As of the 2025-26 season currently underway, Hammersmith Chess Club fields 19 teams in different divisions across the London, Central London, Middlesex, and the Thames Valley competitions.
Our First teams involve our club’s strongest players and will be facing the toughest competition in the London League (captain: Gastón Franco), Thames Valley League (Carsten Pedersen), Middlesex League (Maria Ciocan) and Central London League (Tom Townsend), however we also participate in lower divisions and all our members regardless of experience and playing strength have the opportunity to play for one of our teams.
Details of our teams and the respective captains as follows. We also always welcome any volunteers who want to become a team captain, it’s a great way to meet new members and play more games. Speak to Gastón or Adam if you would like to get involved.
Click on any team name to see their upcoming fixtures, and on any Division name to be redirected to the current Standings on the respective League website.
| Team | League | Division | Captain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hammersmith 1 | London League | Division 1 | Gastón Franco |
| Hammersmith A | Thames Valley League | Division 1 | Carsten Pedersen |
| Hammersmith 1 | Middlesex League | Division 1 | Maria-Alexandera Ciocan |
| Hammersmith 1 | Central London League | Division 2 | Tom Townsend |
| Hammersmith 2 | London League | Division 2 | John White |
| Hammersmith 2 | Central London League | Division 2 | Andrew Cuff |
| Hammersmith 2 | Middlesex League | Division 2 | John Abbott |
| Hammersmith 3 | London League | Division 3 | David Lambert |
| Hammersmith 3 | Middlesex League | Division 3 | Luna Eastham |
| Hammersmith 4 | Middlesex League | Division 3 | Frantisek Zacek |
| Hammer Juniors | London League | Division 4 | Frank Valle |
| Hammersmith 4 | London League | Division 4 | Nadim Osseiran |
| Hammersmith 3 | Central London League | Division 4 | David Steyn |
| Hammer Women 1 | London League | Women's | Ana Royce |
| Hammer Women 2 | London League | Women's | Srishti Sinha |
| Hammer Hodgson | London League | Major | Tomo Knowland |
| Hammer Hedger | London League | Intermediate | Gianmaria Mazzaracchio |
| Hammer Mackenzie | London League | Minor | Sarah Ewart |
| Hammer Cadets | London League | Minor | Tom Townsend |
We welcome any new players and will do our upmost to provide competitive chess throughout the season, along with the usual club events, tournaments and training evenings!
The only requirements are that you’re a paid-up member of the club – details here, and that you’re ECF-registered, details here. It’s a very simple process, please feel free to ping us with any questions you might have.
Further information on the leagues we play in can be found here:
London League
Thames Valley League
Middlesex League
Central London League
Our own End of Season Awards for 2024-25
And there’s more….
Celtic Tigers – our sister club, the Celtic Tigers, play in the National Chess League (aka 4NCL) – the highest League System in the UK. Hammerite Chris Skulte manages the team. If you’re keen to play, please check out the details here and get in touch with Chris