News

Simultaneous match with GM Eldar Gasanov

3 January 2026

On Monday 19 Jan, we’re thrilled to be joined by Grandmaster Eldar Gasanov, who will play Walthamstow Chess Club members and guests in a 12-board simultaneous match. The match will be held in our usual spot, upstairs at the Lord Palmerston, from 7:30pm.

Free booking is now open for Walthamstow Chess Club members, with remaining spaces opened up to all guests from 9 Jan. Spectators are welcome but may have to stand.

Many thanks to Rauf for making this event happen.

Membership and Q1 events now available

2 January 2026

We’ve released our events calendar for our events through March. Save the date for our first Walthamstow Rapid Championship, spanning 23 Feb and 2 Mar. This will be a rated club event; if you play in it you’ll be able to earn your first ECF rating.

The calendar has a couple of gaps – we’d like your thoughts on what we should focus on and what sort of events you’d enjoy. WhatsApp group members, look out for a short survey soon.

We’ve also launched our membership programme. You do not need to be a member to come to regular club nights. They’ll remain free and open to all. But if you’d like to help us bring this game to more of our community, please consider joining. Membership will be needed to play rated events, tournaments, and matches for the club. Our standard subscription is £60/year – but we want to be accessible to all, so you can name your own price if preferred. All details on the Membership page.

Christmas party!

18 November 2025

Save the date: the Walthamstow Chess Club Christmas party will be on Mon 1 Dec, at Chequers, E17 7BX. Meet at 6pm for a meal and merriment before we head over to the Palmerston for our usual club night.

Bookings needed – please see Victoria to get your name down.

Blitz, blunders, and brilliance: our first tournament

29 October 2025

In Walthamstow Chess Club’s first ever competitive outing, we finished the Capes Trophy with a highly respectable record of two wins, a draw, and three losses. This strong blitz tournament, played at a breakneck 5+0 time control, is an annual fixture now in its 65th year.

Standout performance was probably Cennydd’s win against CM Diana Serbanescu, part of his 7–2 record on the day. But across the team there were plenty of great moments, revolting blunders, and outrageous time swindles in hopeless positions. The overall trophy was won by a strong Hackney team.

Thanks to everyone who humoured us with 5-minute training games recently! We’ll be lining up more matches and tournaments soon – although next time expect slightly more relaxed time controls…