English Chess Forum

I wasn't aware that Eric Nowell had died. I met him in 2007 when he gave me two copies of "Chess and Manchester," one of which I still have. The other I donated to the chess collection at the Royal Dutch Library in The Hague.

As there are 188 pages of A4 it is certainly a substantial work, worthy of being called a book.

According to the catalogue of Manchester libraries, there is a copy in the Local Studies reference section at Q794.1Ch(352) at the Central Library in St Peter's Square.

I searched for "Chess and Manchester" in the catalogues of the British Library and COPAC, but drew a blank in both cases. Assuming that I was searching for the correct title, it seems to be a pretty rare book as far as UK libraries are concerned, but, then, I think UK libraries are poorly stocked with chess history titles in general.

Yes, there's a few copies about in Manchester; certainly my club Bury had one, which I looked at a few years ago

Even if it only lasted for a few years, the original Manchester Chess Club was founded in 1817

John Townsend wrote:I searched for "Chess and Manchester" in the catalogues of the British Library and COPAC, but drew a blank in both cases. Assuming that I was searching for the correct title, it seems to be a pretty rare book as far as UK libraries are concerned, but, then, I think UK libraries are poorly stocked with chess history titles in general.

The publishers (in 1990) were the Manchester and District Chess Association. They did not obtain an ISBN number for "Chess and Manchester" so it is unsurprising libraries do not have it unless copies were donated.

There is no copyright line so if Alan Smith (the principal living contributor so far as I can tell) has no objection, it should be possible for that body to reprint it or put it online.

Have two copies of "Chess and Manchester". published in 1990. Eric Nowell was responsible, as Archivist of the Manchester and District Chess Association. Extends to 188 pages, but a poorly produced publication, unlikely to be stocked in Public Libraries. A4 Format in softback covers, with just two staples holding the book together. Sad really, because the book contains many interesting biographies, and games from 1817.
If anyone is planning to publish their club history, please make certain that the book is a hardback, and finely bound.
The Bury and West Suffolk Club published their history in 1997. A fine hard back with gilt lettering. Adrian Thorpe even gave the book an ISBN
0 9530249 0 3 Other clubs should follow.

Does anyone know when Leeds Chess Club started, I had a vague recollection it was the 1840s?

And does it still exist? I first went there around 1973 when club nights were above the Victoria Pub in central Leeds.

See

http://mannchess.org.uk/Organisations/Leeds%20CC.htm

Gerard Killoran wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 28, 2018 6:41 pm

See

http://mannchess.org.uk/Organisations/Leeds%20CC.htm

More research is needed in my files. From a quick look: There certainly was, however briefly, a chess club in Leeds circa 1825 which started a correspondence match with a club newly established in Hull. (Manchester Guardian 17 Dec 1825 but no further reports.)
Around the same time Leeds had played against a Liverpool group (Kaleidoscope 11 Oct 1825).
In 1834 there was a Leeds-Doncaster match.
The new (third) Leeds club was founded in 1838 and played against Liverpool. See the book Chess Problems by R. A. Brown of Leeds. I am not sure of continuity after that.

In Stephen Mann's cited page it says:

There is evidence of a formally constituted Leeds Chess Club in the 1820s was once found in a copy of Chess Essays, by “a Hindoo”, published in Bombay, in 1814, residing in the Manchester Central Free Reference Library. This volume had on its flyleaf the faded but clearly legible inscription, “Leeds Chess Club, Novem. 1820, No. 5.”

Unfortunately this Manchester copy of Shastree's book has been rebound and the reference to an old Leeds club is no longer there.

I think I can put the origin of the modern Leeds Chess Club a year earlier.

See...


...and the presence of John Rhodes confirms this.

Fascinating, thank you for your responses to my question

Nice to see chess is an "interesting amusement". The club is only open to "gentlemen", which reflects the times. Nowadays, you get all sorts of ghastly urchins playing.

"Nowadays, you get all sorts of ghastly urchins playing."

Really?

Absolutely, and most of them can't even notate their games properly. Try saying "King's Pawn moves to its king's fourth square" and they look at you blankly.

[After thought: And some of them don't even start their game with this move. I ask you!]

"Absolutely, and most of them can't even notate their games properly."

Yes - some even use "N" instead of "Kt". I am just going through some score sheets of a former President of Redhill CC (founded 1891, so not even close to earliest), and he used notation like "R-Ksq", instead of Re1/Re8, until he gave up in the 1980s.

And I refuse to explain if I say something that is intended to be humorous.

I can only sympathise with Michael and Kevin on the evident decline in English chess standards.