West Wales Chess League

J. C. Woods, the first Chairman of the South Wales Chess Association was one of the few West Walians selected for South Wales teams to play matches against Bristol. Born in Isleham in Cambridge and educated at Queen Elizabeth’s School, Ipswich, he first came to Swansea in 1876. He became a lawyer and formed a partnership in Swansea. He specialised in colliery work and became President of the Swansea Law Society. Woods wrote a number of books, including a guide to Swansea, Mumbles and the Gower and was regarded by none other than Dylan Thomas as Swansea’s greatest poet. He was a member of the Royal Institution of South Wales and from 1891 to 1896 was one of its Joint Librarians. Woods also became Chairman of the local University Extension Committee which bore fruit in the establishment of University College Swansea in 1921.

A commentator in the Herald of Wales 1931 wrote:

In this mad world what comfort in the sight of Mr. Woods going to his office in his brougham! Here at least is one to whom the past is precious, able to judge the achievements of their day by the triumphs of an older day.

In 2014 a portrait of James Chapman Woods was discovered in the basement of Morgan Coles, solicitors.

Woods played top board for the Swansea team which won the first South Wales Challenge Cup competition in April 1889, the match being played at Longlands Hotel, Swansea. He beat J. F. Rainforth of Newport in two games played. The following year he was on board two when Swansea beat Cardiff 6-4 in the final. Again he was top board in 1893 when the club beat Aberdare and in 1894 when they defeated Rhondda. When Swansea again reached the final in 1896, Woods played only in one of the earlier rounds and was now on Board 6 which suggests semi-retirement from the game. His known chess career from about 1887-1897was very short but he certainly ranked among the leading players in Wales of his day.