Next Thursday, 18 September, promises to be one of the biggest nights of the year in London chess – and it’s all happening at the Mindsports Centre.
In a tradition designed to keep the season fair, whenever Hammersmith enters two teams in the same division we schedule the head-to-head derby early. The result? A festival of chess: teammate against teammate, captain against captain, friend against friend – thirty Hammer players across fifteen boards.
Three huge matches line up on the same night:
• Central London League: Hammer 1 vs Hammer 2 (5 boards)
• Middlesex League: Hammer 3 vs Hammer 4 (6 boards)
• London League: Hammer MacKenzie vs Hammer Cadets (4 boards)
All matches will start at 7pm sharp and will be the very first fixtures of the new 2025/26 season. With players ranging from around 2200 ECF strength all the way down to those competing in their first-ever rated game, Hammerfest offers opportunities for every level of member.
The only requirements are that you’ve renewed your Hammersmith and ECF memberships. If you’d like to play on Thursday, please contact our newly elected Club Captain at gastonfranco1990@gmail.com. Future matches, for these and all our other teams, will be organised by the respective team captains.
It’s an all-Hammer spectacular we’re calling HAMMERFEST.
Expect a buzzing club room, tough fights, upsets, rivalries, and no quarter given. Some of the boards will even be broadcast live online – so you can follow the action wherever you are.
Forget “friendly fire” – this is family fire. Every player will be out to prove themselves, and every point will matter when the season tables are counted up.
So come down to the MSC, grab a drink, and soak up what is truly the biggest annual event in London club chess.
Hammerfest: the night the Hammers take on the Hammers.
Amazing! Thanks for posting, David!
Everyone, let me know if you’d like to play! We’ll also organise a game analysis session to review some of the games played on these matches. I’ll show examples of how to analyse your games, review the opening, look for plans, etc. Don’t miss it!
Watch this space next Friday for list of all the results, by team and by player!