TIM WALL VISIT
FM Tim Wall, ECF Junior Development Director, visited the club on 5th October 2026.
His intriguing talk showed some new attacking opening ideas, followed up by playing sixteen club members simultaneously, including some of our best juniors.
He did well to fit all this into two hours and finish by 10pm.
2026 AGM AWARDS
Three special awards were made at the club's Annual General Meeting on 21st September 2026.
Club member David Peters generously donated three fine wooden chess sets to our most improved (by ECF rating) junior members 2025-26.
Congratulations to Silk Irie-Williams, Victor Skurko and Aviraj Bhaduri.
NIGEL DONOVAN, 1961-2026.
Very sad news in July 2026 that former Charlton club member Nigel Donovan has passed away.
Nigel was a strong player as well as being a thoroughly nice guy. He was a club member for many years before moving to the Brighton area.
In addition to club and county chess he was a much travelled competitor, playing in chess competitions in Israel, Greece, Croatia and other countries, enjoying the social side as well as the chess.
This photo of Nigel was taken in Eilat, Israel in 2012 during the European Clubs Cup team championship.
FIRST CHARLTON SUMMER SOCIAL
Our chess club's first summer social event was held at the British Oak in Blackheath on Sunday 12th July 2026. This followed on from last winters' popular curry night.
Over twenty club members and guests participated, notwithstanding the alternative attractions of Wimbledon mens' tennis final and ChessFest.
Many thanks to Cindy Gilbertson and Jamie Davis who organised it.
GM CHRIS WARD
We were pleased to welcome grandmaster Chris Ward, former British champion, to the club on Tuesday 5th May 2026.
He gave an entertaining talk combining chess instruction with stories from his career and amusing chess anecdotes. Any increase in club members playing the Dragon Sicilian Defence will be down to him!
We had a good turnout for this special event and thanks again to Alan Hanreck for organising it.
ROY CREAMER R.I.P.
We were sorry to hear of the recent death in January 2026 of Roy Creamer at the grand age of 95. He and his two young sons were Charlton club members fifty years ago and, although they all moved on to other things, he maintained his interest in chess to the end.
His wish was that his collection of chess books, fine wooden chess sets, chess clock and chess computers should be donated to the club, it was all brought along by son Richard who caught up with old friends Alan and Gary during his visit.
HM PRISON VISIT
Six Charlton players visited a local SE London young offenders prison (HMP Isis) in September for a friendly match with the inmates. This was intended to prepare the HMP Isis team for the 2025 FIDE World Prison Chess Championship, the Charlton visitors then analysed the games with their opponents afterwards.
The championship was played online from 14th to 16th October 2025 with 135 teams from 57 countries.
Charlton's visit must have helped! The HMP Isis team, representing England, qualified for the Youth final on 16th October 2025 and finished in second place to Iran! Full report
YAS QUEEN! VISIT
On a late summer night, 18th August 2025, Charlton Chess Club welcomed the newest members of the London League for an evening of friendly games.
Yas Queen! is a women-led club empowering players of all genders who feel underrepresented in traditional chess clubs. Despite being a young organisation they have an active member base, many of whom visited us for this event.
Altogether 28 players participated in 3 rounds of rapid play, with Charlton ahead at the close. We're excited to see this diverse group in the London League!
GM MATTHEW SADLER
We were pleased to welcome grandmaster Matthew Sadler, twice British champion, to the club on Monday 11th August 2025.
He gave an interesting talk for ninety minutes covering computer chess, lessons he had learned throughout his chess career and ideas for individual chess improvement. Following that, he played blitz games against club members, including several junior members.
We had a good turnout, about thirty were in the audience. Thanks go to Alan Hanreck for organising the event.
HANDICAP QUICKPLAY
Charlton's annual Handicap Quickplay tournament took place on 28th July 2025.
Six rounds of 15 minute games were played. The playing time each game was divided according to rating, with the higher rated player receiving less time.
Eighteen players entered and the winner, winning all six of her games, was Silk Irie-Williams!
Robert (the organiser) congratulates Silk.
CHESS 960
Charlton's first Chess 960 tournament was held on Monday 30th June 2025 at the club.
In this variant (also called Fischer Random chess) the order of the back row pieces is randomised, leading to new positions from the start and the elimination of opening theory.
The winner was Oleg Verbytski, finishing ahead of Kushal Jakhria, Jim Everson and Misha Churakov out of eighteen players.
POINTER SCHOOL ABOVE THE O2
The Pointer School in Blackheath is local to Charlton Chess Club and has a strong chess tradition. The game is encouraged and they consistently have one of the best junior school teams in the country. Several current and former pupils have progressed to become members of Charlton club.
On 6th June 2025 their chess team ascended to the roof of the O2 Arena and played a chess match in the sky!
A new after-school chess club is open to children from the local community: https://pointers.school/about/chess-club
KENT FINALS DAY 2025
Two Charlton teams qualified for Kent Finals Day on 31st May 2025, held at St. Mary Cray.
Charlton 3 drew 3-3 with Maidstone in the En Passant Cup final but unfortunately lost out on tie-break.
Charlton 5 beat Hastings 3-1 in the Tom Fuller Cup final.
Congratulations and thanks to everyone who played this season and took the teams into the finals!
Tom Fuller Cup winners
KING'S COLLEGE "MONSTER KING" CHALLENGE
On 14th April 2025 Charlton hosted King's College London for our third annual friendly challenge match, this time over sixteen boards.
Each player played two rapid games against the same opponent, so 32 games were played over two hours.
Charlton had won on the previous two occasions, the teams were closely matched, but this time King's College were winners by a convincing 23 points to 9 and took away the "Monster King" trophy until next year.
TYRONE JEFFERIES R.I.P.
More sad news has been received that former member Tyrone (Ty) Jefferies has just passed away, on 12th February 2025.
Ty was Charlton chess club secretary for several years as well as a team captain and player. He was also on the committee of the Kent County Chess Association.
Ty was an enthusiastic organiser wherever he went. He was a regular most weeks at Charlton chess club before moving to the Medway area some years ago and becoming heavily involved with Snodland, Rochester and Swale chess clubs.
TOM COLLINS R.I.P.
We learned only recently that longstanding member Tom Collins unfortunately passed away last year, in 2024.
Tom was a club member on and off for fifty years, from the 1970s to the 2020s. He was a regular on club nights at Charlton House and at the Bugle Horn or White Swan in Charlton Village afterwards.
He played many times for Charlton in the Kent league and his last game was a victory for our Harvey Cup team in March 2020.
RAPPERS TRY CHESS
Earlier this year (on 4th April 2024) we hosted well-known rap musicians Guvna B and Barney Artist and their camera crew at Mycenae House. The video has now been released!
They were filming their adventures trying out new things and had no previous experience of playing chess. Following individual training sessions from Nick and Andrew and practice games with Tony and Alan they were ready to play a face-off game of chess!
We all enjoyed the experience. To see what happened and know the result of their game, watch the video!
ZWISCHENZUG!
On Monday 2nd September 2024 we were pleased to welcome Natasha Regan and Matt Ball to the club.
They gave an interesting talk and handed out puzzles based on their recent chess book "Zwischenzug!" (the name for an intermediate and unexpected move).
We had a high turnout, over thirty club members attended, and several copies of the book were purchased.
SHREYAS ROYAL: GM TITLE
Shreyas Royal qualified in August 2024 as the youngest ever British grandmaster at the age of fifteen. He earned his third and final grandmaster norm at the recent British Championships.
His talent was first discovered whilst at Pointer School in Blackheath, he then joined Charlton chess club at the age of seven and progressed rapidly, playing for our club teams for three years.
Our Juniors page has some older items of news featuring Shreyas.
KENT FINALS DAY
Kent Finals Day was held again at Tunbridge Wells on Saturday 1st June 2024.
Fourteen teams from seven clubs competed for seven trophies.
Charlton had three teams in the finals and two of them won!
Charlton 2 beat Petts Wood 2 by 5-1 to retain the Stevenson Cup.
Charlton 3 beat Maidstone 3 by 4½-1½ to win the En Passant Cup.
Charlton 5 drew Maidstone 5 by 2-2 but lost on tie break in the Tom Fuller Cup.
Charlton group photo
Stevenson Cup winners (half of the team)
En Passant Cup winners
KING'S COLLEGE "MONSTER KING" CHALLENGE
On 18th March 2024 Charlton hosted King's College London for a friendly challenge match over eleven boards. Three Charlton club members who are also alumni of King's College played for the visitors.
Each player played two rapid games against the same opponent. The teams were closely matched but Charlton emerged very narrow winners by 11½ to 10½.
Many thanks to Ed Figueroa and Tomasz Bazan for arranging the fixture and to Ed for also providing the refreshments and the "Monster King" trophy.
HASTINGS 2023/24
The Hastings chess congress takes place every year over the Christmas/New Year holiday period.
Oleg Verbytski got off to a fine start in the Open tournament. He finished with two wins, one loss and five draws and a massive increase in his rating!
Eight Charlton members then played in tournaments held over the final weekend.
Geoff Bishop had a great result and was joint winner of the Intermediate tournament with four wins and one draw.
(photo of Oleg by Brendan O'Gorman)
JIM JACKSON R.I.P.
We regret having to report the recent death of Jim Jackson, Charlton chess club's deputy chairman and a club member for many years.
Jim had been ill for several months but still attended the chess club when he felt able. He was a former team captain and longstanding members remember the regular lifts from Charlton House to away matches in his black cab.
His funeral took place on 31st October 2023 at Eltham Crematorium, several Charlton chess club members were present.
CHARLTON JUNIOR CHESS CLUB WINS AWARD
The British Chess Educational Trust makes a small number of awards each year. They are to schools and junior chess clubs which have shown outstanding achievements or enthusiasm in chess.
Charlton is proud to have won a 2023 BCET award.
We have received a fine wooden chess set, board and clock. The set will be used in our junior chess club each Monday and every child will have the opportunity to play on it and practice using a chess clock.
A fine wooden chess set, board and clock
Charlton Juniors at London Team Championships 24/6/23
Lewisham v Charlton friendly match 28/6/23
CONOR MURPHY TALK
On 5th June 2023 Conor showed us his win against grandmaster Tabatabaei of Iran in the 2022 chess Olympiad.
About twenty club members attended, there was a lot of interaction and two hours was barely enough time to finish.
The event was enjoyed by all and we will arrange a similar occasion again.
KENT LEAGUE HAT-TRICK
Kent Finals Day was held at Tunbridge Wells on Saturday 3rd June 2023. Fourteen teams from nine clubs competed for seven trophies.
Charlton had three teams in the finals and they all won!
Charlton 1 beat Tunbridge Wells 1 by 4½-1½ to win the County Cup.
Charlton 2 beat Beckenham & Bromley 2 by 3½-2½ to win the Stevenson Cup.
Charlton 5 beat Hastings & St Leonards 2 by 2-2 (on tie break) to win the Tom Fuller Cup.
Charlton group photo
County Cup winners
Stevenson Cup winners
Tom Fuller Cup winners
HASTINGS CONGRESS 2022/23
Seven Charlton members travelled down to Hastings during the Christmas and New Year break to take part in the historic annual chess congress.
Jack Virgin came joint first in the weekend Major tournament whilst Conor Murphy and David Rogers were prizewinners in the Masters and Intermediate tournaments respectively.
Kushal Jakhria, Garfield Moore, Ed Figueroa and Alex Riddick were our other club representatives.
Hastings beach in January
It ain't over until the bar closes
Dominic and Christine are our genial hosts in the Mycenae House bar after chess club finishes.
Whether it is tea, coffee, beer or cakes, chess players need regular refreshment!
WFM SIMUL
Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Emma Hng from Singapore is currently studying at Kings College London.
She visited us at Charlton on 30th January 2023 and played simultaneously against twelve club members.
Her final score was 8 wins, 2 losses (Humphrey Jones and Jonathan Smith) and 2 draws (Robert Stebbings and Martin Henneaux).
Ed Figueroa arranged the visit which was enjoyed by all and we hope to see Emma again soon.
4NCL ONLINE LEAGUE CHAMPIONS
December 2022
4NCL Online league (season 6) Charlton Cobras A are the national online league champions, winning the 4NCL division 1 playoff final against Dundee on tie-break.
Our team in the final was Conor Murphy, Gary Clark, Tony Stebbings and Alexey Radchenko.
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all those who played for the four Charlton Cobras teams and two Charlton Juniors
teams this season.
Season 7 starts in late January 2023, we expect to enter 4 adult teams and 2 junior teams.
GRANDMASTER SIMUL
Grandmaster Neil McDonald visited the club on 5th December 2022 and played a clock simultaneous match against a Charlton Junior team.
Neil is in the centre of the photograph with his opponents and parents.
After two and a half hours Neil scored 3½ points from 5 games and admitted that he was very fortunate to get that score.
Ayush Penumarthy won a fine game and Oleg Verbytski had the better of a draw. Also playing were Mateusz Bazan (unlucky with his clock), Kushal Jakhria and Ethan Davis.
HOT SUMMER SUCCESSES 2022
Conor Murphy
- scored 7½/9 and gained a Grandmaster norm on board 2 for Ireland in the Chess Olympiad in India in August.
Oleg Verbytski
- is the British Under 10 champion having finished clear first in the British Under 10 Championship in Torquay in August.
Tony Stebbings
- was in the England team which won Gold medals in the World Senior 65+ Team Championship in Italy in June.
- finished in 3rd place in the European Senior 65+ Individual Championship in Poland in July.
British Under 10 champion
KENT FINALS DAY: CHARLTON WIN THE INTRO CUP
Charlton had two teams competing in Kent Finals day on 18th June 2022 at St Mary Cray.
In the Harvey Cup final: Charlton 2 drew 3-3 with Medway, but lost on tie-break.
In the Intro Cup final: Charlton 3 beat Medway 3½-½.
This is our first cup win since 2015! Congratulations to all the players who played for the teams and took us to the finals.
KUSHAL AND OLEG WIN MEDALS IN GREECE
May 2022: Kushal and Oleg both won medals (two Gold and two Bronze between them) in the European Schools and World Cadets championships in Rhodes.
KUSHAL WINS IN BLACKPOOL
March 2022: Kushal Jakhria, aged 6, was the youngest player in the adult Blackpool Intermediate tournament, but he finished joint first! His exceptional result was highlighted by Leonard Barden in the Guardian newspaper.
Kushal and Oleg with their trophies and medals
OLEG VERBYTSKI SIMULTANEOUS DISPLAY
Oleg Verbytski, aged 8 in January 2022.
He played 13 games simultaneously, won 7, drew 1, lost 5 against Charlton's finest.
4NCL ONLINE LEAGUES
December 2021: Three of our four teams gained promotion!
4NCL Online league (season 4)
Charlton Cobras A finished 1st out of 32 teams and are division 3 champions (promoted).
Charlton Cobras B finished 3rd out of 56 teams in division 5 (promoted).
JUNIOR 4NCL Online league (season 4)
Charlton Tigers finished equal 3rd/4th out of 32 teams in division 3 (promoted).
Charlton Lions finished 24th out of 55 teams in division 4. Late news: also promoted!
Season 5
Matches are played once a fortnight on Tuesday evenings (adults) and Thursday evenings (juniors).
Season 5 starts in late January 2022, we expect to enter 3 adult teams and two junior teams.
DOCKLANDS WINNER
Congratulations to David Rogers (left) who won all six games and first prize in the Docklands Minor rapid tournament on 16th October 2021.
CONOR MURPHY IM TITLE
Congratulations to Conor who has qualified as an International Master.
Equal first place in the August 2021 Muswell Hill Masters tournament gained his third and final IM norm. Having previously exceeded 2400 FIDE rating he has fulfilled all the requirements for the title.
Conor is already looking forward to his next challenge, the Grandmaster title!
CHESSFEST 2021 "Alice in Wonderland" living chess game in Trafalgar Square
CHESSFEST 2021 "Alice in Wonderland" living chess game in Trafalgar Square (photo by Andrew Moss)
ADULT AND JUNIOR CLUBS RESTARTING ON MONDAY 17TH MAY
In line with the easing of government restrictions the chess club is resuming physical meetings at Mycenae House on 17th May, using two adjacent rooms.
The junior chess class is from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, the adult chess club is from 7:00pm to 10:00pm.
For the adult club, the rule of six adults in each room applies and facemasks should be worn.
CHESSFEST 2021 Kushal Jakhria v Michael Adams (photo by Andrew Moss)
1ST PLACE IN LONDON ONLINE CHESS LEAGUE, SEASON 2
May 2021
"Charlton Chess Addicks" finished clear top of Division 1 of the London Online Chess League, in eleven matches the team won ten and drew one.
"Charlton Chess Nuts" finished 8th in Division 2.
"Charlton Chess Mates" finished 5th in Division 4.
"Charlton Chess Challengers" finished 15th in Division 4.
Charlton team, 1995, including David Bronstein
KENT COUNTY CUP WINNING TEAMS
The County Cup (pictured left) has been competed for most years since 1890. Charlton has won it 18 times, lastly in 2012 [and now in 2023!]
Lewisham 28 Gravesend 2
Charlton 18 Petts Wood & Orpington 2
Maidstone 16 Thanet 2
Beckenham & Bromley 9 Ashford 1
Tunbridge Wells 9 Chatham 1
Rochester 8 Hastings 1
Lee 7 Sevenoaks 1
Sydenham & Forest Hill 7 Sidcup 1
Canterbury 6 Welling & Bexleyheath 1
3RD PLACE IN LONDON ONLINE CHESS LEAGUE
February 2021, "Charlton Chess Addicks" finished season 1 of the London Online Chess League in 3rd place in Division 1. Had we won our last match instead of drawing it we would have finished top!
"Charlton Chess Nuts" also finished in 3rd place in Division 2, so overall a successful first season for the club.
The second season starts on 3rd March 2021 and the league is being expanded to more divisions, including clubs from outside London. Charlton has entered four teams this time.
CLUB MEETINGS SUSPENDED UNTIL AT LEAST FEBRUARY 2021
Mycenae House closed to most activities in December due to coronavirus restrictions. When London comes out of Tiers 3/4 we will resume club meetings and junior classes.
Our "Charlton Chess" and "Charlton Juniors" online events at Lichess.org are continuing as normal every Monday evening.
TRIPLE SUCCESS FOR CHARLTON
On 5th December Kushal Jakhria (centre) won the 2020 London Under 8 Championship. Oleg Verbytski and Isaac Thompson were close behind.
On 6th December Charlton Juniors won the Chess4All online team battle against five other junior clubs.
On 7th December David Rogers received the League of Mayhem season 1 trophy from organiser Ed Figueroa.
London Under 8 champion
Team Battle winners
League of Mayhem trophy
RONALD HYDE
We were very sorry to learn in August 2020 of the recent death of Ron Hyde at the age of 73.
He was a popular member of Charlton chess club for well over thirty years and well known to several current members.
Ron was a good player and loyal member, serving on our organising committee for a number of years.
He also represented the club in Kent and London League matches on a regular basis. In fact he won the last ever game he played for us in 2015.
We hoped that he might come back one day, but sadly this was not to be.
CHARLTON CHESS CLUB GOES ONLINE
Whilst the club is closed due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we are holding regular sessions online at www.lichess.org on Mondays from 7:30pm to 10:30pm.
To take part you need to set up a (free) account on Lichess, join team "Charlton Chess" (via Community menu), then enter our weekly tournament (via the Team page).
You can pause and watch if you don't want to play the whole time, there is no time commitment, it's similar to being at the club.
Our team page: https://lichess.org/team/charlton-chess
JUNIOR CHESS TRAINING NOW HAS ITS OWN ROOM
Numbers have grown so in January 2020 our junior chess class moved to its own room, room 20 on the second floor.
The room is ours from 6:30pm to 8:00pm so youngsters can stay later than the formal end time of 7:30pm and play more games of chess if they wish.
Room 7 will continue to hold our adult club from 7:00pm.
CONOR MURPHY WINS 2019 IRISH CHAMPIONSHIP
Conor won the Irish Championship in Dublin in August ahead of a Grandmaster and several International Masters.
He won his last five games and scored 7.5 out of 9, finishing a point clear of the runners up. Winning guarantees a place in the Ireland team for the 2020 Chess Olympiad in Russia.
Conor has been a member of Charlton Chess Club since the age of nine, the years of practice with our older members have clearly paid off!
(photo by Fiona Steil Antoni)
TONY STEBBINGS WINS SILVER MEDAL IN RHODES
The England 65+ team finished second, winning silver medals, in the World Senior Team Chess Championship. This was the England 65+ team's best ever result, they were seeded 6th out of 27 teams.
The event was held in Rhodes from 15th to 25th April 2019. Gold was won by Russia and bronze by France.
Tony (right) also won gold for the best performance on board 3.
NOAH U-KING-IM WINS KENT UNDER 9 GRAND PRIX TOURNAMENT
Congratulations to Noah on winning all six games to earn first prize in the Under 9 tournament at the KJCA Grand Prix of January 2019.
The event was held at the Cornwallis Academy in Maidstone on 5th January and there were 35 players in the Under 9 tournament.
Kent Grand Prix tournaments are run by the Kent Junior Chess Association (KJCA) who also select the Kent County Junior teams for national competitions.
CONOR MURPHY JOINT WINNER AT HASTINGS MASTERS
Conor has finished in joint first place at the 2018-19 Hastings Masters tournament. A fantastic result!
He scored 7 points out of 10, beat grandmaster Sulskis and drew with two other grandmasters.
Furthermore he achieved a norm towards the International Master title.
SOPHIA ROHDE VISIT
Sophia flew all the way from New York especially to visit the club on Monday 19th November 2018.
Well, maybe attending the World Championship match in London also had something to do with it.
In the photo with Sophia are Mateusz Bazan and Shreyas Royal.
HOME SECRETARY RESIGNS!
Shreyas Royal visited Parliament on 17th October 2018 and was challenged to a game of chess by Home Secretary Sajid Javid.
There are no prizes for guessing the winner.
SOPHIA ROHDE AND JAIME GORMAN
Sophia and Jaime are sister and brother who were once junior members of Charlton chess club. Sophia can be spotted in the 1978 photograph on our "History" page. After over 30 years away they have got back in touch with us!
Jaime emigrated to Australia and now works in banking in the Middle East. Sophia moved to the USA and works full-time as a chess teacher, organiser and arbiter in New York.
Sophia hopes to be in London in November for the World Championship match and to pay us a visit at Mycenae House. We look forward to meeting up again!
FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES
In case you missed the good news, the Home Secretary intervened personally to grant permission for Shreyas Royal's family to remain in the UK.
JUNIOR CHESS
We started term-time junior training sessions at Mycenae House in April 2018 following the suggestion of a parent, as many primary schools do not have a chess club. The sessions are aimed at children relatively new to chess and have been well attended.
Junior training starts at 6:30pm and lasts one hour, roughly 30 minutes instruction followed by 30 minutes playing chess. We charge £5 per child per session.
The last session before summer holidays is Monday 9th July and will restart on Monday 10th September 2018.
During the summer break children are welcome to come to our normal club nights on Mondays, which start at 7:00pm. These will be free of charge.
INTRO CUP FINAL
In our first season back in the Intro Cup, Charlton reached the final after beating Medway in the semi-final.
Kent finals day took place on 14th May 2018 in Dartford.
The match against Maidstone went to the wire and in the end one move in one game decided the result. On this occasion we were the losers.
Well done to our young team and good luck next year!
CHARLTON CHESS CLUB IS MOVING!
After 70 years we are leaving Charlton House. From 9th April 2018 the chess club meets on Mondays at Mycenae House, 90 Mycenae Road, SE3 7SE.
Why are we moving?
Charlton House is closing earlier at 9:30pm which does not give us enough time to play league matches.
Mycenae House is one mile away, near Blackheath Royal Standard and Westcombe Park Station and is open until 10:30pm. It is easy to get to by public transport, we will have a large room and there is also a coffee bar.
Mycenae House 90 Mycenae Road, SE3 7SE
Nearest Station: Westcombe Park (5 minute walk)
Buses: 53, 54, 108, 202, 286, 380, 386, 422 (5 minute walk from Blackheath Royal Standard)
Car: free parking in Mycenae Road
INTRO CUP SEMI-FINALISTS!
In its first season back in the Intro Cup, Charlton has qualified for the Semi-final. Our team will be paired against the top team from Non-Metropolitan Kent.
Now through to the Final v Maidstone on 14th May!
WEST OF ENGLAND JUNIOR CHAMPION 2018
Well done Shreyas Royal who has just won (on 18th February) the West of England Under 14 Championship. Amazingly, he will still be eligible for this event in five years time!
The photograph is of him meeting grandmaster Raymond Keene, chess correspondent of The Times.
ROBERT STEBBINGS WINS AT PETTS WOOD & ORPINGTON RAPIDPLAY
One-day tournaments with six rounds are popular these days, the Petts Wood Rapidplay was held on Saturday 3rd February 2018.
Congratulations to Robert Stebbings who triumphed in the Minor section and walked away with the £150 first prize.
2017 KENT SUMMER QUICKPLAY - Charlton won it!
The final was played on 23rd January 2018 at Charlton House and we beat Rainham by the narrowest margin.
In the last four games, two featured illegal moves and another ended with both flags down! When the dust settled Charlton emerged winners by 8.5 points to 7.5.
HASTINGS 2017/18
Charlton's globe-trotting eight year old Shreyas Royal won not just one but two prizes at this year's Hastings Congress!
Conor Murphy also did well in the Masters tournament, beating GM Hebden in one game.
INTRO CUP TEAM
Charlton's young team in the Kent Intro Cup has got off to a good start, winning three of its first four matches.
Here they are in action at Charlton House on 19th December 2017.
WHAT IS THE BEST OPENING MOVE?
Even world champion Magnus Carlsen is not sure. Luckily Shreyas Royal was on hand with some advice!
Even world champion Magnus Carlsen is not sure. Luckily Shreyas Royal was on hand with some advice!
The occasion was the London Chess Classic at Olympia, December 2017.
WORLD CADETS CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2017
Shreyas Royal won his last five games in the World Under 8 Championship in Brazil in August finishing with 8 points out of 11, equal fourth and the top England player.
England sent a squad of six players for the different age categories, supported by two grandmaster coaches and accompanied by parents.
EUROPEAN YOUTH CHESS CHAMPIONSHIP 2017
Following his success in Brazil, Shreyas travelled to Romania in September for the European Under 8 Championship. He won 8 games out of 9 finishing equal first and winning the Silver medal!
FIDE MASTER TITLE 2017
Conor Murphy had a busy and successful August, scoring 5.5 out of 9 in the British Championship in Llandudno and good results in two other events.
Conor Murphy had a busy and successful August, scoring 5.5 out of 9 in the British Championship in Llandudno and good results in two other events.
His FIDE rating has rocketed to 2313 which qualifies him for the FIDE Master (FM) title.
MEGAFINAL MEDAL WINNER
Congratulations to Mateusz Bazan on finishing second in the Under 9 age group of the UK Schools Chess Challenge, Essex Megafinal.
The tournament was held in Basildon on 14th May 2017, Mateusz won five games out of six and qualified for the Southern Gigafinal in July.
NEW STARTING TIME 7:00PM AND COACHING FOR JUNIORS 
From May 2017 we aim to start club nights at 7 o'clock. Our room hire is from 7pm to 10pm so having several junior members it makes sense to start promptly.
Also, Tony and Alan are offering some free tuition at the start of each session.
VARSITY MATCH 2017
Conor Murphy (back row, centre) represented Cambridge University in the annual Oxford v Cambridge match on 11th March 2017.
Oxford won narrowly on this occasion, but we look forward to Conor telling us about it whilst back home for the Easter break.
(Photo by John Saunders)
2016 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The 2016 Annual General Meeting was held on Tuesday 27th September.
The club made a loss of £289 in 2015/16. Room rent at Charlton House increased this year from £9 to £15 per session. Subscriptions agreed for 2016/17 are:
Full member: £60
Senior (65+): £45
Unwaged & Student: £30
Junior (under 18): £10
Officers remain the same apart from Jim Jackson becoming deputy chairman.
We have entered two teams in the Kent League in 2015/16, in the En Passant and Tom Fuller cups.
THE UNFORTUNATE STORY OF THE TWO RAINHAMS
Sadly, Charlton will not retain the Lewis Cup following defeat by Rainham in the semi-final on 27th April 2016.
Firstly, six players were reduced to five when one team member travelled to Rainham, Essex rather than Rainham, Kent.
Then, the remaining five players all went to Rainham chess club's old venue before eventually locating the correct address.
Apparently, nobody has ever seen team captain Alan Hanreck look so stressed!
2015 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (the beer came later)
Our Annual General Meeting took place on Tuesday 29th September at 8pm.
The club made a loss of £274 in 2014/15 but subscriptions are unchanged apart from a new rate of £35 for seniors (age 65+).
Officers remain the same apart from Terry Lloyd becoming deputy chairman, David Thomas taking over as internal tournament controller and Robert Stebbings elected to the committee.
We have entered three teams in the Kent League in 2015/16.
LEWIS CUP WINNERS 2015
Jim Everson with the trophy.
Charlton's first team won the Lewis Cup, beating Tunbridge Wells in the final on 10th May 2015. The match was played at Kent Finals Day at the Mick Jagger Centre, Dartford. The Lewis Cup is our first trophy since 2012.
Despite only being able to field five eligible players and having to default board 6, Charlton won by 3.5 to 2.5 points. The winning team was Phil Morris, Alan Hanreck, Conor Murphy, Jim Everson and Terry Lloyd.
The seven trophies competed for at Kent Finals Day are the County Cup, Lewis Cup, Stevenson Cup, En Passant Cup, Harvey Cup, Tom Fuller Cup, Intro Cup.
NEW MEMBERS 2015
Attendance at club nights has much improved and the Bugle Horn in Charlton Village may have noticed more custom late on Tuesdays.
We are pleased to welcome two new members, Roory Lee (from Seoul) and Harry Foy (from closer to home).
KENT WIN SOUTHERN COUNTIES CHAMPIONSHIP
By beating Sussex on Saturday 7th March 2015, the Kent open team won the 2014/15 Southern Counties championship. Victories were previously achieved against Middlesex, Essex and Surrey. The next match will be the National Counties Championship semi-final in June.
Four of the sixteen players in the team were from Charlton: Tony Stebbings, Phil Morris, Alan Hanreck and David Morris.
FIDE MASTER TITLE 2013
Congratulations to Tony Stebbings on achieving the FIDE Master (FM) title.
His FIDE rating broke the 2300 barrier following the European Clubs Cup held in Rhodes in October.
The photo shows Tony (right) playing against former world championship contender Victor Korchnoi in 2012.
KENT COUNTY CUP FINAL 2012
Charlton's first team retained the Kent County Cup by beating Beckenham & Bromley in a repeat of last year's match at Finals Day on 13th May. We have now won the cup for four of the last five years.
The winning team was (left to right) Reenen duToit, Philip Gregory, Alan Hanreck, Tony Stebbings, Philip Morris, Conor Murphy.
Charlton looked to be winning the match comfortably but a couple of wins slipped away in the quick-play finish and the final score was 3 points all, Charlton winning on board count.
PETER HANNAN, 1931-2012
Peter was our longest standing member, former club chairman, and the driving force behind many of the club's most successful years. He died peacefully at home on 10th April.
He was a major figure, not only at Charlton, but also in Kent and English chess circles. An ECF arbiter, organiser of the Charlton Congress and host at his house in Sidcup to many itinerant international chessplayers over the years.
The funeral was at Eltham crematorium on Tuesday 24th April and many of Peter's old chess friends were there.
Sincere condolances to Rose-Marie and his sons and family.