History of the Edinburgh Chess Club

[Geoff Chandler]

A free pdf download here;

https://www.chessscotland.com/documents/2022/ECC200.pdf

[Geoff Chandler]

Sadly all 200 (the centenary year) of the coloured ring bounded printed copies have now been sold (£4.95).

[John Upham]

Judging from the calendar cover the club had some fairly prestigious members.

J.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi John,

Mostly visitors, Howard Staunton was an honorary member. The real heroes are inside. Bio's of all the leading office bearers who kept the club going for 200 years. This section was put together by Alan McGowan. A wonderful piece of piece of work. I've been copying the minutes book from 1822 to 1937 and reading a page here and there. Some fascinating wee snippets. The club was on it's knees in the 1850's with a just a handful of members but a much publicised Staunton's visit rekindled interest.

A few months ago It was my privilege to take The Scots Gambit Cup which had never been cleaned since 1830 to Hamilton and Inches to get it polished up (it cost £115 which I gladly paid). They said they had cleaned and restored 100's of club trophies but this one was one of the best and most artistic they had ever seen. If you ever get to see it in person it is a real treat. The London club as losers supplied it, they did a marvelous job. The picture does not do it justice.

[John Townsend]

Is there any record of John Cochrane as a visitor?

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi John,

No. When the club was being formed John was in London as a lawyer. I've not seen his name in the minutes book as a visitor but I have not read every page. Some of the secretaries recording the minutes handwriting is immaculate, others....Oh Dear.

[John Townsend]

It sounds odd. Staunton, Harrwitz and Alexandre, London based, and born, respectively, in England, Germany and Bavaria, all managed visits, yet Cochrane, thought to have been born in or near Edinburgh, stayed away. Are you sure? He was alive until 1878, so it is not as if he didn't have time.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi John,

He may have done but (as yet) have found nothing about a visit to Scotland after his return from India. A lot of false trails regarding his past. Yes he was alive till 1878 but his age on passing differed in various sources ranging from 78 to 90!

[John Townsend]

Geoff, when Cochrane died, it was the familiar situation that the person who had known his age best was in the coffin. I submitted a couple of articles to Edward Winter's Chess Notes, C.N.s 11102 and 11896. The former noted his age at the time of the 1871 census as 72 and on death as 78. The burial register (in a third submission, C.N. 11392) said age 77. These do not strike me as ridiculously far apart, compared with some. You didn't mention your source for the 90.