The BCCA has a rich history, fuelled by a succession of major figures in the world of correspondence chess.

We have created this webpage to celebrate the contributions of key figures, both contemporary and historic.    The first person to be recognised is William Mason, whose bequest in 1981 has provided funding for the William Mason BCCA Championship to this day.

William Mason

Dr. William Mason was a strong postal player, joining the BCCA in 1959 and winning several BCCA events between 1961 and 1970.   He as also active in the management of the BCCA  up to his death in October 1981.

He is now remembered, however, for his bequest to the BCCA of £5,000, reducing to £3,416 after tax.   The interest on this amount (at the high rates applicable in the 1980’s) was used to fund prizes in the BCCA Championship, leading to the Executive Committee  Executive Committee deciding to rename the event the “William Mason Championship”.