Archive for the ‘Luton Chess Club’ Category

Sonny boy’s 3Cs -casino, cider, chess.

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, Luton Chess Club, My own endeavours on August 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »

What are we to make of this post?

I say: this post does nothing to undermine, challenge, or attack the conservativism chess is oh-so proud of and is not ungentlemanly in parts.

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Is that so?

Words of advice -words of warning

Take it from me old old chap -you shouldn’t go somewhere just to play chess, you should do other things as well. In Bangkok I used to cycle into the city to the chess club then across it to all night rock parties after I was done playing blitz -that’s the spirit!

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We love our McCready

Paragraph of doom

Being back in my home town briefly, I couldn’t take the bus in just to play a bit of chess, could I? Why’s that? Well it doesn’t exactly make for a great night out does it? And my home town is a bit bloody depressing to say the least…I don’t want to say the name of it! Anyway, I thought, true to form, I would liven things up a bit instead. We do have videos and pics below.

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I’m not sure I want to see these.

Disclaimer

These pre-chess club visit videos do not portray chess in a negative light and are not critical of it in places.

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U wot?

Video 1

Walk towards the casino to play roulette.

Shot of the casino from the entrance, I wasn’t allowed to take pictures in there.

Video 2

The White House Luton -the best pub in town. I will turn up at the chess club tipsy but that’s okay. It’s not the first time. In Bangkok I used to do that all the time!

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What the blazes is this all about?

Video 3

Chit chat, most noteably about players from Luton who play at the British.

Video 4

The hour at the club and how it went.

Video 5

The loss of knowing what to do after the chess club.

The pictures that say more than 1000 words…

He plays in the A team and has had many stunning victories over the board. It is he who I played and won quickly. We have been team mates and friends for decades.
This is Peter Montgomery the club president. He beat me in the final of the Luton Chess Club Championship in 1993, and is also responsible for making me copy his openings. Lifelong friend. The number of matches we have travelled together cannot be counted.
This is a picture from my only game. As you can see, Rh4 cannot be stopped without the loss of a piece, and so he resigned.
My beloved friend Michael Josephs. Since 92 we played together and played in the county championships always. When I became B team captain, he was my board number 3 (I was board number 2). We’ve always got on like a house on fire. Michael loves to play the Kings Indian Attack and has beaten the very best in the county with it -he was super happy to see me again, and I was super happy to see him again. He is loving his chess again after many years of health difficulties.

The aftermath

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I am reluctant to read this. Many chess players in England want him dead and he knows it!

I had to walk back into town not knowing what to think or what to do. I wasn’t expecting to be caught out by a strong sense of belonging and identity. I was somewhat preoccupied with turning up and being beaten over the board due to being so out of practice. So I went back to the pub to drink more alcohol and forget about it all, or at least try to put it into perspective before I fly off to central Asia in a few days. I don’t know when I will be back but it won’t be for a long time I expect.

Hope you enjoyed the post!

M J M

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Praise appeared at the AGM

Posted in Luton Chess Club on May 10, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The Luton Chess Club trophy has reappeared on show at the club courtesy of long standing member, and former champion, Peter Montgomery.

But who selected and purchased that boy back in the mid-nineties? Here’s 4 clues to help with the answer:

Super tough clue: the trophy was bought on a Friday in late September in time for the AGM. Before he picked it up, he stopped off at Burger King and had a spicy beanburger, french fries and coke downstairs in the restaurant, which he paid for with his giro. He spent most of the time looking through the windows in St. George’s Square thinking about not very much at all whilst eating.

Tough clue: he’s rubbish at chess.

Medium clue: he had been the tournament organizer at the club for a couple of years already and was left with the responsibility.

Easy clue: he’s known around the world as Luton’s most handsome chess player of all time. 🙂

MJM

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Birthday wishes

Posted in Luton Chess Club on February 16, 2024| Leave a Comment »

A happy 62nd birthday to Damon Gene D’ Cruz, formerly of Challney Boys School and pupil of Tom Sweby as well as Luton Chess club and Bedfordshire County Team.

Click to access SCCUBulletin_1977_113.pdf

Damon’s opponent was most likely Donald Curtis, former Welsh champion.

In 2002, Damon took me to St. Albans, to a lecture by Sir Patrick Moore on his birthday.

Happy birthday Damon (now based in Leicestershire)

MJM

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Rolling with the punches

Posted in Luton Chess Club on September 28, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Some time ago now, perhaps a decade or more, I was tasked with finding a better location for Bangkok Chess Club, which I did. The one I found was described as ‘perfect’, and so I was invited to the opening evening (which I declined for a reason I cannot quite remember).

More recently, I spent a month or so at Luton Chess Club and although there was a strong sense of relief that my club has a stable home now, in becoming used to playing chess in pubic houses -which is what Bangkok Chess Club does- playing chess in an empty university library left me feeling rather flat. It felt like I was playing chess in a morgue, and so most evenings I left to go home early even though the library closed at 10pm.

If a rather unappealing choice of location wasn’t bad enough, it is also the case that the chess club is at the whims of the University too. That means next week there is no chess club because the University staff are going on strike. So the chess club is shut next week, like it or lump it. Why are they going on strike? They aren’t being paid enough, and want more.

I can’t say I am overly impressed by how things stand regarding my home club but also accept that just having a home itself is a noticeable improvement on recent years despite there being more room for improvement. Let’s hope it attracts more members and finds somewhere to play with a bit of life in it some time soon.

Just how comedic is this strike? Not as comedic as that which I have linked I suspect.

Me and the little one 2014.

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Moving with the times in order to survive

Posted in Luton Chess Club on September 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »

In returning home recently, and reacquainting myself with friends and former playing partners stretching back some 35 years and more, a few things stood out – one in particular.

I can’t say I am entirely comfortable as being seen as the ‘go-to guy’ with regards to the history of chess in Bedfordshire and Luton, but then no one else writes about either, so it’s understandable I suppose…if a little embarrassing.

On this site, you can can choose which category you browse through and quickly find documented evidence of the history of Luton Chess club, some of which is more than 150 years old already. We can agree, then, that I speak with some authority when I say that Luton chess club has faced upheaval and uncertainty many times before in its less than illustrious past. Much more recently, having no fixed playing venue and a pandemic putting the brakes on everything put the future of the club in serious doubt, difficulties compounded by the fact that I am most usually abroad and not unwilling but unable to take over the running of the club, as I have been asked many times over already.

Numbers dwindled to the point where we had to withdraw from the Bedfordshire league and almost folded the club -that’s how critical it became. That never happened and how much better things are now. With the patronage of the University of Bedfordshire in play the club has a premises to use and money for equipment too. There is, however, a caveat in play. And that is to fulfil obligations towards the university by opening the club up to the students who study there. What better way to do that than appear on Freshers Day for both the Luton and Bedford campuses and grab those just joining for a game or two, and giving them the info they need to join the club thereafter if they so fancy it! Don’t believe me? Well see the pics below of club members in action in both campuses and decide for yourself whether I am making it all up or not. (btw, etymologically speaking the term ‘campus’ means ‘field’ in Latin and is first attributed to the use of the field adjacent to the now named Princeton University in New Jersey, USA.)

Mark. J. McCready, 07.15 am Sunday September 24th

Al-Fursan, Dammam, KSA

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Onwards and upwards

Posted in Luton Chess Club, tagged on July 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Luton Chess Club appears to be going from strength to strength. Not only does it have a secure and modern premises to operate from, there are now more than enough members to resume competition in the Beds. league. There’s also now a website which keeps you up to date with what’s going on there. https://www.lutonchessclub.com/

Onwards and upwards… .

MJM

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91

Posted in Life beyond the chess board, Luton Chess Club on July 1, 2023| Leave a Comment »

En route to the chess club for some of 91, I used to catch a bus here.

I used to listen to Gwar, especially the song ‘The Salmanizer’.

MjM 😀

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bfn

Posted in Luton Chess Club on June 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

My repatriation with my home club has come to a close.

Tough and indifferent was my final visit.

I only played three games. I won them all.

New found approach is working well. OTB chess only now.

It makes playing chess more precious.

Makes me interact with what I am doing more.

Tough, tough night. My feet were sore. I couldn’t stop laughing.

Just before I left the club, Humuyan went around asking them if they would be free to play for Luton next season and what their availability was. Two teams are possible but only one will be formed at first. The league secretary has been notified.

Mark. J. McCready, 11.45pm, Tuesday June 27th,

Luton, Beds.

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@LCC

Posted in Luton Chess Club on June 14, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Nothing to say.

MJM

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@ da cheffe klubb –

Posted in Luton Chess Club on June 6, 2023| Leave a Comment »

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