Hastings CC celebrates 125 years!

Hastings Chess Club Celebrates its 125th Birthday
Last Edited: Sunday July 1, 2007 1:08 AM

John Saunders reports: On 30 June 2007, Hastings Chess Club celebrated its 125th anniversary with a reception held at its own premises in Cornwallis Terrace, Hastings. A buffet lunch was provided for guests and members of the club, and BCM’s editor was pleased to attend to represent British Chess Magazine and also to take some pictures and video clips.

The former editor of BCM, Bernard Cafferty, is the current president of the club and, after being introduced by club chairman Bill Penfold, he made a short speech outlining the club’s distinguished history. Bernard says something of the club’s benefactors over the years and the club’s history, as one of only two existing British clubs which has its own dedicated premises. He also draws the audience’s particular attention to the British Boys’ Championship Honours Board which is on the wall in the corner of the room. “I had to get that one in – as my name is recorded on it!”, quips Bernard, to general amusement. “Rather a long time ago,” he adds ruefully (Bernard won the British Boys’ Championship in Hastings in 1952, before the present writer was born). Someone else is heard to say “you haven’t changed a bit”. But don’t take my word for it: click below to see a 4-minute video of Bernard Cafferty’s speech.

Hastings Chess Club is in Cornwallis Terrace, Hastings. Click here to visit the club website. As you can see from the photo (left), it is a four-storey building and is situated in the centre of the town. The main club premises are on the first and second floors. On the ground floor is a general club room and library, which Bernard Cafferty told us is to be re-named the Ian Pountney Memorial Room after a club member who sadly died recently, but who left a very generous bequest to the club to be used for the club’s upkeep. On the first floor is another club room which is fully stocked with boards, sets and clocks and where club matches are played. As you can see from the photos on this page, the walls of the club rooms are liberally covered with photos, drawings and cartoons of famous visitors to Hastings (both club and congress), and there are also honours boards, trophies and a well-stocked chess library. And now, of course, if you fail to find the book you are looking for on the club premises, it is only a short trip to the National Chess Library which is also to be found in Hastings.

Here is the full story.