It is hard to believe but the early years of Lichfield Chess Club ended with a punch up in the Guildhall and that in turn led to the club splitting into separate entities in the 1960’s.
What happened next is unrecorded but in November 1970 Lichfield Chess Club was formed again and its first meeting was officially regarded as the 17th agm. The meeting was held at the home of the man who became chairman, John Trickett, who lived at 31 , Shortbutts Lane. He gave his name to the Club Championship Trophy.
Meetings continued to be held for a time at the homes of members. The first subscription was £3 for adults and 15 shillings for juniors, plus 6p for every meeting attended.
The club played its first match, a friendly against Sutton Coldfield, the following year, an occasion which introduced some of the members to chess clocks for the first time. In the August of 1971 the club was formally constituted. The constitution was improved the following year but subsequently lost and it was not until last year that a new Constitution was passed.
Lichfield registered for competition in the Birmingham League in 1971, playing initially in divisions two and four. Home premises were established at McNulty’s Restaurant at 8, Market Street. A programme of friendly matches and internal competitions was introduced to ensure that all members could take part in the club’s activities.
Captaincy of the first team was clearly taken seriously. The secretary resigned his post to concentrate on captaincy.
At the 1972 annual meeting a member expressed the view that in following the high level of interest in the recent world chess championship match between Boris Spassky and Bobby Fischer ‘something should be done’ to tap into the interest. Something was done. It was decided to organise a series of lectures for beginners.
The club was clearly gaining strength, no fewer than 36 members attended the annuall general meeting, held at a Lichfield landmark, the Windmill in Wheel Lane. The sercretary rvealed that the membership had increased by 150%. It was agreed that the outlook was outstandingly good.
Editor’s note: “A Peep into the Past” will continue later in the year, covering the years up to the 1980’s.
Lichfield Chess Club 