Something of a first for the forumO.G. Urcan wrote: If, as I hope, we can focus on the key issues
The Hastings Congress had Raymond as Chief Arbiter for a year or two. For example the 1989-90 Congress.O.G. Urcan wrote: I'll be pleased to see any further facts about the "English Chess Association" which members of this forum can provide.
Page 35 of the Congress Programme has a full page advert for the ECA. This announces the opening of the ECA/Granada Chess Centre in London SW 11. This was based in the Granada Club on St John's Hill near Clapham Junction Station.
There are various name checks in the advert.
Ray Keene, Julian Simpole and Professor Alexander Kennaway are named as ECA founders (January 1988).
Murray Chandler and Tony Gaffney are named as providers of "an unparalleled range of Chess goods and activities"
Granada Leisure PLC, Thames TV, Watson Farley Williams and the City of London Corporation are named as sponsors or "those who have supported our initiatives".
Gary Kasparov is named as "chief Consultant in our drive against drug abuse in inner city schools".
I don't think the Centre lasted very long, but it was not long afterwards that Murray Chandler bought the British Chess Magazine and relocated it to a shop in West London. Also in that era Malcolm Pein acquired Chess magazine from the ruins of the Robert Maxwell empire and set up shop in the Euston Road.
Thames TV had covered the 1986 match and did a series on 12 great players with you know who as the commentator. Watson Farley Williams were a legal firm who sponsored the second of the Short v Speelman matches and a tournament or two.
A year later for the 1990-91 Congress, there's no direct advert for the ECA or the Centre, but in an advert for ChessBase 3.0, it could be obtained from The London Chess Centre, Granada Social Club. Byron Jacobs would also demonstrate it in the Bulletin Office.
There are several adverts for "The London Chess Centre" in 1990 BCM's, all of which imply that it is run by Murray Chandler. Murray is named as a director of the BCM from July 1990 onwards.
(edit) There's some material by Edward Winter about the formation of the ECA in October 1987.
http://www.chesshistory.com/winter/extra/relief.html (/edit)