally and internationally.

In an address the Mayor gave to over 60 club members in attendance on the night, he said that 3Cs was one of Oldham’s hidden gems and its continued success over many years should be something that the whole town needs to be aware of.

The Mayor continued by praising all those who voluntarily give up their time to organise the club, especially Steve Rigby who founded 3Cs in 1978 and was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2025 King’s New Year’s Honours for his services to young people in Oldham for almost half a century.

Having so far produced 23 British champions and 39 England internationals as well as a Grandmaster, 3Cs is recognised as one of the most successful chess clubs in the country – having also won the ECF Club of the Year award on three occasions – and are also current holders of the National Cup (the chess equivalent of the FA Cup) 

As a remembrance of their visit to 3Cs, the Mator and Mayoress were presented with a salt and pepper set in the style of King and Queen chess pieces.

Further details can be found on the 3Cs website ..  https://www.3cschessclub.com/