Welcome to the home of The Bridgend Chess Club

Although previous clubs are known to have existed in the town, the current Bridgend Chess Club was formed in 1968. There is some debate about the exact details leading to the first founding, but Martyn Griffiths, then club captain, and Byron Thomas, then club secretary, helped set the formation of the club in motion.

The first record of the club from January 1968 notes the appointment of D.B. Thomas as secretary, K.G. Bogue as treasurer, and M.J. Griffiths as captain. It was also agreed that the club should meet on Thursday evenings, with the Coach & Hounds adopted as club headquarters, and that a club championship should be run every year.

Byron Thomas served as club secretary from 1968 to 1984. In addition to being a prominent member of the club’s first team, he encouraged a steady flow of junior players from Brynteg Comprehensive School, where he taught. Martyn Griffiths wrote articles for the Gazette which generated local interest, organised club championships, and played on board one.

Bridgend Chess Club joined the East Glamorgan Chess League in September 1987 and quickly became one of its stronger member clubs. The league, which has existed since 1954, organises an evening league for teams of five players between September and April each year.

The club can proudly claim to be the second most successful in the history of the league, with nine league championship titles between 1968 and 2012. Bridgend also won the Welsh KO Cup eight times between 1974 and 1995, and won the Welsh Challenge Cup in 1976 and 1977.

Several strong players have represented the club since its formation, notably Howard Williams and John Trevelyan. Howard Williams won the Welsh individual championship outright on nine occasions, shared the title on a further eight occasions, and represented Wales in many Olympiads. During his time at the club, he lost only once in around 60 league matches and played a major role in the club’s golden age of the late 1970s.

John Trevelyan shared the Welsh Individual Championship in 1973 and 1979 and also played international chess for Wales. A major highlight in the club’s history came in 1978 when Rotterdam visited Bridgend in the European Chess Cup. Former world champion Dr Max Euwe was part of the team, making it the only known occasion a world champion has visited Bridgend.

Another memorable occasion was the simultaneous display given by grandmaster Murray Chandler at the Bridgend Recreation Centre in 1993 to mark the club’s 25th anniversary. Off the board, Dr Len Skinner, a member since 1974, co-authored Alexander Alekhine’s Chess Games 1902–1946, which was published in 1996 and named Historical Book of the Year by the United States Chess Federation.

Alongside league and cup competitions organised by the Welsh Chess Union and the East Glamorgan Chess Association, Bridgend Chess Club has also organised a club championship every year since 1968. John Trevelyan has been the most successful player in the event, with nine outright victories and one shared title.

If you have any information you would like to add to this history or website, please contact us.