Andrew Leadbetter Memorial Tournament

The Andrew Leadbetter Memorial Tournament was introduced in 2023.

Andrew was an official and a team captain at Stafford Chess Club for over fifty years.  He entered all the internal competitions and attended nearly every club night. 

Andrew  began in chess administration by starting a club at his school as a teenager and over the years was a committee member for all three Staffordshire Leagues.   For the Staffordshire Chess Association, he was the long-term treasurer.   He captained county teams for many years and continued to play in county matches.  He was the financial director of the MCCU. 

He served as WDCL President for four years in two spells from 1979 and then again in 1983 and was their long time ECF representative for three decades. 

Andrew worked as a teacher of history and general studies at King Edward VI Stafford and later at Stoke 6th Form College. 

The tournament is open to all players with an ECF rating below that determined in the current playing rules.

Each player will play in a 5 round Swiss competition throughout the year, with the top two players proceeding to a grand final.