Jones was also a keen chess player, he wrote the only Welsh language chess manual together with his son, Iolo. He was one of the small group of Welsh Chess Union members and officials who instigated and fought for the secession of the WCU from the British Chess Federation (as it then was) in 1970 and its successful application to join the World Chess Federation (FIDE) as an independent member. As well as holding several posts in the WCU, Jones founded and edited "Y Ddraig" which grew from the Dyfed Chess Association newsletter into the magazine of Welsh chess in the 1970s. He managed the Men's 1974 Olympiad team in Nice which achieved Wales best-ever result and also the Women's team in the 1976 Olympiad in Israel. He was for many years Vice-President of the WCU.