History

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From all over the Border they came to measure each others' skill in a game of "chess": Hawick, Ashkirk, Galashiels and Selkirk were represented each Monday night at the Antiquarian Hall, Selkirk for the past Winter – months under the guidance of Mr Jack Edwards, who has done much already to promote an interest in the game amongst pupils of the Border Schools. At one of the weekly meetings in the Antiquarian Hall, Selkirk, it was decided to form "The SELKIRK CHESS CLUB".

The earliest years

It was in 1965 that Selkirk Chess Club was set up, there being three main movers in this:

Jack Edwards was a slightly eccentric character who was fanatical about chess. He was a strong postal player, and in over-the-board was around 1800. Jack always seemed just a little disorganised in his personal life, but he was a fine man who was good company, and who taught many youngsters to play chess properly. I liked him a lot.

Jack left Selkirk in 1966 to live in Oban.

Harry and Muriel Leask were at that time teachers at Ashkirk School, and have done a huge amount for Scottish Chess over the years (in 1974 Muriel won the Scottish Ladies Championship, and scored a shared first the following year). Again, very fine people indeed.

The club met in the Antiquarian Hall (now Halliwell's Museum) though for the summer months of 1965 moved to the Leasks' home in Ashkirk schoolhouse.

Another notable member of the time was Gerda Thomson, who played for Selkirk for many, many years.

The club took on a handful of young people, some picked by Jack Edwards as having the understanding of the game to join an adult club. Two teenagers of that era were Alan Miles and Dave Bogle, both of whom still play for Selkirk today.

Alan Miles was appointed Assistant Treasurer (to Andrew Hall) in September 1967. Alan has had other committee posts since then, but is our current Treasurer and so has been involved in one capacity or another for over 50 years.

In 1967 the name of the club was changed to the Border Chess Club (Selkirk) but this name did not last very long, and we became Selkirk chess club again.

The 1970s

The Leasks left the area in 1970, but by that time the club was well-established and running well under Gerda Thomson and others. In the late 1960s some friendly matches had been organised with other ciubs, notably the Thistle Foundation in Edinburgh - an organisation for disabled people. Our association with the Thistle Foundation continued for some years, and the matches were very much enjoyed by both clubs.

A change of both venue and club night was agreed for the 1969-70 season, when the club moved to the Woodburn Hotel, and the club nights changed from Mondays to Tuesdays. This was later changed to Wednesdays - and a year later to Thursdays.

By the mid 1970s, other clubs had been set up in the Borders, and in 1975 John Hainsworth left us to support his home team of Galashiels. There was apparently a Border League at this time, but details have not been recorded.

Ian Thompson makes his first appearance in the minutes of 1978.

In 1978, following a high bill for refreshments from the Woodburn for a visiting team, the club decided to look for new premises, and member Lee Bowers agreed to make his Courthouse Coffee Shop available to the club.

The 1980s

The Borders League was in full swing by now. The Selkirk club itself had meetings in the Glen Hotel, The Courthouse Coffee Shop and The British Legion. Ian Thompson was appointed Chairman in 1985, and Doreen Officer Treasurer.

The 1990s

A match result from 1994 gives a snapshot of the main members at that time; Selkirk B v Selkirk A went:

  1. 1-0 John Moore v Bernard Hill
  2. 1-0 Jim Burrows v Alan Miles
  3. 1-0 Rob Gilchrist v John Mitchell
  4. ½-½ Geoff Hope v Ian Thompson
  5. 1-0 Bill Miller v Rob Crosbie

After 2000

We met in the County Hotel for the early years of the decade, but in the mid-2000s the County reinvented itself, and with the bar becoming a restaurant we decided to look for another home. The Heatherlie House Hotel gave us a warm welcome and we stayed there until November 2017, when the hotel closed. In general the premises - and the service - suited the club well, but regular attendance did drop off somwehat in those years and this may have been because of the distance from the town centre.

Selkirk were only entering one team in the league in those years, and there were only occasional successes in the Border League.

We moved to the Town Arms in early 2018, and the move has been very successful, with Selkirk having two teams (of 4 players rather than 5, it must be said) in the 2018-19 Border League. Actual results have not been startlingly good, but that's not the main thing. The main thing is that the club is healthy.

2019 onwards

The 2019-20 season had to be abandoned in March 2020 because of the Covid regulations, and continuing restrictions meant that there was no 2020-21 season at all. The situation became a little more relaxed in the summer of 2021, and some players started meeting up in the Town Arms again when it reopened (not for chess, but just to keep in touch). The first meeting for about 18 months happened on Aug 31 2021, when the AGM was held.

Some People in Selkirk Chess Club

Ian Thompson

A retired schoolteacher, Ian has been a mainstay of the club for many years, first joining in the 1970s. Always eager to enjoy a laugh as well as a game of chess, Ian is one of our most regular members.

Bill Miller

Another retired schoolteacher, the francophile Bill Miller is an affable man whose chess is not to be underestimated.

Alan Miles

The longest standing member of Selkirk Chess Club, Alan first joined in the 1960s as a teenager. Now retired, he is still a valued member of the team.

Martin Keen

One of our most knowledgeable members, with a fine grasp of chess history, Martin is a retired translator who has played in the Borders League for about 30 years. Martin joined the Selkirk Club in 2018.

Jim Burrows

Welcome back, Mr Burrows! Jim rejoined the club in 2018-19 after being absent for some years, during which time playing football took up his Tuesday nights. An excellent addition to the team.

John Moore

John has been a member since the late 1980s.  He is a keen cyclist, and is a great supporter of Sunderland FC.  He has the unusual distinction of having lived in Antarctica for a while.

Dave Bogle

Dave joined at about the same time as Alan Miles, but moved to the Hawick Club in the early 1970s.  He came back to the Selkirk team in 2001, and now plays on No 1 board..

Chris Nathan

Chris came to the area about 15 years ago, and in addition to being a very regular member, is our football and economics guru.

Kevin Poulton

An accountant by profession, Kevin joined the club in 2018 and is already a prominent member whose fresh ideas have benefited the club. Kevin is one of three members who live in Hawick.

Steve Leckie

Steve joined in 2018, and was for many years an NHS worker in London before coming back to Scotland.  He has numerous other interests and last year made an immediate impression on the minor section of the Borders Championship.

Sam Cornwell

Our newest member is originally from Portsmouth, but has lived in Hawick for a number of years.