The British Chess Federation (BCF) was the governing body of chess in England from 1904 until 2005. 1904 (MCMIV) was a leap year starting on a Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

It had long been suggested that the BCF should change its name to reflect the fact that only England came under its jurisdiction - the counter-argument, which prevented such a move ever gaining wide support, being that the British Chess Championship was run by the BCF. Since the 90's there had also been a campaign for the BCF to acquire the status of a company limited by guarantee, as part of a drive towards generating more sponsorship money and increasing membership and to limit the liability of its members. It was decided to kill two birds with one stone, and at the start of the 2005/2006 season the English Chess Federation was created, inheriting the BCF's assets and personnel. The former BCF still exists for legacy purposes, and their website remained at www.bcf.org.uk when it was inherited by the ECF. The English Chess Federation (ECF) is the governing chess organization within England and is one of the federations of the FIDE. The ECF was founded in 1904 as the British Chess Federation and although Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the Channel Islands had their own federations for many years, it was...