4NCL

The 4NCL, or Four Nations Chess League, is a chess league named after its four constituent nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

4NCL Original Brochure (Front Page)

Original 4NCL Logo & Letter Heading

It was founded in 1993 by Chris Dunworth, who served as the League's Managing Director for the first decade of its existence.

4NCL Season 1

4NCL's original logo was designed by Arthur Dunworth, the father of Chris Dunworth. He was previously Marketing Director for Boots plc.

4NCL is an international league, representing players from over 27 countries. It is one of Europe's foremost chess leagues, run independently as a limited company and outside of the control of any of the individual nations' chess governing bodies.

The format of the 4NCL might be described as a team tournament, held annually, over a number of weekends (October through May), at a variety of venues in the South and Midlands of England. It is run on a league basis, containing four divisions and about 600 players.

As of June 2019, over 850 players are registered to take part in the 4NCL team tournament.[1]

Some prize money is on offer, but the top teams seek to attract outside sponsorship, and this occasionally allows them to secure the services of the world's leading grandmasters, typically for critical end of season clashes. Well known players such as Michael Adams, Nigel Short, Viktor Korchnoi, Alexander Morozevich, Alexei Shirov and Peter Svidler have participated in the past.

At one point, John Richards was Bristol 4NCL Manager.[2]