English Chess Forum

I have just started my fiftieth season at Redhill Chess Club, and was thinking that there cannot be too many people who have managed a longer time at one club. Redhill actually has one of them - Roger Barnett joined three or four years before me.

Doubtless, there's people out there who can easily exceed this. So let's hear from you!

This is the record that you must aim to beat.
Hugh Price joined the Cardiff Chess Club in 1938, at the age of 12 years. Too young to serve in the Second World War, he has an unbroken run of 78 years at the club.

I agree that Hugh Price's record is going to take some beating. Although unlikely to beat it, if Peter Shaw is reading this he might be able to tell us how long Jim Whitaker has been at Wakefield.

At Harrogate Margaret Rowley has been a continuous member since at least the late 1950s.

Gordon Cadden wrote:This is the record that you must aim to beat.
Hugh Price joined the Cardiff Chess Club in 1938, at the age of 10 years. Too young to serve in the Second World War, he has an unbroken run of 78 years at the club.

Now that’s impressive.

Indeed, and how many others are still around who started playing serious chess pre-war?

I have been a member of 3Cs since 8 years old; so that is 33 years; and there are members still here from inception 6 years earlier

Kevin congratulations on your half century.
We hope that Redhill win their Alexander Cup match next week when Kingston then get the chance to play you in the next round.
We can then try to pair you against our longest serving player, Ken Inwood. It gives me a chance to talk to him on how long again.

Kingston lost 2 members with 50 years each last year.

I'll also speak to H Martin Cath though it is his club night tonight. He is the last of the gang of 3 that ran the Surrey Congresses & more though not without your help in arbiting where I first met you. A game with adjournments against one of the promising young Cobb brothers.

I think Surrey have some 60 year old playing chess possibly 70 year old service.

Congratulations all.

3C's should be a good bet if you can keep the club going that long

David Adams hasn't played for York in the Yorkshire league quite as long as these people, but the number of matches he's managed to play is quite incredible. I think he's maybe only ever missed 2 in ~30(+?) years.

"We can then try to pair you against our longest serving player, Ken Inwood. It gives me a chance to talk to him on how long again."

Ken is one of the few good chess players to have been a TT racer. I have played him 8 times, between 1982 and 2011, all draws. I did win a RP game in 1982, but it is not on my database, so there is a lurking score sheet somewhere.

Before that, we have to get past CCF/Beckenham, which will not be easy, but we are not afraid to play them.

Bernard Sharples was at the inaugural meeting of Bury chess club in 1956 and is still playing for the first team 60 years later

Andrew Zigmond wrote:I agree that Hugh Price's record is going to take some beating. Although unlikely to beat it, if Peter Shaw is reading this he might be able to tell us how long Jim Whitaker has been at Wakefield.

I don't know when Jim first joined Wakefield, he died earlier this year aged 95.

I know of a few other long running members of local clubs:

John Watkinson was the the first president of Huddersfield chess club in 1852, and was also club president in 1922! Pretty impressive and apparently a world record. See https://www.huddersfieldchessclub.co.uk ... -watkinson

Edgar Priestley, who wrote the above link, was himself a long running member of Huddersfield from 1941 until his death in 2010.

Maurice Child was a member of Dewsbury from 1932-2007.

Kevin,

An impressive record, but still a few years behind my club's Chairman. Namely, John Cannon who you may recall exchanging correspondence with on the SCCU Forum a couple of year's ago when John recorded having played his 500th county match. John produced a history of Horsham Chess Club a few years ago, noting that it started as an account written in July 2008, marking the end of his 50th year of membership. Fast forward till today and John is therefore starting his 59th year as a member. He is also our current Chairman, being only the third holder of that post since it was created in 1955 (prior to that the senior Officer had the title of President) and that followed a short stint (of 41 years!) as club Secretary. Given the established record in the club that Chairmen don't abdicate, we look forward to John continuing as both a member and Chairman for several more years yet.

Peter Shaw wrote:

Andrew Zigmond wrote:I agree that Hugh Price's record is going to take some beating. Although unlikely to beat it, if Peter Shaw is reading this he might be able to tell us how long Jim Whitaker has been at Wakefield.

I don't know when Jim first joined Wakefield, he died earlier this year aged 95.

I'm sorry to hear that. I hadn't heard anything to the contrary so I assumed he was still around.

I walked into Bolton Chess Club for the first time in 1953 at the age of 11. In 1963 I became President. I have been a member and President ever since. Which makes me a member for 63 years and President for 53 years.

I have also been involved in the Bolton Easter congress and its predecessors as a player, organiser, or arbiter every year from 1954 which is a total of 62 years (may be 63 years depending on how you count). My most pleasant memory is Easter 1974 when I was chief controller. (We did not have arbiters in those days!) On Easter Saturday night my wife Barbara went unexpectedly into labour and gave birth to our first son Michael. I had not done the draw when I left the event on Saturday night. I turned up on Easter Sunday morning over an hour late expecting a shambles. Well I had to go to hospital and see my new son! But there was no shambles. Everyone was sat quietly playing chess. The players who had guessed the situation when I had not turned up did the draw themselves and got on with it

Mick Norris wrote:Bernard Sharples was at the inaugural meeting of Bury chess club in 1956 and is still playing for the first team 60 years later

Bernard tells me:

I joined at the first proper meeting of the club in 1956. There had been an earlier meeting to see what interest there was, attended by my school friend Tony Booth ( last heard of in New Zealand ) at which it was decided to go ahead with the foundation of the club. Tony persuaded me to attend the subsequent formation meeting and to join the club, and here I have been ever since, apart from National Service 1957-59, and a period when I had exams at work. Goodness - is it now 60 years ago.