ABOUT
Leeds Chess Club has a long and illustrious history. So long, in fact, we've forgotten exactly when we were formed. 1834 is often bandied about, but the evidence suggests otherwise. 1834 is probably chosen because that's the year John Rhodes joined the club. He and Robert Cadman (Hon Treas) were the founding fathers of the club. Before them, we were a group of affluent friends meeting in a local coffee house to share our passions for cigars, brandy, and romantic chess. By the time they finished their work, Leeds Chess Club was one of the top outfits in the country, co-instigators and founder members of the Yorkshire Chess Association, the Northern Counties Chess Union, and the British Chess Federation. Our earliest club records have sadly been lost, but a book in the Manchester Reference Library has on its flyleaf the faded but clearly legible inscription, “Leeds Chess Club, Novem. 1820, No. 5.” We assume it previously resided in Leeds Chess Club’s library. 1820 is a tenuous claim, but we can prove our existence from 1824 when we played a correspondance match with Liverpool: 1824-1825 Liverpool-Leeds, Correspondence Game The railways didn't arrive in West Yorkshire until the 1840s so an over-the-board match would have involved a gruelling weeklong round trip by coach and horses. We may well be the oldest continually active chess club in England, although Edinburgh CC (founded 1822) has a better claim the be the oldest in the UK as a whole. If you have any knowledge or records, please let us know. |
The Trophy CabinetFind out more about the club's magnificent silver trophies dating from the late-1800s and early-1900s.
Club HistoriesLeeds Chess Club history recounted by many different voices from many different perspectives.
Past SeasonsIt will be a decade or two before the digital cataloguing of Leeds Chess Club's previous seasons is anywhere near comprehensive. Meanwhile, we have made a start.
You can also explore the club's list of championship honours, back to the beginnings of the Yorkshire Chess Association (1885) and the Leeds Chess Ass (1970). CongressesThe club has held quite a few one-day quickplay congresses over the years. We originally started the British Rapiplay Championships before handing it over to the then BCF. We are researching this section at present, but it will be up soon.
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