Suffolk Chess

Vicky Allen, a former Secretary of the SCCA, recently handed over to me a box of old papers and files that she has kept hidden away in an attic for some time.
Deep within the box was a dusty, dog-eared volume (see photo opposite) of the minutes of the Suffolk County Chess Association, from 1930 to 1974.  Mostly handwritten, the minutes of AGMs and committee meetings contain gems of information, some of which will appear on this website from time to time.

For starters, here is the very first entry:

“At a meeting of chess players held at the Institute, Tavern Street, Ipswich on Oct 11 1930, Mr A. H. Welburn presiding, it was decided to form a Suffolk County Chess Association which will take part in competitions under the auspices of the Southern Counties Chess Union in the East Anglian area, the other counties being Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

Mr J. W. Wilson, Secretary of the Ipswich Chess Club read letters from Mr R. M. Fleming, the assistant secretary of the S.C.C.U. , Mr A. M. Diaper, Hon. Sec. of the Bury Chess Club, and the secretaries of the Norwich & District Chess Club and the Cambridge Town Club in favour of the project.  Help was also promised from Mr Whitworth, Framlingham School, and several prominent chess players promised to become Vice-Presidents.

The following officers were provisionally elected: Vice-Presidents – Messrs Bunnell, H. Burton, W.H. Allen Whitworth, Bernard Pretty, C.F. Lines and Commander Porsnand (Walsham-le-Willows), with Mr J.W. Wilson Hon. Secy. pro tem.

Subsequently Col. W. Guinness, M.P., D.S.O. agreed to become President, and Mr P. Cowell and the Rev. Dudley Symon became Vice-Presidents.

Matches were played with Norfolk and Cambridge at Diss and Bury respectively.  Messrs Hooper and Wilson attended as delegates at meetings of the Committee of the S.C.C.U.  A committee meeting of the Association drew up a set of provisional rules.”

That makes us 82 years old!