Category: Club Updates

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.

We’ll be holding a short Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on Monday 15 September 2025, from 19:30 to 20:00, at the MindSports Centre.

The purpose of the meeting is to consider and vote on:

• A proposed new Constitution for Hammersmith Chess Club (http://hammerchess.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/HCC-Constitution.pdf)
• The accompanying Resolution (http://hammerchess.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/HCC-Resolution.pdf)

We expect business to be brisk — less than 30 minutes — so we can quickly return to the real reason we meet: playing chess.

All members are welcome.

Hammersmith Chess Club invited GM Daniel King once again to present our annual awards for the 2024/25 Season. Danny selected our Game of the Season and showed interesting positions from other nominated games. There were additional prizes for the best players of the season and the winners of our internal tournament series.

Danny kicked things off by scattering a few interesting positions from the games around the room and asking the audience to take a look at them and try to find the best move in each position – this ensured the session would be interactive as members were able to suggest moves, at times even surprising the Grandmaster with their creative ideas.

With his trademark charismatic and engaging style, DK walked us through the critical positions of the games, which were played throughout the season by a wide range of our members at all levels, from amateurs to masters. Indeed, it was possible to spot our top IMs Peter Roberson and Tom Rendle in the audience, as well as the winner of the previous two years, Marco Gallana.

This time, the award went to one of our top juniors, Kai Hanache, for his Round 1 win at the English Championship in July. The game featured a positional queen sacrifice which left Kai’s opponent with very passive pieces and an endangered King, until eventually Kai regained the queen while winning material in the process. Replay the game below, and watch the other nominated games on this Lichess Study

After announcing the winner, Danny also presented awards for various categories and internal tournament winners, all of whom received a certificate and a £10 voucher for Chess & Bridge. The full list of winners is below:

• • Player of the Season: Gaston Franco
  • First Team Player of the Season: Ash Stewart
  • Junior of the Season: Aryaman Ganguly
  • Woman of the Season: Swati Singha
  • Captain of the season: John White
  • Sledgehammer Winner: Sarah Ewart
  • Rockhammer Winner: Nick Fookes
  • Handicap Blitz Winner: Thomas Bonn
  • Game of the Season: Kai Hanache

Many thanks once again to GM Daniel King, who will also analyse the game on his Youtube Channel (PowerPlayChess) soon. He stressed how difficult it has become to select a winner year after year given the club’s increasing success, with more members, more games being played, and more brilliant moves! As the ECF Club of the Year, let’s make it even harder to choose the 2026 Game of the Season!

Hello everyone,

It’s a real honour to be writing this as the new Chairman of Hammersmith Chess Club. I’ve been part of the club for 10 years, and I know how much hard work, friendship, and good humour go into making it what it is.

First of all, I want to pay tribute to my predecessor, John White. It’s impossible to understate how much of our club’s success has been down to him. With his boundless creativity, enthusiasm and generosity, John has led countless initiatives to develop Hammersmith Chess Club into the powerhouse we are today. Without John, the Mindsports Centre that we call our home, simply would not exist.

I’m delighted that John has chosen to remain on the Committee to lead our Events team. He has already been hard at work organising our tour to Marseille in October. It’s guaranteed to be a fantastic weekend, and I’d encourage all of you to come along if possible.

We start this season with some brilliant news — Hammersmith has been named the ECF Club of the Year. That’s down to all of you: the players, volunteers, coaches, and supporters who’ve made our club such a welcoming and ambitious place to play chess. Thank you.

Opening night is Monday, 1st September, and we’re lucky to have GM Daniel King with us to judge our Game of the Season. It should be a great evening — do come along, whether you’re playing, watching, or just catching up over a drink.

This year we’re fielding eighteen teams across four leagues, so whatever your rating or playing style, there’s a place for you. Our Junior Hour and Women & Girls Hour will both be back from Monday, 8th September — two sessions that really show the spirit of the club.

If you’d like to play in a team, please ensure your subs are paid and your ECF membership is up to date. Captains will be in touch with everyone who’s paid up, but do feel free to reach out in advance if there’s a team you particularly wish to play in.

I’m looking forward to seeing old friends, meeting new ones, and enjoying another year of great chess together!

See you over the board,

Adam Cranston
Chairman

The rumours are true – Hammersmith Chess Club has been awarded the prestigious title Club of the Year by the English Chess Federation for 2025.

This recognition is richly deserved and reflects the hard work, dedication, and spirit of everyone involved with our club – from Committee members and Captains to Volunteers and players of all levels.

We are one community and welcome all, regardless of background, ethnicity, colour, religion or gender. We do not judge a chess player by their rating alone – we simply want everyone to embrace being a Hammer and take pride in playing at our club.

This award belongs to every Hammer. Without your enthusiasm, commitment, and love for the game, this would not have been possible.

Our new Chair, Adam Cranston, has great plans for the future, and we encourage every member to support him and the Committee as we move forward together – building on a history that we can all be proud of.

Let’s celebrate Hammersmith Chess Club – ECF Club of the Year 2025!

Hot off the press – Hammersmith Chess Club is heading to Marseille! From Friday 17th to Sunday 19th October 2025, we’ll be visiting the brilliant club of Marseille Échecs for a long weekend of chess, friendship, food, and fun. This promises to be an amazing trip — Marseille Échecs has over 1,000 members and is one of Europe’s great chess institutions. If you’ve ever been on a Hammer tour before, you’ll know they’re simply the best!

🗓 Itinerary (TBC)

Friday 17 October

• • Arrive and settle into the hotel
  • 6pm: Blitz tournament at Marseille Échecs, followed by food and drinks with our hosts

Saturday 18 October

• • Cultural sightseeing in the morning
  • 1pm: Long-play match (winner takes the Challenge Cup!)
  • Group dinner and drinks in the evening

Sunday 19 October

• • More Marseille adventures in the morning
  • Group lunch
  • Return travel home

✈️ Travel Options

Ryanair – Stansted to Marseille

• • Outbound: 07:25 or 14:10 (Friday 17 Oct)
  • Return: 12:50 (Sunday 19 Oct)

EasyJet – Gatwick to Marseille

• • Outbound: 08:00 or 17:20 (Friday 17 Oct)
  • Return: 12:40 or 22:05 (Sunday 19 Oct)

✳️ Recommended: EasyJet at 08:00 Friday and 22:05 Sunday.

🏨 Hotel

We’re planning a group booking at Hotel Life Marseille VP – Vieux Port. Prices will be confirmed shortly.

✅ What You Need to Do

1. Book your flights
2. Email Lord Clueless (John) at jdrw9591@gmail.com by 25 August 2025 with:

• • Your name
  • Number in your party
  • Room preference: Single / Double / Twin

John (with help from Benji) will coordinate hotel bookings.

🌟 Top Things to Do in Marseille

• • Cours Julien (street art, cafés, markets)
  • Notre-Dame de la Garde
  • MuCEM (Museum of European & Mediterranean Civilisations)
  • Electric Bike Tour of the city
  • Palais Longchamp
  • Provençal cuisine!

📣 Join the Tour!

Huge thanks to Matt Perchard and Benji Portheault for making this happen.

Let’s get packing — and make this another unforgettable Hammer trip.
Email now to join the fun!

John White
aka Lord Clueless

🕰️ The New Season Beckons

Hammers, the new season kicks off on 1st September, so please take this as a gentle reminder to:

• • renew your ECF membership;
  • pay your Hammer membership fees this month.

It’s going to be an amazing year of chess at the club, with a packed calendar of events already taking shape. I urge you all to get involved.

🏆 Opening Night: The Hammer Oscars – 1st September

We’ll be launching the season with our traditional Hammer Oscars, hosted once again by our great friend GM Daniel King. This is our opportunity to celebrate last season’s stars – a brilliant evening that always delivers.

A highlight of the night will be the Game of the Season award, chosen by Daniel himself. If you have a game you’re proud of, submit it (with PGN or scoresheet and any context) to our club captain, Gaston, by 10th August. Just email him directly or speak to him at the club.

The winning game will be featured on Daniel’s Power Play Chess YouTube channel.

🌍 Hammer Goes Abroad – Save These Dates

🇧🇪 Ostend, Belgium

Our friends there are hosting a fantastic week of chess, including a 9-round Swiss tournament from 6–12 September.

Tournament details here.

🇫🇷 Marseille, France

Thanks to sterling work by Benji and Matt, we’re lining up a club weekend with the legendary Marseille Chess Club from 17–19 October. This promises to be an unforgettable experience.

Confirmation to follow within 7 days.

🇪🇸 Bilbao, Spain

Early talks are underway for a June 2026 visit to the Bilbao Chess Club. Watch this space.

Enjoy the rest of the summer – and see you soon at the board.

John

“And now the end is near, And so I face the final curtain, My friends I’ll say it clear, I’ll state my case of which I am certain” – Paul Anka/Frank Sinatra

Hammers,

This is my final article as Chair of Hammersmith Chess Club, as I will be stepping down from the post at the next AGM – to be held on the 7th of July 2025. I will be fully supporting our Secretary Adam Cranston as next Chair, and I know he will be do a superb job for our club in the role. Stepping into Adam’s shoes, as Club Secretary, will be David Lambert another stalwart of the club and someone who has been a long serving member and fully knows this club inside out. I will, if you vote me in, be taking up the reins of the Events Officer again and hope to be able to bring lots of activity in 2025/2026.

I want to say it has been one of the greatest honours of my life to lead this club and see it grow and develop into something that is so special and unique. This is down to many people, and I will get to them later in this missive. The journey we have been on, as a club, in the last 10 years has been amazing and I know there are even better times ahead. This has been another fantastic season for our club with a list of huge achievements.

• • The Hammersmith team in the Fide Rapid and Blitz Team World Championships won the u2200 prize. Lead by our great captain Gaston. This was a phenomenal result
  • Our Women’s team won the London Women’s League. Great Captaincy from Ana
  • Hammer 2 won Division 3 and were unbeaten all season – some Captain called Clueless???
  • Hammer 1 came second in London League Division 1 losing narrowly to Wood Green in the winner takes it all match. We were so unlucky – Jim Stevenson did a fabulous job.
  • Hammer 1 in the Middlesex Division 1 came joint first only losing out on points difference – Captain Maria did an amazing job
  • Hammer 3 finished second in Division 4 of the Central London League and gained promotion
  • Our LL Junior team scored 50% and finished mid table an outstanding result.
  • Hammersmith 3 just missed out on promotion in Middlesex 3 as did Hammer 1 in the Central London League
  • We finished 4th in the Thames valley Division 1
  • We also performed well in the other London, Middlesex and CLL divisions.

These are the headlines – for a club that only had 19 members 10 years ago this is some progress. However, as amazing as this roll of honour is I think it pales into insignificance as to what the soul of our club is. We are Hammers – we play for each other, not just ourselves. We support each other…. always. We welcome all to our club and judge people by the content of their character and not their chess ability. We are friends. This is what makes us so unique.

I also want to thank all the Captains, the Trainers, The Committee members and all of you… For what you have contributed to the club – your club – and I will never forget that.

Finally, I want to make a final plea to all of you – none of the above happens without the volunteers – we have a unique culture in our club that encourages people to contribute – I urge all of you to step forward to become a captain, to serve on the Committee, to help with Junior hour or be a mentor to new members.

Thank you once again for supporting me as Chair and now let’s move with confidence and pride to the next chapter of Hammersmith Chess Club.

John aka Lord Clueless
Chair of Hammersmith Chess Club
June 2025