The Oxford University Chess Club (OUCC) was founded in 1869^[1][2] and is the oldest university chess club in the UK.^[3][4][2] The Club meets each Tuesday evening during University term time, from 7.30pm at University College. They organise an annual rapid chess tournament and weekend congress, and field four teams in the Oxfordshire Chess League.^[4]

Foundation

On the day of the foundation of OUCC, the minutes book recorded:^[5]

April 30th, [1869] – This day is memorable as being the date of the foundation of the Club, which was started under the auspices of the Reverend C.E. Ranken, of Wadham College, who was chosen as the first President. E.F. Linton, University, was elected Treasurer, and W. Braithwaite, Wadham, Secretary. A code of rules was drawn up, and the Club, having received its constitution, entered upon what we trust will prove to be a long and glorious career. No less than one hundred and three names were entered upon the first list of members. Amongst others were those of Lord Randolph Churchill, Merton, E. Anthony, Christ Church ("one of the best pupils Steinitz turned out"), E.W.B. Nicholson, Trinity, the present Bodleian Librarian, Lord Garvagh, Canon Grey, Christ Church &c., &c. The meetings were held weekly on Wednesdays, and the early members appear to have been more desirous of playing one another than of engaging in foreign matches.

Prince Leopold, later Duke of Albany (1853–1884) (and son of Queen Victoria) was President of OUCC in 1875.

Varsity match

The annual Varsity Match against Cambridge University was originally suggested by Howard Staunton in 1853.^[1] It has been held annually since 1873^[6][7] and is the oldest fixture on the chess calendar.^[8] Edwin Anthony, then President of the Club, and Wilhelm Steinitz were responsible for establishing the match.^[9]

With a twenty-year perspective on the matches, Henry Bird wrote that the greatest of the matches were the first two, held in 1873 and 1874 at the City of London Chess Club, City Restaurant (Perrott's), 34 Milk-street, Cheapside.^[10] The first match was said to have had 600 to 800 spectators and the second no fewer than 700, thought to be record attendance at any chess tournament up to that time. Each team consisted of seven players, and sand glasses were used to time some of the games at the limit of 20 moves per hour. Oxford won the first year, and Cambridge the second.

The 1874 match was attended by nearly every London chess luminary of the time, including Howard Staunton, Wilhelm Steinitz (officiated as an umpire), Johann Löwenthal, Bernhard Horwitz, Johannes Zuckertort, Henry Bird, Joseph Henry Blackburne, Cecil Valentine De Vere, George Allcock MacDonnell, Samuel Boden, Patrick Thomas Duffy, Adolf Zytogorski, John Wisker, and others. In addition to the university match the event included two exhibitions. Zuckertort played six blindfold games (+2?1=3) and Blackburne played a seven-board simultaneous exhibition with fresh opponents starting on the boards as the games finished for a total of 20 games (+17?3=0).^[11]

Cambridge won the 2007 match, the 125th official contest, 5-3 to bring the overall score to Cambridge 65 Oxford 60.^[1]

Other events

• On 2 December 1944 a famous 12-board match took place between OUCC and Bletchley Chess Club whose members consisted of the Bletchley Park code-breakers. Bletchley won 8-4 with C.H.O?D. Alexander and Harry Golombek on boards 1 and 2.^[12]
• On 15 February 2004 OUCC beat Wales 6-2.
• OUCC 1sts won the 2004-05 Oxfordshire Chess League and David Shaw, top board, was awarded the prize for best player with a remarkable 9/10.^[13]
• OUCC 2nds won the 2006-07 Oxfordshire Chess League.^[14]

Notable games

In 1978 a memorable upset occurred when IM Michael Basman beat Oxford postgraduate GM John Nunn with the Grob, helping to establish this off-beat approach as a viable opening.^[15][16]

Michael Basman v John Nunn, Oxford, 1978

1. g4 d5 2. h3 e5 3. d3 Bd6 4. c4 c6 5. Nc3 Ne7 6. Nf3 h5 7. gxh5 Rxh5 8. Bd2 a6 9. e4 dxc4 10. dxc4 Nd7 11. Ng5 Nf6 12. Qf3 Ng6 13. O-O-O Qe7 14. Kb1 Nf4 15. Rg1 Kf8 16. Ne2 Ne6 17. Nxe6+ Bxe6 18. Ng3 Rh8 19. Bg5 Rd8 20. Be2 Rxh3 21. Qg2 Bc7 22. Nh5 Rxd1+ 23. Rxd1 Rxh5 24. Bxh5 Qb4 25. Be2 Bxc4 26. Bxc4 Qxc4 27. Bxf6 gxf6 28. Qg4 Qe6 29. Qxe6 fxe6 30. Rd7 1-0

Notable former members

• Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
• Lord Randolph Churchill
• Wilhelm Steinitz
• Theodore Tylor
• Adrian Hollis
• Leonard Barden
• Peter Lee
• Jon Speelman
• John Nunn
• David Norwood
• Peter Wells
• Luke McShane
• Jonathan Rowson
• Richard Palliser

References

1. ↑ ^{a b c} "The Oxford-Cambridge Varsity history", OlimpBase - Encyclopaedia of Team Chess
2. ↑ ^{a b} "Difficult Chess Trivia", Susan Polgar Chess Blog, February 10, 2008
3. ↑ "Chess Trivia", Logical Chess
4. ↑ ^{a b}
5. ↑ 1869-1885 in The History of the Oxford University Chess Club, James Manders Walker, 1885
6. ↑ "Oxford vs Cambridge vol. 125 ? the never ending game", ChessBase, 16 May 2007
7. ↑ ""Cambridge Chess", Richard Geoffrey Eales, ISBN 9780903500241
8. ↑ "Oxford v Cambridge", Mind sports Worldwide, 4 March 2000
9. ↑ "The Steinitz Papers: Letters and Documents of the First World Chess Champion", William Steinitz and Kurt Landsberger, Page 280
10. ↑
11. ↑
12. ↑ CHESS, February 1945, page 73
13. ↑ "2004-05 ODCL", Oxfordshire Chess Association
14. ↑ "2006-07 ODCL", Oxfordshire Chess Association
15. ↑ Opening Encyclopaedia 2004, ChessBase
16. ↑ Killer Grob, Michael Basman, Pergamon Chess Series, 1991, ISBN 9780080371306