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.