1975/76
What is quite likely the first-ever Nottinghamshire Chess Association bulletin, certainly of the post Fischer-Spassky era, was published in November 1975; the editor was Tom Guy.
I am indebted to Ken Morrison for unearthing and sharing this precious artefact, together with those that follow for the 1975/76, 1976/77 and 1980/81 seasons. So rare are these ephemeral documents that they are not even mentioned in Robert Richmond’s piece on Factual Sources available elsewhere on this website.
In the pre-word processor age, the manual typing of the bulletins must have been an arduous and somewhat unrewarding task – lining up all the columns of numbers in the league tables and county match results must have taken the patience of a saint.
Bulletin No. 1 is a ‘simple’ two-page affair, comprising match results and league tables. It was priced at 3p, which would have covered just under half of the cost of a second-class stamp. As has been the case with all editors of all newsletters of all clubs and societies since the dawn of time, Tom starts by asking for contributions from members for future editions.
With three divisions of 16, 16 and 19 teams, the first page is dedicated to recording early-season league results and standings; the league table for Division 3 is truncated to the first dozen teams owing to lack of space. The respective league leaders are West Bridgford I (who would ultimately finish runners-up behind Gambit I), Sutton III (who ended runners-up to Lincoln) and University Students III (who led all the way to win Division 3).
The second page sets out county match results for the first and second teams. I was particularly drawn to the Notts I vs Leicestershire I encounter on 25th October 1975. It features several players we have lost, sadly, in the last 12 months or so – Mike Alcock (who beat Mark Hebden on board 2), Andy Walker, Allan Richmond and Tony Gillam. Two very strong and evenly matched teams produced a tied result of 10-10, but after it transpired that we had fielded two unregistered players, the ensuing penalties gave victory to our neighbours.
Bulletin No. 2 appears to have been issued either just before Christmas or early in the New Year. The first page comprises four games submitted to the editor. Ken Morrison (Sutton I) narrates his win against Andy Walker (University Staff) in a Division 1 encounter. Andy’s win in the aforementioned Notts-Leics county match together with games by Ron Clunie and Tom Guy (both West Bridgford I) also feature.
The second page sets out recent league results and tables. In Division 1 the two dominant teams of the era – Gambit I and West Bridgford I – lead the rest, having won all of their matches to date. There is a nice report on Gambit’s prowess at lightning chess – after winning the Notts team championship for the fourth year running, they went on to finish a creditable seventh in the British championships. Finally, a brief note refers to Paul Kemp beating Ron Clunie in the MCCU Forrest Cup competition. Drag Sudar informs me this was effectively the Midlands Individual Championship, established by FW (William) Forrest, the MCCU’s Honorary Treasurer, in 1934. Regrettably, as is the way of things, the ‘handsome’ trophy he donated for the competition was lost around the turn of the century.
Bulletin No. 3 starts with a plea for clubs to participate in the Grand Spring Draw to raise funds for the forthcoming 1st Nottingham Congress. ‘Grand’ being the operative word: over 5,000 raffle tickets being circulated to clubs with the instruction that each member should try to sell at least five 10p tickets. The stated aim was to make sure the Congress became an annual event… With preparations currently underway for a bumper 50th edition, it is fair to say that the efforts of all involved back in early 1976 well and truly paid off.
Fond memories for yours truly are recalled by the report on the Notts I vs Northants I county match held on 24th January 1976, in which I played alongside my Nottingham Electricity club captain John Gardner. A 15-5 victory justified the selectors’ decision! Meanwhile, Notts II did even better, beating Derbyshire’s second team 17-4 (unusually, a 21-board match) with Sutton-in-Ashfield stalwarts Neil Graham and Jerry Herrington both recording wins. Speed chess supremos Gambit hosted an individual lightning tournament which is won by Andrew Rolfe (6.5/7.0). In the absence of Messrs Walford, Waddingham, Tait et al, my score of 5pts earned me the ‘most highly placed junior’ prize.
The league update on page 2 shows Gambit I (nine wins out of nine) and West Bridgford I (seven wins out of seven) continuing to bestride Division 1. An entertaining game between Allan Richmond (West Bridgford I) and Sid Marshall (Grantham I) ends, in Allan’s words, with Sid ‘swindling himself’. The newsletter finishes with this anonymous game from Division 3: 1. f4 f5, 2. e4 g6, 3. exf5 gxf5 4. Qh5#. The shortest ever game in the Notts league?
Stuart Humphreys, October 2026