Membership for the 2026/27 season is open. Whether you are a returning Hammer or joining us for the first time, please complete our membership form below. We welcome all ages and experience.
More information, including membership rates, is available on our joining page.
A new competition, five weekends and one unmistakably Hammer team.
The Four Nations Chess League (4NCL) is the pinnacle of team chess in the British Isles. Teams from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland compete over five weekends from October to May, at venues across the Midlands.
The top division is packed with professional and world-class players, while the lower divisions are largely made up of amateurs. Some sides exist purely for the competition; others are genuine local clubs. Like us.
Our friends at the Celtic Tigers have fielded several Hammersmith players in previous seasons. This year, however, Hammersmith Chess Club will compete under its own name for the first time in its history. We begin in Division Four with a six-player team – but do not be misled by the number. Even in the lowest division, the top boards may be rated above 2000.
What happens over a 4NCL weekend?
First, the chess. Each weekend brings two long-play games: 40 moves in 90 minutes, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment from move one. The Saturday game begins at 2pm; the Sunday game at 11am.
Then, the fun. We are one of the relatively few genuine clubs taking part, and the Hammer spirit matters. Win or lose, we will usually head into town for dinner – with a chessboard appearing somewhere between the pizzas and drinks as we go through the day’s games together.
Adam Cranston is captaining the team and will be doing a fair amount of organising, so offers of help are always welcome. Players arrange their own travel and accommodation, although we may coordinate car-sharing and special hotel rates are sometimes available if booked early.
Interested?
We already have a provisional list of players and their availability, but now we need to complete the squad. Whether you can play all five weekends or just one, whether you are an adult or a junior, and whatever your rating, you will be very welcome.
The first 4NCL weekend is 10-11 October in Bedford, less than an hour by train from King’s Cross. If you would like to join the adventure, please contact Adam as soon as possible by email or WhatsApp. A dedicated WhatsApp group has been set up for the team.
Hammersmith Chess Club takes on the Vitality London 10K
There is Chess960 and Bughouse, chess boxing and even underwater chess. And now, for one day at least, there will also be Hammersmith Chess Club on the streets of central London.
This year, a team from the club will be taking part in the Vitality London 10,000: the capital’s only 10K race to finish outside Buckingham Palace.
Why does a chess club belong in a running event? Because the Vitality London 10,000 is about much more than running. It celebrates mental and physical wellbeing, and promoting chess as a healthy recreational activity for the wider London community is one of Hammersmith Chess Club’s charitable purposes.
Having been awarded charitable status earlier this year, we are determined to take chess beyond our regular club nights and reach more people across the community.
We have already made an excellent start. Last weekend, we moved chess out of the Mindsports Centre and onto the river for our first Chess on the Thames tournament at Fulham Pier. The event attracted enthusiastic praise from players and visitors alike.
But that was only the beginning. We want to do much more.
Running to raise funds
Taking part in the Vitality London 10K will be great fun: a chance for club members to run together, support one another and represent Hammersmith on one of London’s most memorable routes.
It is also an opportunity to raise money for the club’s charitable work.
Membership subscriptions finance our regular activities, which are open to all members. We are fortunate to have a wonderful group of volunteers who give their time and energy to make those activities possible.
Additional donations allow us to go further: organising more community events, introducing more people to chess and extending our activities beyond the regular club programme.
So in that spirit, the money our runners raise will go towards our booming Monday evening “Beginners Hour”. Our long term aim is to fund a professional coach for this great initiative.
Making donations go further with Gift Aid
If you are a UK taxpayer, Gift Aid can increase the value of an eligible donation by 25% at no additional cost to you. For every £10 donated, Hammersmith Chess Club can claim a further £2.50 from HMRC.
Members can make a Gift Aid declaration through the club’s online membership form. A standard Gift Aid declaration is also available on our website, while donations to fundraising events such as the Vitality London 10K can usually be Gift Aided directly through the fundraising platform.
We are enormously grateful for every donation, and, wherever possible, for the additional 25% that Gift Aid allows us to claim.
So please support our runners, help us spread the word and join us as Hammersmith Chess Club takes to the streets of London.
Our Chess On The Thames tournament starts at Fulham Pier at 11am, consisting of 7 rounds of 15+5 rapidplay ECF-rated chess, with a massive £1000 in cash prizes, plus £500 in Chessable vouchers.
Whilst it won’t be on youtube, GM Daniel King will be at the event entertaining the public so please come and visit. We will even have a few spare boards and clocks for fun. Alternatively, follow the top games on chess.com or lichess.
Hammers, our Chess on the Thames event is less than two weeks away.
It is going to be amazing. However, I need help to set-up, run the event, and pack up!
Specifically, from 4.30pm on Friday the 18th September, I need four volunteers (including a driver and car) to meet at the MindSports Centre to transport the kit to the Fulham ground.
On the day, from 11am to 4.30pm on Saturday 19th September, I need help on the desk and on the live podcast working with Daniel King. We will be meeting and playing the public, and broadcasting on the internet. So please, four plus volunteers for the desk and two volunteers to work with Daniel.
Then from 4.30pm I need four volunteers (including a driver and car) to pack up and return the kit to the MSC.
Hammer needs you.
Please email me, John White, on jdrw9591@gmail.com
John
The League Season returns, bringing opportunities to represent our Club and enjoy the social aspect of team competition – we win and lose as one. The fixture lists are still being produced on each of the leagues, but we will start with our internal matches during September, in the few divisions where we have included more than one team. Rules typically ask us to play these matches first in order to avoid favouring a particular team over another one.
Our proposed schedule of internal matches is as follows:
All of the above matches fall on our Thursday Club Nights and will start at 7pm. Our Captains will ask members for availability and put their teams together. If you would like to participate but you’re not sure what team is the right level for you, please message me and I’ll pass your details along to another captain. I could bore you with the rules and details of each League, but generally speaking: no prior experience in team matches is required. The main difference to a regular game is that you should ensure your result is recorded by the team captain, so we can know the team’s score.
Speaking of which, we are looking for new captains! Each season brings new teams and new players, so we need volunteers to keep things moving forward. Chess ability is largely irrelevant for this role. If you can send and receive emails, you’re overly qualified! Please contact me on WhatsApp or leave a comment on this post if you can help.
Last but not least, it’s time to renew our club memberships for the new season. Full details, including Rates, can be found on our Contact and Joining page. Alongside making your payment, we ask you to please fill in our new Membership Form. It’s brief and it allows us to capture key information we need for each member, as well as potentially collecting Gift Aid following our recent conversion to a Charity.
See you soon at the board!
Gaston Franco, Club Captain
Twelve years ago, Hammersmith Chess Club had 23 members. Today we have around 250 — and nearly half of them are juniors.
That is quite a transformation.
Hammer Juniors now range from complete beginners to titled players, with coaching for different ages and abilities across three rooms at the MindSports Centre. Some are very young indeed — we have learned not to make rash claims about where the lower age limit actually lies.
The atmosphere is friendly, enthusiastic and, in the main hall at least, not always entirely silent. We regard that as a feature rather than a bug.
And they are getting rather good.
Last season Hammer Juniors won London League Division 4, while Hammer Cadets won the Minor Division. Our juniors also picked up plenty of individual successes and played an increasingly important part in Hammersmith teams and events across the club.
Junior Hour is only part of it. Juniors can stay on for club lectures and events, play in our internal competitions and, importantly, get more rated chess. That includes our Thursday-night Rockhammer and Sledgehammer games.
The club has grown enormously, and so has the scale of what we provide. Junior membership and Junior Hour fees have therefore increased this season. Even after the increase, £150 for three school terms of Junior Hour remains substantially below the cost of commercial chess coaching — and club membership opens the door to everything else Hammersmith offers throughout the year. And if cost would make participation difficult, please speak to us. We do not want financial circumstances to stop a child playing chess.
The new season starts on 7 September.
Whether your junior is learning how the pieces move, already terrorising adults across London, or somewhere in between, we would love to see them.
To join, please complete the membership form which will be pinned to the top of this newsletter from 1st September.
We are delighted to have finalised the details of our big September tournament – Chess on the Thames!
The tournament will take place on Saturday 19th September at 11am, consisting of 7 rounds of 15+5 rapidplay ECF-rated chess, with a massive £1000 in cash prizes, plus £500 in Chessable vouchers. Every entrant will also receive a free month of chess.com diamond membership!
The entry fee is £10 for Hammersmith members, £20 for non-Hammersmith members.
Spaces are limited. Please sign up here: https://forms.gle/N2xds76YGb16c9Jo9
Adam Cranston
Chairman
Joining our annual Awards Night on 27/07, GM Daniel King selected the Game of the Season for 2025/26. This year, the prize went to Christof Brixel for a game he played as Black in an Albin Countergambit. Avid readers of our page may remember Christof’s Gambit Experiment!
Danny analysed the game at the club and he has also prepared a video for his YouTube channel PowerPlayChess, a must follow! He highlighted Christof’s dynamic play and active pieces, which eventually led to overwhelming threats and a lovely tactical finish.
Other members submitted their own games over the course of the season and the preselected nominees (including the eventual winner) can be replayed on this Lichess Study. Just a small sample of the fighting spirit we often see at our club!
There were several other awards given out on the night, showcasing various achievements by our members during the League Season and Internal Competitions. The full list of prize winners is below:
Congratulations to all the winners, who obtained a Chess & Bridge voucher! Many thanks to GM King and to all our players during this season. Looking forward to more and better chess in 2026/27!
19th September Hammersmith Chess Comes to Fulham Pier
We are delighted to announce a major new chess event, staged in partnership with Fulham Pier at the home of Fulham Football Club.
On Saturday 19 September 2026, from 11am to 4pm, Fulham Pier’s Market Place will be transformed into a celebration of chess — open to experienced players, complete beginners and anyone curious to learn more about the game.
Visitors will be able to meet members of Hammersmith Chess Club, play informal games, discover more about the club and enjoy chess in one of London’s most striking new riverside settings.
At the heart of the day will be an English Chess Federation-rated rapidplay tournament, consisting of at least six rounds and played at a time control of 15 minutes plus 5 seconds per move.
A total prize fund of £1,000 will be on offer:
🏆 1st place: £300
🥈 2nd place: £150
🥉 3rd place: £100
♟️ Top women’s prize: £100
♟️ Top junior under 15: £100
♟️ Top senior over 60: £100
♟️ Top player rated under 2000: £50
♟️ Top player rated under 1800: £50
♟️ Top player rated under 1500: £50
Entry fees:
Hammersmith Chess Club members: £10
All other players: £20
Entries will close on Wednesday 16 September 2026. Places are limited, so early booking is strongly recommended.
Further details, including the tournament format and entry arrangements, will be announced shortly.
Save the date: the inaugural CHESS ON THE THAMES, Saturday 19th September.
