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Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 12:50 pm
by John Upham
A slightly cheeky request for those with active subscriptions to newspapers.com etc and who enjoy searching the archives.
I'm attempting to discover if Crowthorne Chess Club existed prior to 1972 or thereabouts.
AFAIK, the club was formed in 1972 by JMO (Mike) Curtis (who was a Japanese Prisoner of War) in the Classics Department at Wellington College, Berkshire.
However, it may well have existed in some form way before that and then it became moribund for some years.
See
https://crowthornechess.org.uk/history/ 
Many thanks for any help.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 1:36 pm
by Ian Thompson
A couple of comments on your history.
1. You say Stan Dolan was a member in the 1975-76 season. Whilst I can't definitely say that it wrong, I can say he was a teacher at the Skinners' School, Tunbridge Wells from September 1976 to at least July 1978. I played him twice in Masters vs. Boys matches in that period. My recollection is that he was a Crowthorne player, and teacher at Wellington College, in 1982, when I moved to the area. That's supported by the September 1980 grading list which says he was a Crowthorne player in the 1979 - 80 season. He's not listed in the previous 2 years grading lists and I don't have any prior to that. Was he playing for Crowthorne in 1975 - 76, then moved to Tunbridge Wells for 2 or 3 years, then returned to Crowthorne, or did he only join Crowthorne for the first time after he left Tunbridge Wells?
2. Ken Coates definitely joined Crowthorne long before the 1998. I played him in the Border League (Camberley v. Crowthorne) for the first time on 19 October 1992. We were both playing in the Crowthorne National Club team by the 1995/96 season.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 2:11 pm
by John Upham
Ian,
Many thanks for your comments: much appreciated.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 3:03 pm
by John Townsend
John,
Are you sure the club was formed as early as 1972? I query this because I played a game against J.M.O. Curtis on 2 May 1973 in the first round of the Battle of Britain tournament. Players made their own arrangements regarding venues, but it would seem more natural for us to have played at Crowthorne Chess Club, if it had existed then, especially if he was a founder member. Instead, we played in Curtis' private rooms in Wellington College (not a classroom). I had a longish conversation with Curtis, but I don't recall his having raised the matter of Crowthorne Chess Club at all at that time. I would have tended to infer from that that it did not yet exist, had you not mentioned a 1972 formation.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 3:16 pm
by John Upham
John Townsend wrote: ↑Sun Jul 12, 2026 3:03 pm
John,
Are you sure the club was formed as early as 1972? I query this because I played a game against J.M.O. Curtis on 2 May 1973 in the first round of the Battle of Britain tournament. Players made their own arrangements regarding venues, but it would seem more natural for us to have played at Crowthorne Chess Club, if it had existed then, especially if he was a founder member. Instead, we played in Curtis' private rooms in Wellington College (not a classroom). I had a longish conversation with Curtis, but I don't recall his having raised the matter of Crowthorne Chess Club at all at that time. I would have tended to infer from that that it did not yet exist, had you not mentioned a 1972 formation.
John,
A valid query for sure. I recall discussing this with Mike and am pretty confident he told me he formed the club in 1972. However I could be wrong. This is one reason for me asking for a keen archive searcher to look in Newspapers.com and such like. My membership dates back to the middle 1970s and am not aware of anyone else alive with an earlier membership apart from Mark A. Johnstone who I'm not currently in touch with. If push came to shove then I'd say no later than 1974. Mike was a Classics and History teacher at WC and we met in the Classics Department which exists to this day. Mark and I joined more or less at the same time and we were at Yateley School and ran the lunchtime school chess club.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 3:34 pm
by Ian Thompson
John Upham wrote: ↑Sun Jul 12, 2026 3:16 pm
... am not aware of anyone else alive with an earlier membership apart from Mark A. Johnstone who I'm not currently in touch with.
If the "John A. Freeman" you refer to in the history as an early member is actually "
Jon A Freeman", who played for Maidenhead in the 1980s (and possibly much longer than that), he was still alive a few weeks ago according to his rating history.
His e-mail address and phone number are given on the
Weymouth Chess Club website if you want to ask him what he remembers.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Sun Jul 12, 2026 5:00 pm
by John Townsend
Anne Sunnucks sold chess equipment from her shop in what is now Duke's Ride, Crowthorne, but when we discussed it on the forum, we were unable to establish her trading years:
viewtopic.php?f=46&t=10117&p=228147&hil ... de#p228147
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2026 10:16 am
by John Upham
Anne latterly sold chess equipment via her company BMS Chess Supplies Ltd. from her home at 28 Brackendale Close in Camberley.
B = ?
M = RC Mothersill
S = PA Sunnucks
Anne became Anne Mothersill eventually. Not sure what the B stood for.
This became the new home for Camberley Chess Club when it was revised by Anne and Keith Richardson following many years moribund.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2026 10:19 am
by John Upham
Ian Thompson wrote: ↑Sun Jul 12, 2026 1:36 pm
2. Ken Coates definitely joined Crowthorne long before the 1998. I played him in the Border League (Camberley v. Crowthorne) for the first time on 19 October 1992. We were both playing in the Crowthorne National Club team by the 1995/96 season.
I spoke today with Ken and Christine and Christine confirmed that Ken Joined Crowthorne in 1988 and Christine joined in 1990.
I have updated the article with a few other updates. Thanks for your help.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2026 2:58 pm
by Graham Borrowdale
Very interesting, John!
I was briefly a member of Crowthorne, playing for a couple of seasons around 1980/81 in the Berkshire League, when it looked like my club, Bracknell, was about to fold.
I also remember playing school matches at Wellington College, playing for my school, Windsor GS, probably around 1974/75. On one occasion there was some problem, I think they were a couple of players short, so the master in charge, who could well have been the Curtis you mention, took on a couple of us simultaneously. He had obviously had an illustrious past, telling us proudly that he once played against Alekhine. Could that be the same person?
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2026 3:14 pm
by Paul Dupré
Bracknell Times - Thursday 26 September 1974
Chess is booming
CHESS seems to be the booming pastime in and around Wokingham.
Last week, Winnersh started to expand its own club and now a new club
is to be started in Crowthorne, at Wellington College.
The Crowthorne Chess Club will start on October 7 and will meet on every
following Monday at 7.30pm. The organisers of the club hope that it will
develop quickly and soon be competing in the Berkshire League.
It will meet in the new Queen's Court building at Wellington College and will
share the excellent equipment already in use by the college chess club.
The maintenance of the equipment and the sundry expenses are expected to
be met by an annual subscription of about £2 for each member.
There are a number of well known players living nearby and it is hoped some
simultaneous displays and "teaching and entertainment" sessions will be held.
The international player Miss P. A. Sunnucks has promised to assist in the early
stages of the club's development.
Anyone wishing to attend the first meeting on October 7 should go to room H4
in the History Department at the college.
Further information can be had from Mr J. M. O. Curtis at Wellington College.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2026 3:19 pm
by Ian Thompson
Paul Dupré wrote: ↑Mon Jul 13, 2026 3:14 pm
Bracknell Times - Thursday 26 September 1974
Chess is booming
CHESS seems to be the booming pastime in and around Wokingham.
Last week, Winnersh started to expand its own club and now a new club
is to be started in Crowthorne, at Wellington College.
The Crowthorne Chess Club will start on October 7 and will meet on every
following Monday at 7.30pm. The organisers of the club hope that it will
develop quickly and soon be competing in the Berkshire League.
Hopefully, the club hasn't printed copies of its new club logo yet!
(I think it's a good logo and its designer should be congratulated for what she came up with.)
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2026 3:39 pm
by John Upham
Paul Dupré wrote: ↑Mon Jul 13, 2026 3:14 pm
Bracknell Times - Thursday 26 September 1974
Chess is booming
CHESS seems to be the booming pastime in and around Wokingham.
Last week, Winnersh started to expand its own club and now a new club
is to be started in Crowthorne, at Wellington College.
The Crowthorne Chess Club will start on October 7 and will meet on every
following Monday at 7.30pm. The organisers of the club hope that it will
develop quickly and soon be competing in the Berkshire League.
It will meet in the new Queen's Court building at Wellington College and will
share the excellent equipment already in use by the college chess club.
The maintenance of the equipment and the sundry expenses are expected to
be met by an annual subscription of about £2 for each member.
There are a number of well known players living nearby and it is hoped some
simultaneous displays and "teaching and entertainment" sessions will be held.
The international player Miss P. A. Sunnucks has promised to assist in the early
stages of the club's development.
Anyone wishing to attend the first meeting on October 7 should go to room H4
in the History Department at the college.
Further information can be had from Mr J. M. O. Curtis at Wellington College.
Paul,
This is an excellent find and many thanks for passing it on. 1974 it is then which probably accounts for my initial membership along with Mark Johnstone and John Sweeney, all from Yateley School.
Maybe I was thinking of the internal college chess club for 1972? I guess we will never know.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Mon Jul 13, 2026 7:34 pm
by John Upham
One thing I do feel guilty about was I borrowed in the 1970s a copy of Chess Endings by Yuri Averbakh from Mike Curtis which he had signed.
I never gave it back as I enjoyed it so much.
Re: Crowthorne Chess Club
Posted: Tue Jul 14, 2026 7:33 am
by John Townsend
Graham Borrowdale asked:
"He had obviously had an illustrious past, telling us proudly that he once played against Alekhine. Could that be the same person?"
From that description, I would say not. I remember Anne Sunnucks once remarked to me, "Curtis is terribly weak"; and that was also my experience of him. The thought of Curtis's having played against Alekhine is slightly ridiculous, though I suppose it is possible that he played in one of Alekhine's simuls.