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History of London League chess clubs

Posted: Thu Sep 22, 2011 5:42 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
I was looking at the lists of past London League champions and Eastman Cup champions:

http://www.lcl.streamlinenettrial.co.uk/champs.htm
http://www.lcl.streamlinenettrial.co.uk/eastman.htm

And I was wondering if anyone could supply or point me to information about the history of some of these clubs? I have a vague memory that some are related and morphed or merged to form later ones, but some may just not be around at all any more.

I was particularly intrigued by "North London" (1889-90, 1898-99, 1919-20).

Re: History of London League chess clubs

Posted: Fri Sep 23, 2011 11:21 pm
by Malcolm Clarke
I would be interested in knowing whether there is a list of winners of the other divisions in the London League, as I am sure that this will also bring back memories for some people.

The history of some of the clubs on this list has already been discussed elsewhere in this forum, but there are some clubs that only play in the London League for a short time, without winning anything. Forest Gate played in the London League in 1981/82, but that may have been their only season in the competition.

Re: History of London League chess clubs

Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 8:15 pm
by Tim Harding
Christopher Kreuzer wrote:I was looking at the lists of past London League champions and Eastman Cup champions:

http://www.lcl.streamlinenettrial.co.uk/champs.htm
http://www.lcl.streamlinenettrial.co.uk/eastman.htm

And I was wondering if anyone could supply or point me to information about the history of some of these clubs? I have a vague memory that some are related and morphed or merged to form later ones, but some may just not be around at all any more.

I was particularly intrigued by "North London" (1889-90, 1898-99, 1919-20).

Try Hackney Archives: they have some files of the North London Chess Club including photographs.
I have not seen them myself and would be interested in a brief description of what is there.

Re: History of London League chess clubs

Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 8:29 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
Tim Harding wrote:
Christopher Kreuzer wrote:I was looking at the lists of past London League champions and Eastman Cup champions:

http://www.lcl.streamlinenettrial.co.uk/champs.htm
http://www.lcl.streamlinenettrial.co.uk/eastman.htm

And I was wondering if anyone could supply or point me to information about the history of some of these clubs? I have a vague memory that some are related and morphed or merged to form later ones, but some may just not be around at all any more.

I was particularly intrigued by "North London" (1889-90, 1898-99, 1919-20).

Try Hackney Archives: they have some files of the North London Chess Club including photographs.
I have not seen them myself and would be interested in a brief description of what is there.
Thanks. I'm still trying to work out what "North London" referred to in those days, though it probably changed again between 1890 and 1920. Though possibly the name of the chess club was just a convenient label. Though having Googled a little bit, I found a nice list of the clubs that took part in the first Baldwin-Hoffer Trophy:

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=DCUCAAAAYAAJ

The Chess-monthly, Volume 6 (1885)

Brixton Chess Club
North London Chess Club
Greenwich Chess Club
Athenaeum Chess Club
Bermondsey WMI Chess Club
Kentish Town Chess Club
London and Westminster Bank Chess Club
Ludgate Circus Chess Club

This led eventually to the London League, as detailed here:

http://www.correspondencechess.com/synd ... s/0036.htm

CHESS-PLAYING TO-DAY. (PART I) by J. Arnold Green,
from the journal, THE LIVING AGE (Sixth Series, Volume XVIII, April, May, June, 1898)
To such an extent has chess developed in popularity during the last ten years that the number of recognized chess clubs in London is about three times what it was in 1887, and cannot now be far short of 120. This is without reckoning the numerous chess clubs which form adjuncts to various institutions, such as political clubs, working men's clubs, church institutes and the like. And London does not stand alone in this respect. In the provinces a similar increase has taken place, the number of clubs having risen from 180 in 1887 to at least 420 in 1897. An equally significant fact is that the average membership has also rapidly grown, showing that the new clubs have been called into existence by the popular demand.

In the early eighties there was very little inter-club organization either in London or the provinces. In the metropolis a few club matches were played, but the only one of much importance was the annual encounter between the St. George's and the City of London Clubs. Then the offer of a cup, called the Baldwin-Hoffer trophy, after its donors, induced six or seven of the stronger suburban clubs to enter into rivalry one with another. This was followed by the institution of the Surrey trophy, to be competed for by the Surrey clubs only. These competitions infused new life into the clubs, and developed a desire for regular inter-club competition within the metropolitan area. This was duly arranged in 1888, the clubs being divided into two classes, senior and junior. Five years later a still further step was taken by the formation of the London Chess League, and the organization of a yearly contest to be played in three divisions, A, B, C. The clubs in the A division have to furnish teams of twenty players, in the B division twelve, and in the C division eight. This competition has proved to be a great success, and in the present season, 1897-8, no fewer than thirty-three clubs are taking part. Naturally the interest centres round the struggle for supremacy in the A division, where the chess played is of a very high order, many of the games on the top boards being worthy of the foremost masters.
Fascinating insight into the rise of club chess in England.

Re: History of London League chess clubs

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2011 10:35 pm
by John Clarke
If I remember rightly, the full name of the now-defunct Islington club was the "Islington and North London Chess Club". Any connection there?

Re: History of London League chess clubs

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 1:52 pm
by Gordon Cadden
Not many responses to this interesting thread. If a club dies without a history published, we have to rely on external sources for research.
The BCM volume for 1881, mentions the following clubs;
CITY OF LONDON CLUB
ST. GEORGES CLUB
Athenaeum Club
Bermondsey Club
Excelsior Club
Greenwich Club
Ibis Club
Kentish Town Club
Ludgate Circus Club
North London Club
Shaftesbury Club
South Hampstead Club
Only the Athenaeum Club has survived, but it has moved premises on several occasions.
The North London Club moved to new premises at 8, The Grove, opposite Hackney Town Hall.
BCM 1882 During this year, the St, Georges Club moved from King Street, St. James, to 47, Albermarle Street, Wi
BCM 1883 A report on the Subscription Fund for the London 1883 Tournament, criticizes the 40 outlying London Clubs for not sending subscriptions. Only the North london and Athenaeum Clubs responded. Following this complaint, the Railway Clearing House Club, and the Highgate Club sent subscriptions.
BCM 1884 The 2 foremost local clubs are listed as North London and the Athenaeum.
New clubs mentioned are South Norwood Club, London and Westminster Bank Club, Brixton Club, Croydon Club, Great Western Railway Club, Is;eworth Club, St. John's Institute Club, Twickenham Club, Walthamstow Club, Alexander Club, and St. Paul's Cathedral Club.
This was evidently a period of dynamic expansion, encouraged by the publicity for the London 1883 Tournament. The London League had yet to be established, but there was the annual competition for the Baldwin-Hoffer Trophy, established in 1884, and the Staunton Medal Competition, established in 1880.

Re: History of London League chess clubs

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 2:10 pm
by Christopher Kreuzer
Gordon Cadden wrote:Not many responses to this interesting thread. If a club dies without a history published, we have to rely on external sources for research.
Yes, though even when a club ceases, unpublished records may end up in an archive. I have wondered before if the London League has a complete list of all the teams that have played in it, but there are clubs in the outer boroughs that may never have played in the central league, so you'd need to look at other leagues for that.

<snip list> (many thanks for posting that)
Gordon Cadden wrote:BCM 1883 A report on the Subscription Fund for the London 1883 Tournament, criticizes the 40 outlying London Clubs for not sending subscriptions.
I'm guessing the '40 outlying London Clubs' are not named?
Gordon Cadden wrote:BCM 1884 The 2 foremost local clubs are listed as North London and the Athenaeum.
New clubs mentioned are South Norwood Club, London and Westminster Bank Club, Brixton Club, Croydon Club, Great Western Railway Club, Isleworth Club, St. John's Institute Club, Twickenham Club, Walthamstow Club, Alexander Club, and St. Paul's Cathedral Club.
There was a club for St Paul's Cathedral? What I'm wondering is which of these institutions may have kept or passed on records. Some organisations cease and all records are lost, but some by their nature are more prone to retaining records that may have survived to the present day in some dusty archive.

I'm pleased to see Twickenham listed there. I wonder if there is a continuity there from that time to the present Richmond and Twickenham Chess Club? There are several other names there that are recognisable today, though whether there has been unbroken continuity is another matter, of course.
Gordon Cadden wrote:This was evidently a period of dynamic expansion, encouraged by the publicity for the London 1883 Tournament. The London League had yet to established, but there was the annual competition for the Baldwin-Hoffer trophy, established in 1884, and the Staunton Memorial Competition, established in 1880.
It would be nice to know more about those two competitions. The former (Baldwin-Hoffer trophy) I get hits for, the latter (Staunton Memorial Competition) is more difficult, ironically because of the modern tournaments and associations of the same name. Was that the exact name of the competition? Was it a team competition?

Re: History of London League chess clubs

Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2011 2:42 pm
by Gordon Cadden
That should have been the Staunton Medal Competition Christopher. No names mentioned for the 40 outlying clubs. First time I have come across the St. Pauls Cathedral Club. Files on the Ludgate Circus Club have been lodged with the London Metropolitan Archives, to 1937 I believe. They met at the King Lud Public House.
This area was badly damaged during the Blitz.