About Us
Maidenhead Chess Club meets every Monday from 19:30 - 22:30 in the community centre, St Luke's church, Norfolk Road.
We play other clubs in the Berkshire league and the Thames Valley leagues. There is also an internal club tournament and special events mostly in May, June and July. The club is closed in August.
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We are a friendly club and welcome players of all abilities, so if you are interested in over the board chess, please get in touch and come to the club. We are always happy to offer friendly games to anyone who wants to have a go.
Our strongest player is Matthew Wadsworth IM (https://lichess.org/coach/mwadsworth), who may be too busy chasing his GM title to come to the club regularly, but still delights us when he plays for the first team occasionally. In addition there are around 50 players ranging from 800 to 2200 who regularly play in and for the club.
For young novices the Maidenhead Junior Chess club might be more appropriate, the club is run by Nigel Dennis on Saturday mornings 9.30 a.m. – 11.15 a.m. at Claires Court Juniors Sports Hall.
Please note that on a busy match night, it may be difficult to accommodate friendlies, so please check out our calendar and get in touch through our whats app or e-mail to avoid dissapointment.
Summary of Club Officers 2023-24 season
President: Keith Trower
Secretary: Nigel Smith
Treasurer: Tony Milnes
Team Captains:
Thames Valley League 1st team captain: Nigel Smith
Thames Valley League 2nd team captain: Keith Trower
Thames Valley League 3rd team captain: Yuri Krylov
Berkshire League 1st team captain: Nigel Smith
Berkshire League 2nd team captain: Nigel Smith
Berkshire League 3rd team captain: Keith Trower
Junior Organiser: Nigel Dennis
Safeguarding Lead: John Snead
Safeguarding Officer: Nigel Dennis
Deputy Safeguarding Officer: John Wager
Club Championship Controller: Nigel Smith
Website Administrators: Nigel Smith, John Wager
Online Tournaments: John Wager
Chess Club Committee: Keith Trower, Nigel Smith, Tony Milnes, Nigel Dennis, Majid Mashayekh, Yuri Krylov
Our History
The origins of the club go back to 1905. The inaugural meeting took place at the Guild Hall on the 6th of January 1905, with the then Mayor of Maidenhead Benjamin Hobbis in the chair – he was elected president of the chess club in the early years. An inaugural meeting was recorded in the club’s minute book which is still in possession of the club and can be seen in the archive section.
The first minute book covers the period from 1905 to 1917. In that period the club first met at the Cliveden Hotel in Queen Street before later moving to No. 1 Park Street. There were between 15 and 20 active members in those years, graded in classes from 1 to 4 according to playing strength. Players of different classes played at handicaps of one or more pawns and one or more moves according to their relative strengths.
During the years of the first World War, the Club sent boards and chess-sets for the diversion of the troops stationed in France.
Apart from Mayor Hobbis, other names associated with the club in it’s formative years include Stuchberry, Peake, Willetts, Woods, Whitelaw, Flint & Neve. Some of these names are still in evidence in the town today.
Sponsorship
Proudly supported by The Regency Chess company. Not only our members get special pricing, but we are also lucky recipients of some fine playing equipment.
We thank Chess & Bridge for their sponsorship and support with equipment they provide to our club and special rates for our members.
We express our gratitude to the The Louis Baylis Trust for supporting us in encouraging chess for the wider community and enabling us to put on free events for the public.
Local Leagues
Chess League Matches
Result | Date | Division / Competition | Home Club | Home Team | Away Club | Away Team |
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Internal Club Competitions
Round | Date | Grade White | White | Result | Grade Black | Black |
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Achievements
The walls of our chess haven echo with the tales of triumph. From nail-biting endgames to strategic masterstrokes, Maidenhead Chess Club has etched its name in the annals of chess history, clinching victories that resonate with the spirit of competition.
Berkshire Chess Association
Thames Valley Chess League
Berkshire Chess Association
Division 1
Silver Rook Trophy
Division 2
FS Woolford Trophy
Division 3
Division Three Trophy
Knockout 2
Mick Tarrant Plate
Knockout 1
Premier Precision Cup
Division 1
Silver Rook Trophy
2024 |
2022 |
1972 |
1964 |
1931 |
1975 |
1969 |
1961 |
1915 |
|
1973 |
1967 |
1937 |
Division 2
FS Woolford Trophy
2017 |
1987 |
1971 |
1957 |
2007 |
1983 |
1965 |
|
2004 |
1977 |
1960 |
Division 3
Division Three Trophy
2006
1995
Knockout 2
Mick Tarrant Plate
2017 | 2008 | 1992 | 1984 |
2016 | 1998 | 1987 | |
2010 | 1993 | 1985 |
Knockout 1
Premier Precision Cup
1978 1972 1976
1969 1975
Thames Valley Chess League
2004
1986
2023
1994
1974
2023
2020
2005
2024
2020 2006
2017 2003
Club сhampionship
Current winner:
Ishan Wiratunga
Parkes, Luca
Kumar, Soham
Bullock, Charles ES
Halstead, Alex
UPCOMING GAMES
Maidenhead Junior Chess Club
Meets Saturday mornings 9:30 am to 11:15 am at Claires Court Junior Boys School, Cannon Lane, Maidenhead, Berkshire. Be careful, Claires Court School have 2 other sites in Maidenhead.
Use the Postcode SL6 4QQ which is the correct turning off Cannon Lane.
£3.00 for one child
£5.00 for 2 children from the same family.
£7.00 for 3 children.
For junior club information including the calendar
Maidenhead Junior chess club:
Frequently Asked Questions
A member's club devoted to playing competitive chess in a friendly atmosphere, which is located in Maidenhead.
The club meets at the function room of St Luke's community hall, Norfolk Road Maidenhead. This happens on a Monday from 19:30 - 22:30 (we close at 22:00 in the summer months).
The club meets every Monday except Bank Holidays, except from Christmas - New Year and the month of August.
During the winter months (well October - April), we mostly focus on league chess - competitive matches of 6 boards against other clubs, and we also have a club championship - competitive matches between club players.
During the summer months (well June - July, regardless of what the weather is like), we run "Summer Events" - such as Lightning Tournaments, How Good is Your Chess, Pairs Chess and the like.
Of course almost every chess game of whatever level is competitive, but here it is meant to say a game played : With chess clocks - to time-limits adhering to the English Chess Federation guidelines - so 75 minutes for all moves, or 90 minutes all moves or 30 moves every 75 minutes or similar. Abiding by the normal rules of chess, possibly with modifications and additional rules from the league concerned. Results of the match are sent for grading - this is normally done by the League, or by the organiser in the case of the Club Championship.
The best route is to come along to the club one Monday evening. Other than then Bank Holidays, August, Christmas /New Year. There will usually be someone there. Anyone with an interest in chess will be welcomed. After visiting the club casually like (come back for several visits if you wish to be sure), then please approach an officer of the club to talk about joining formally.
Why not come along and talk to us? However we are not set up to provide instruction to beginners - so it might be somewhat going in at the deep end. It might be the case that you are naturally very talented at chess and progress from absolute beginner to accomplished club player very quickly through observation and osmosis without any formal tuition or self-study. Being realistic that isn't the case for most people. For junior (school-age) beginners, there is a separate Junior club which offers some basic coaching, and you should contact them separately. For adult players who wish to master the basics of moves, tactics and approach to playing competitively there are many books, computer programs and online resources. Too many to list here - if you come and talk to us, we might (no promises !) be able to give you some more specific pointers. Try lichess.com, there are many, mostly free websites.
Of course. Everyone has to start somewhere, and not having a grade now doesn't mean you won't get one. Assuming you are interested in/motivated to play in competitive chess then you can join one of the teams suitable for your playing strength and/or the club championship, with initially an estimated grade.
The club makes every effort to keep costs low, but some expenses are unavoidable - the rental charge for the club premises is the single largest one.
Membership fees were £100 for adults (and £50 for juniors) in the most recent season, with a discount for multiple members from one family. Membership runs from Sept - August, and those joining in the middle of the year, fees are pro-rated. We don’t make a charge if you are just coming to the club to see if you like it , so please feel free to visit.
Additionally we expect members to be direct members of the English Chess Federation - in the current year the lowest (Bronze) grade of direct membership is £18 per annum.
The ECF charges per side per game to grade matches where players are not ECF members ("game fee", also known as the "board tax"). This can work out very expensive, and as the Club is liable we prefer our members to join the ECF. If you are only going to play a very small number of competitive games in a season, you may decline to join the ECF, but in this case we would probably ask you to make a contribution to cover the Club for any game fees chargeable.
The current ECF database lists 30 active players with a grade who have played at least 1 game for Maidenhead in the past. Not all are currently members of the club - in recent seasons 25 - 30 is a reasonable estimate for the total active members of the club. In ECF grading terms, the current range (April 2021) is 48 - 240, which is to say near beginner up to near Grandmaster. In the Berkshire League, the playing strengths typically might look like : A-team : 160 - 200+ B-team : 125 - 160 C-team : 75 - 130
We play in two local leagues - the Berkshire League and the Thames Valley League.
In the Berkshire League we enter an A, B, C team in respectively Division 1, 2, 3. We also enter their Cup/Plate competition. Competition in Berkshire is quite tough - there are a number of larger/more serious teams like Sandhurst, Crowthorne and Reading. However we are usually competitive, without taking it mega-seriously. Hence, while we have not won the Division 1 title in many years, nor have we been relegated from 'the top flight'.
We also have an A team in division 2 of the Thames Valley League and a B team in division 3.
Fees
The club is a non profit organisation and all of the fees go to the venue hire, league fees and other costs, there are no wages or fees that anyone takes out of the club.
Newcomers are welcome to come to the club to try it out and play friendlies for free, but if you would like to play for the team in league matches, please note that an appropriate ECF membership will be required.
New Members
First Year-
Membership
Also special rates apply for players coming from the Junior Chess Club.
Existing Members
From Second Year-
Membership
Useful links:
Archive:
In the tapestry of our chess club's heritage, we weave a rich history marked by strategic brilliance and a passion for the game. Our club stands as a haven for chess enthusiasts of all skill levels. Join us in this timeless journey where each match is a chapter in the unfolding story of our chess club. You can find more information using the link below.
How to find us:
St Luke's Community Hall, Norfolk Road, Maidenhead, SL6 7AT