Edinburgh Chess Club

O Captain! My Captain!

On Thursday night Edinburgh Chess Club was treated to a wonderfully engaging talk by Scottish International Master Craig Pritchett. The lecture was about the life and games of Captain George H. MacKenzie. “Who’s that?” you might ask but, even if the name is not familiar to you, you may well have seen one of his great brilliancies as it has appeared in nearly every collection of combinations over the past century…what’s white’s best move here?...

O Captain! My Captain! On Thursday night Edinburgh Chess Club was treated to a wonderfully engaging talk by Scottish International Master Craig Pritchett.  The lecture was about the life and games of Captain George …

And Now, the End is Near…

As the chess season glides blissfully towards its end, and we gaze with horror upon the prospect of enjoying the Scottish summer in temperatures above 16C, do not despair chess friends…one final treat awaits! A reminder that this Thursday (June 25th), International Master and renowned chess author Craig Pritchett will be at Edinburgh Chess Club giving a talk about Captain MacKenzie – arguably the greatest Scottish chess player of all time – covering some of the Captain’s games and anecdotes from his amazing life....

And Now, the End is Near… As the chess season glides blissfully towards its end, and we gaze with horror upon the prospect of enjoying the Scottish summer in temperatures above 16C, do not despair chess friends…one final tr…

Edinburgh Chess Congress 2026

Last weekend saw the happy return of the Edinburgh Chess Congress after a seven year hiatus. The event was very well attended and the playing hall was packed to capacity with players across a range of playing sections (Open, Major, Bishops, Knights). The Open section (and title of East of Scotland champion) was won by the top seed - our very own Freddy Waldhausen Gordon, congratulations Freddy!...

Edinburgh Chess Congress 2026 Last weekend saw the happy return of the Edinburgh Chess Congress after a seven year hiatus.  The event was very well attended and the playing hall was packed to capacity with players across a…

Scottish Girls’ Championships

The Scottish Girls' Championships were held at the end of May at St. George’s school in Edinburgh. Interest in the tournament was at a record high with over 45 participants across the Open, Primary, and P5 & Under sections. Edinburgh Chess Club are particularly proud to be associated with some of the players; Shriya Madhu (Open), Nilakshi Bhattacharjee (Open), Charushri Uma Shankar (Primary), and Zara Anwar (P5 & Under) are all attendees at our Sunday morning junior classes which are run by our friends and partners at…...

Scottish Girls’ Championships The Scottish Girls’ Championships were held at the end of May at St. George’s school in Edinburgh. Interest in the tournament was at a record high with over 45 participants across the Open, …

Conversations in the Club 02: Simon Gibson

Conversations in the Club is our ongoing series introducing the people who make Edinburgh Chess Club the special place that it is. Each post offers a glimpse into the personalities, stories, and passions behind our community. Grab a coffee, take a seat, and let's see who we meet today... What is your name and playing strength? Simon Gibson, intermediate. What is your relationship to Edinburgh Chess Club?...

Conversations in the Club 02: Simon Gibson Conversations in the Club is our ongoing series introducing the people who make Edinburgh Chess Club the special place that it is. Each post offers a glimpse into the personalities, stories, and pa…

Captain Mackenzie: Greatest Chess Scot!?

Edinburgh Chess Club are delighted to announce that international Master and renowned chess author Craig Pritchett will be giving a talk at the club on Thursday 25th June. In this talk, Craig will rattle through the life, times and achievements of Scotland's universally acknowledged eventual 'world top ten player'; the great Paul Morphy's successor by repute as US 'champion' from around the late 1860s....

Captain Mackenzie: Greatest Chess Scot!? Edinburgh Chess Club are delighted to announce that international Master and renowned chess author Craig Pritchett will be giving a talk at the club on Thursday 25th June.  In this talk, Craig…

World Senior Team Championship

Today's blog has very kindly been written for us by our minutes secretary, Neil Irving. Take it away Neil... One of my few remaining ambitions in chess was to represent Scotland in an international team tournament. Having just passed the age of 50 I was now qualified to play seniors chess, so I was delighted to see a notice on the Chess Scotland website looking for players for the world senior team championship in Durres Albania....

World Senior Team Championship Today’s blog has very kindly been written for us by our minutes secretary, Neil Irving. Take it away Neil… One of my few remaining ambitions in chess was to represent Scotland in an int…

Johnny Marr Allegro 2026

The picture shows David Montgomery and Mike Ridge wearing their matching Edinburgh Chess Club fashions at last night’s Johnny Marr Allegro tournament in the club. Feeling jealous and underdressed? Check out our website and get your own! Who is the most famous “Johnny Marr” that you know? If you say the guitarist from The Smiths then not only are you old enough to remember The Smiths but you can’t be a long-standing member of the Edinburgh chess scene!...

Johnny Marr Allegro 2026 The picture shows David Montgomery and Mike Ridge wearing their matching Edinburgh Chess Club fashions at last night’s Johnny Marr Allegro tournament in the club. Feeling jealous and underdressed?…

Richardson Cup 2026

Many congratulations to our old friends and rivals, Edinburgh West Chess Club, on winning this year's Richardson Cup. The Richardson Cup is Scotland’s premier team chess event which was first held in 1899 and first won by our own club in 1901!! This year’s final was held at the National Piping Centre (music, not plumbing) in central Glasgow on Saturday the 16th May and proved to be one of the most exciting and hard-fought finals in many years....

Richardson Cup 2026 Many congratulations to our old friends and rivals, Edinburgh West Chess Club, on winning this year’s Richardson Cup. The Richardson Cup is Scotland’s premier team chess event which was firs…

Edinburgh 3 win SNCL Division 3!

You can’t have enough ‘3’s can you? Many congratulations to our third team who recently won the Scottish National Chess League (SNCL) third division with an outstanding 8 wins and 1 loss from 9 matches. Edinburgh Chess Club were running four teams in the SNCL this year. The rules are that teams must be ordered by live grading order. The fact that this changes every month meant that, over the season, …...

Edinburgh 3 win SNCL Division 3! You can’t have enough ‘3’s can you?  Many congratulations to our third team who recently won the Scottish National Chess League (SNCL) third division with an outstanding 8 wins and 1 loss from…