Cambridge City Chess Club - About Us
How to Join
Turn up! Or drop us a line.
The annual subscription is £40 but there is a reduced rate of £20 for juniors, the unwaged and ungraded newcomers. However you can expect to make a few visits to see what the club is like without being asked to pay.
If you would like more information, email us.
Cambridge City Chess Club - the place to play chess in Cambridge.
When and Where We Meet
From 31st August 2005 the club meets on Wednesday nights at St. Augustine's Church Hall, Richmond Road. Click here for a detailed map of how to find the new venue.
Play Competitive Chess
The club has a team in the first division of the Cambridge University College League, where we generally meet very strong opposition on the top boards. City I team won the league in 2003/4. We also have a second team, City II, in the second division which came second in 2003/4. One of the advantages of this league is that all the matches are in Cambridge.
We also play in the Bury League where this year we have six teams entered. This is a well organized league with two divisions of around nine or ten teams each, and we play each team home and away. This leads to a busy season starting in mid September and finishing at the end of April. In 2003/4, our three teams in the first division finished 1st, 2nd and 4th, and our fourth team came fourth in the second division.
There is also a rating limited knockout event (The Roger Goldsmith Trophy) organized through the Bury league and we also have a team in this competition. We have recently also competed in the Fenland Cup against teams from Huntingdonshire and Peterborough.
Play for Fun
A competitive though only semi-serious annual Town v Gown contest takes place at the end of the league season. The City club ran out winners by 17½ to 12½ in 2004.
Finally there are internal club competitions. The Club Championship is divided into three sections to take account of the varying standards of players. There is a summer Rapidplay tournament held over several weeks. Or you can just play friendly games.
All this leads to a very congested season where you can play as much or as little chess as you want. Some players want to play as many matches as they can, sometimes twice a week. Others play only a few each season.
Play for All Abilities and All Ages
The strength of the top players has increased in recent years, with some Cambridge University graduates settling in Cambridge and joining the club so they can continue to play in the College League. We cater for all abilities and have members from beginners to those with gradings around BCF200.
We also help to run a separate club for juniors. This is the Cambridge Junior Chess & Go Club, which we organise jointly with Cambridge Go Society. This meets every Wednesday evening during term time.