Club History
"If you do not like the past, change it" William L. Burton
The Story so Far....
1930's: Northumberland Chess Association established. (NCA)
In Association records for 1933 Alnwick is listed as one of 8 affiliated clubs.
George Sell later recalled that for a match against Wooler in the 1930s the Duke of Northumberland played on the Alnwick team.
In the early 1960s: Philip Laidler, a senior teacher at the Duke's School, re-started the town's chess club. Members met in the school Library. Teams were soon playing in the County chess leagues, and the annual Club Championship attracted entries of 20 and more.
Stuart Manley coached the enthusiastic young players who came along.
1963-64: Leslie Tate won the British Under-16 Championship. The first of two outstanding players who learned the game's basics at Alnwick Chess Club, Leslie won the Tyne and Wear Congress (Open section) in 1967, and again in 1968. He also qualified for the 1968 British Championship at Bristol, where he finished equal 17th out of 36. His score of 5.5 points from 11 games included a victory over the International Master Andrew Whiteley.
1978: Stuart Manley, a strong player and an energetic administrator, organised the first Mid-Northumberland Chess Congress in the Alnwick Mechanics' Institute, attracting 80 players. In the following year the club won TSB sponsorship for a second Congress and permission from the Duke of Northumberland to hold the event in the Guest Hall of Alnwick Castle. From 1978 to 1986, nine annual Congresses took place. At their peak they attracted over 350 entrants, including former British Champion Brian Eley, and leading Northern players of the calibre of Colin Crouch and David Mooney. Jon Speelman, a Grandmaster and former World Championship Candidate, gave a simultaneous chess-play exhibition at the Castle, and the Duke himself enjoyed presenting the Congress prizes.
1979: Just before the second Mid-Northumberland Congress Alnwick hosted the George Sell Centenary Match, which celebrated one of the most remarkable careers in our region's chess. A young and vigorous Secretary of the Newcastle Chess Club in 1913, George Sell won the Zollner Trophy for the individual County Championship three times (the last in 1958-59 when he was eighty). After retiring to Alnwick he played on the "A" Team until he was in his nineties, still playing youthful chess replete with gambits and sparkling attacks. For more information about George Sell, see John Wheeler's books "Chess in Northumberland" and "The Mid-Northumberland Chess Congresses". For his victory in a simultaneous exhibition against the legendary Emanuel Lasker (World Champion from 1894 to 1921) see John Turnock's games anthology "Northumbria Gold".
1987: Alnwick's second prodigious chess talent, Peter Gemmell qualified for the 1987 British Championship at Swansea, where his points total included a win against Neil McDonald, who is now a Grandmaster and well-known writer about the game.
1990's: In the 1990s Alnwick - like many local clubs - suffered from falling membership. 1994/95 season was the last in which the B team competed in having finished 4th in Division 4.Then there was just the one Alnwick team continuing from league season 1995/96.
1997/98: Alnwick Division 3 Champions.
1998/99: Alnwick Division 2 runners up.
1999/2000: Alnwick relegated from Division 1.
The Dawn of a New Era:
The club had its up's & downs from years 2000 to 2005, but that was about to change.
2005/06: Alnwick Division 2 champions, winning all their 9 league fixtures, with a total of 7 team players: Philip Hemsley; David Wallace; Michael Trolan; Harry Teetsov; Michael Sergeant; Dennis Patterson; Ralph Firth.
The 4 player team Summer K.O. Plate competition: team consisting of Michael Sergeant; Dennis Patterson; Ralph Firth; Robert McEwan were beaten in final by Tynemouth Warriors.
2006: B team formed & started league season 2006-07, first time since season 1994-95 Alnwick have 2 teams in the leagues.
2007/08: The club finished league season 2007/08 on a high with a club first, our A team finished as runners up in Division 2 only missing out being crowned Champions by 1 league point. While our B team formed for the 2006-07 season, finished as runners up in Division 3. The first time in the club's history that 2 Alnwick teams gained promotion in the same season.
2008 /09: Mixed fortunes for the clubs 2 teams in their respective divisions, the A team securing 8th place in division 1 after defeating the Morpeth A team 2-3 in the last game of the season.
In contrast the B team despite their valiant efforts & player shortage ended the season bottom of division 2 in 14th place.
The 4 player team Summer K.O.Competition: Both the A & B team got as far as the Quarter Final rounds in the K.O. plate.
2009/10: Club members decided to enter 1 team in league. So will start as Alnwick in division 2.
It is hoped by all at the club, that should future club membership numbers improve to a level where more than 1 team could be sustained with ease, we can once again have the possibility of having extra teams playing league chess.
Club player James Pharoah wins the Minor section at the Northumberland Rapidplay held in Gosforth on 20/2/10.
"The greater the difficulty, the more the glory in surmounting it"... Epicurus
Many thanks for the historical information provided by Alnwick Chess Club player Mike Trolan.
(including acknowledgement of information Mike sourced from the following books:"Chess in Northumberland" and "The Mid-Northumberland Chess Congresses" by John Wheeler.
"Northumbria Gold" games anthology by John Turnock
which is much appreciated in helping fill in the empty gaps of the club's past history for inclusion on this website. -Robert McEwan-
