Club Echecs Loisirs d’Oberhausbergen

♟️ About Club Echecs Loisirs d'Oberhausbergen (ELO)

Club Echecs Loisirs d'Oberhausbergen (ELO) is a French chess club based in Oberhausbergen, immediately west of Strasbourg in the Bas-Rhin department. The club is affiliated with the Fédération Française des Échecs (FFE) under club code B67115. It provides both recreational and competitive chess, with regular training, youth development, team competition, and FIDE-rated tournament organization. The association was created on August 12, 2016 and registered with the Associations Register of the Tribunal de Schiltigheim. At the time of its creation, municipal records noted that Jafar Mohebbi had already worked for several years with young players in Oberhausbergen. The municipality subsequently supported the new association as it developed local chess activity. Since then, the club has established a permanent presence within the Oberhausbergen sporting community. Jafar Mohebbi currently serves as President of the club and remains its principal public contact. He is also a FIDE Master and an experienced chess trainer. Moreover, the club’s current membership program places both initiation and competitive training under his direction. His long-term involvement provides continuity between the club’s foundation, coaching program, team activity, and tournament organization.

🎓 Chess Training and Youth Development

Chess instruction forms a central part of ELO’s activity. The club welcomes players who want to discover chess as well as those who want to improve for official competition. Therefore, its program combines introductory instruction with more advanced competitive development. The FFE currently lists regular club activity on Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 12:00 in Oberhausbergen. In addition, the club holds a Wednesday chess session in Strasbourg. This dual-location program extends the club’s reach beyond Oberhausbergen itself while preserving its local headquarters and principal playing venue. Youth chess has featured in the club’s program since its earliest season. Soon after the association was created, ELO juniors competed successfully in Bas-Rhin championships and departmental team competitions. The development pathway continues today. In particular, the FFE places the club’s youth interclub team in the regional division. The club’s 2026–2027 membership program again emphasizes both initiation and competition under Jafar Mohebbi. As a result, ELO provides young and developing players with a route from lessons and club practice into official individual and team events.

♜ Team Chess and Competitive Development

Club Echecs Loisirs d'Oberhausbergen participates actively in the French interclub structure. The current FFE record places its principal adult team in Nationale 4, while its youth team competes at regional level. For the 2025–2026 season, Oberhausbergen played in the Nationale 4 Grand Est III group alongside Obernai, Strasbourg 5, and Bruche. The club therefore competes within the national French team championship structure rather than limiting its activity to local tournaments. The FFE currently records 40 Licence A members and 30 Licence B members for ELO. These categories reflect both competition-licensed players and members participating through other federation licence arrangements. Moreover, the size of the current membership gives the association a substantial base for training, team chess, and tournament participation. ELO players also compete individually in regional and national events. Consequently, the club combines weekly activity with official competition across several levels of French chess.

🏆 Open du Club ELO-Strasbourg

The Open du Club ELO-Strasbourg has developed into the club’s principal recurring open tournament. FFE records show successive editions in 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026, while the Ligue des Échecs du Grand Est identified the 2025 competition as the 4th Open d’Oberhausbergen. The tournament takes place at the Complexe Sportif d’Oberhausbergen, 50 rue de Wolfisheim. Although the event uses “Strasbourg” in its title, the organizer is specifically Club Echecs Loisirs d'Oberhausbergen (ELO). Therefore, Strasbourg should not replace Oberhausbergen as the club’s organizational identity. For 2026, ELO runs the tournament on October 17–18. Players compete over six rounds using a time control of 60 minutes plus 30 seconds per move, and the tournament counts for FIDE rating. The organizers use an accelerated Swiss pairing system and accept up to 160 players. The advertised prize fund totals €1,300 with 100 registered players, including €300 for first place. In addition, the event offers rating-category and youth prizes. Pierre Lefebvre serves as arbiter, while Jafar Mohebbi is the principal published tournament contact. The continuation of the Open also reflects the club’s broader development since 2016. ELO began with local teaching and team competition; however, it now also maintains an established annual FIDE-rated open that attracts players from the Strasbourg area and the wider Grand Est chess community.

🤝 Local and Regional Chess Activity

ELO maintains a close connection with the municipality of Oberhausbergen. The city supported the association when it was created and continues to list the chess club among its local sports associations. Moreover, the municipality provides the club with its regular playing facilities. The association also operates within the wider Bas-Rhin and Grand Est chess structure. Its players participate in federation championships, youth competitions, interclubs, and regional tournaments. At the same time, the club’s location near Strasbourg allows it to connect local Oberhausbergen chess with the much larger metropolitan chess community. This combination of municipal roots and regional competition remains a defining feature of the club. ELO therefore functions both as a community chess association and as an active FFE competition club.