How did the Polish Clergy Chess Championship start?

From an early age I was drawn to playing chess. And because my siblings had similar inclinations I never lacked for chess partners in the family home. (It’s similar at my brother’s home now). Then later, when I discovered there were chess tournaments, I decided during my holidays to take the opportunity to check my chess expertise. And so I discovered, during my first tournament in Rudnik-on-San, that many people can play chess quite well. However, becoming familiar with the tournament atmosphere helped me to much better endure the mental pressure when I entered tournaments in Koszalin, Swidnica or Polanica.

I was accompanied to these tournaments by Fr. Piotr Kubicz, who made the life much easier because he had a car. Then we were joined by Fr. Franciszek Grela and the three of us combined chess tournaments with visiting different corners of Poland. At these tournaments we met a growing number of clergy who played chess and, just like us, spent part of their holidays this way.

Usually, we managed to find accommodations in a rectory or in a monastery near the site of the tournament. But still, there were always minor organizational problems.

And then we had the idea to organize a tournament for clergy chess players. Most of the clergy, although they have a chess ranking, don’t consider themselves "professionals”. Rather, they just want to play from time to time, and a chess tournament for clergy creates that opportunity. Naturally, too, the tournament has always been called the Polish Clergy Chess Championship (PCCC) since it’s for clergy chess players from across Poland. The invitations are, and have always been, addressed to the lay and religious clergy, to seminarians, and to the clergy of other faiths. Invitations are not limited to just one religion. The very name of the tournament "the Polish Clergy Chess Championship" suggests this.

So we began. First, in "Księżówka" in Zakopane in 2002, then in 2003 in the Ecumenical Centre of the Birgittine order in Gdansk, and in 2004 in the Higher Theological Seminary in Radom. At this point I’d like to recommend a feature article written by one of the participants at PCCC III in Radom. Subsequent tournaments were held at the Higher Theological Seminary in Lublin in 2005, the Retreat and Formation House in Bielany, Warsaw (formerly the Seminary of Warsaw Archdiocese was housed here) in 2006, and the Franciscans Seminary in Lodz - Lagiewniki in 2007. Then, in 2008, the PCCC was held in the Higher Theological Seminary in Sandomierz.

The decision to hold the Championship in seminaries was made for several reasons. The main reason is doing so provides an opportunity to familiarize Championship participants with the heart of the diocese, which is the seminary, and with the diocese itself. In addition, there’s the ease of accommodation, the proximity of the seminary chapel, and the possibility to use classrooms for the games.

I have now briefly presented how the Polish Clergy Chess Championship started; and the future will reveal how it develops.

Fr Stanisław Dębowski - Diocese of Radom