WHAT fantastic news to read that the British Chess Championships are returning to Bournemouth for the first time in 80 years!

This magnificent achievement for next summer, 2016, has been achieved by three or four years of solid, unstinting lobbying by Martin Simons, the chairman of the Bournemouth and District Chess League.

The bidding war with the English Chess Federation was only finalised a couple of weeks ago and Bournemouth was up against big-hitter contenders from many parts of the country, especially those seaside resorts that are traditionally seen as our region’s main competitors.

It was the tireless work of Martin who never gave up, even at times when the vote seemed to be edging elsewhere, that swung the verdict in our favour.

In the end, he managed to persuade the hard-nosed powers that be that Bournemouth and the Pavilion made an ideal setting for such a prestigious event that will attract hundreds of people to the town from all over the country – and even from overseas.

It will also provide a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the young chess players, who play in the Bournemouth schools’ tournament, to see grandmasters in the flesh competing for the most coveted prize in British chess battled for over a two-week period in August next year.

Well done, Martin! Bournemouth and the district’s chess fraternity owe you a debt of gratitude.

MICHAEL LITCHFIELD

Norton Road, Bournemouth