 Under new manager Steve Bruce, Chester quickly became accustomed to playing as part of a three-man defence in the team's new system, alongside a combination of Abdoulaye Faye, manager's son Alex Bruce, Paul McShane, and Jack Hobbs.Chester scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 victory away to Birmingham City on 17 November 2012.Chester played 48 times for Hull in 2012–13 helping the Tigers gain promotion on the final day of the season.