Shropshire's premier chess tournament has hit a new record for the number of entries amid a surge in interest in the game.

No check on jeans wearers at biggest ever Telford chess event.

Telford pic. Shropshire Chess Congress played over the weekend of Friday January 12 (evening game only) to Sunday January 14, 2024, at the premises of the Wrekin Housing Group in Telford. This is the top board in the strongest section, the Open, featuring the leading players going into the fifth and final round on the Sunday afternoon. Playing are 11-year-old Adithya Vaidyanathan of South Birmingham whose opponent on the left is FIDE Master Martin Lewis. Adithya won to become outright winner of the Open section. Chess players. Chess tournament. Library code: Telford pic 2024.

With 171 players from far and wide signing up to take part in this weekend's Shropshire Chess Congress in Telford the competition has been declared "full up."

Organiser Chris Lewis said: "We are thrilled that the congress has hit its maximum entries one week early. We are fairly certain this is the highest number of entries in any event hosted by the Shropshire Chess Association.

"The entry numbers reflect a combination of factors. These are the worldwide growth in the popularity of chess, word-of-mouth from successful congresses we've held in previous years, an ever-expanding pool of talented Shropshire juniors - there are 11 entered this year - and possibly most crucially of all, the timing of the event."

He said experience showed that avoiding a clash with Division Three and Division Four fixtures in the Four Nations Chess League made a significance difference to the number of entries.

"Sadly, this is likely to be our last event held at The Wrekin Housing Group headquarters, as one of the playing areas will soon be refurbished into an office leaving us with no option but to seek an alternative larger venue next year."

World number one chess player Magnus Carlsen made international headlines last week by quitting a tournament in New York after being warned his jeans violated the dress code, but there will be no similar issues at the Shropshire event.

Chris said: "There will be the usual dress code for the Shropshire Congress - chess eccentric style!"

The five-round tournament begins on the evening of Friday, January 3, and runs to Sunday afternoon. Players in each round are paired against an opponent on equal points, which means in the final round the leading players are going head to head for the big prizes.

There are four sections of strength, with a £300 first prize in each. Top games in all sections are being broadcast live on the internet, through www.shropshirechess.org, which is the Shropshire chess website.

Entries have come from as far as Yorkshire and South Wales. The congress was founded in 1973 or 1974, and has been held most years since, with the last few years being particularly successful, with 137 entries in January 2023 rising to just over 150 in the January 2024 event, making that one of the best ever years.