# Oxford University Chess Club

The Oxford University Chess Club (OUCC) was founded at the University of Oxford in 1869. It is the oldest university chess club in the United Kingdom. The Club meets each Wednesday evening during University term time. They field two teams in the Oxfordshire Chess League.

## Foundation

On the day of the foundation of OUCC, the minutes book recorded:
    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. It has been held annually since 1873 and is the oldest fixture on the chess calendar. Edwin Anthony, then President of the Club, and Wilhelm Steinitz were responsible for establishing the match.
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. 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 Zukertort, Henry Bird, Joseph Henry Blackburne, Cecil Valentine De Vere, George Alcock MacDonnell, Samuel Boden, Patrick Thomas Duffy, Adolf Zytogorski, John Wisker, and others. In addition to the university match, the event included two exhibitions. Zukertort 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).
Oxford won the 2011 match, the 129th official contest, 4.5-3.5 to bring the overall score to Cambridge 66 Oxford 63.

## 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.
* 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.
* OUCC 2nds won the 2006-07 Oxfordshire Chess League.
* On 18 February 2012 OUCC won the 2nds varsity match against Cambridge 5.5-4.5.

## Notable games

In 1978 a memorable upset occurred when IM Michael Basman beat Oxford postgraduate GM John Nunn with the Grob.
Michael Basman vs. 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 members and officers
### Notable 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
* Graham Russell Mitchell
* Peter Wells
* Luke McShane
* Jonathan Rowson
* Richard Palliser
* Amon Simutowe

### Officers
#### President

First president of the club was founder Rev. Charles E. Ranken. At his peak, he was the 24th best player in the world - a grandmaster by today's standards. The office, which was at first termly, has been annual since 1884.
| Name | College | Served from |
| Charles Ranken | Wadham | 30 April 1869 |
| E. Anthony | Christ Church | 23 March 1870 |
| E.W.B. Nicholson | Trinity | 9 December 1870 |
| C.T. Wild | Christ Church | 6 March 1871 |
| R.D.H. Gray | Brasenose | 5 December 1871 |
| W.E. Foster | University | 12 March 1872 |
| Falconer Madan | Brasenose | 4 June 1872 |
| B. Whitefoord | New | 4 December 1872 |
| J.S. Sinclair | Oriel | 12 March 1873 |
| S.R. Meredith | Brasenose | 27 May 1873 |
| Walter Parratt | Magdalen | 3 December 1873 |
| Prince Leopold | Christ Church | 18 March 1874 |
| Horace Plunkett | University | December 1875 |
| C. Tracey | Lincoln | 26 October 1876 |
| W. Grundy | Worcester | 14 March 1877 |
| R.A. Germaine | Brasenose | December 1877 |
| F.M. Wright | Queen's | 1 November 1878 |
| Walter Montague Gattie | Christ Church | 5 December 1878 |
| E.H. Kinder | Brasenose | 20 March 1879 |
| C. Taylor | Christ Church | 1 December 1879 |
| B.R.V. Mills | Christ Church | 5 March 1880 |
| J.F. Welsh | Christ Church | 26 October 1880 |
| C.A. Darley | Christ Church | 18 March 1881 |
| T.A. Wise | Lincoln | 17 June 1881 |
| W.N.P. Beebe | Trinity | 17 March 1882 |
| G.E. Wainwright | University | 9 June 1882 |
| C.C. Lynam | Hertford | Summer 1883 |
| James Manders Walker | Wadham | Michaelmas 1883 |
| H. Seward | Balliol | Midsummer 1884 |
| C.D. Locock | University | Michaelmas 1884 |
| Richard Barnett | Wadham | Michaelmas 1885 |
| F.G. Newbolt | Balliol | Hilary 1887 |
| W. Storey | Christ Church | October 1887 |
| A.G.G. Ross | New | Michaelmas 1888 |
| W.M. Le Patourel | Balliol | October 1889 |
| J.F. Ure | Christ Church | October 1890 |
| F.E. Jelly | Magdalen | October 1891 |
| Harold Davidson | Exeter | Michaelmas 1900 |
| G. Davies | ? | Michaelmas 1909 |
| Neil Crabb | St Edmund Hall | Trinity 1987 |
| Mark Addis | Mansfield | Trinity 1988 |
| Paul Muhkerjee | Lady Margaret Hall | Trinity 1989 |
| Martin Hazelton | St Anne's | Trinity 1990 |
| Mark Nightall | Brasenose | Trinity 1991 |
| Matthew Piper | Wadham | 1993 |
| Michael Gough | New | Trinity 1994 |
| Shashi Jayakumar | St Hugh's | Trinity 1995 |
| Maxim Devereaux | Brasenose | Trinity 1996 |
| Ben Savage | Lady Margaret Hall | Trinity 1997 |
| Emily Howard | Lincoln | Trinity 1998 |
| Kieran Smallbone | New | Trinity 1999 |
| Chris Dunsmore | Lincoln | Trinity 2000 |
| Jon Smith | Queen's | Trinity 2001 |
| Richard Palliser | Worcester | Trinity 2002 |
| Chris Duggan | University | Trinity 2003 |
| David Shaw | Worcester | Trinity 2004 |
| Hervé Hansen | Queen's | Trinity 2005 |
| Marco Zhang | St Hugh's | Trinity 2006 |
| Mike Healey | University | Trinity 2007 |
| Yi Ming Lai | Exeter | Trinity 2008 |
| Eoin Devane | Merton | Trinity 2009 |
| Stephen Belding | St John's | Trinity 2010 |
| Erik Thörnblad | St Hugh's | Trinity 2011 |
| David Hewitt | St Edmund Hall | Trinity 2012 |
| Sam Bentham | Christ Church | Trinity 2013 |
| Robert Collopy | New College | Trinity 2014 |
| Sean Lim | St Hilda's College | Trinity 2015 |
| David Martins | Worcester | Trinity 2016 |
| Jamie Horton | Christ Church | Trinity 2017 |
| Joris Gerlagh | University | Trinity 2018 |
| Andrew Rogozinski | Worcester | Trinity 2019 |
| Aloysius Lip | Christ Church | Trinity 2020 |
| Victor Vasiesiu | Hertford | Trinity 2021 |
| Max French | Wadham | Michaelmas 2022 |
| Tom O'Gorman | Hertford | Michaelmas 2023 |

#### Treasurer

| Name | College | Served from |
| E.F. Linton | University | 30 April 1869 |
| E.L. Holland | University | 8 February 1870 |
| Rev. C. Rodwell | Trinity | 23 March 1870 |
| R.D.H. Gray | Brasenose | 9 December 1870 |
| T.C.V. Bastow | Trinity | 5 June 1871 |
| Falconer Madan | Brasenose | 12 March 1872 |
| E. Petit Jelf | Christ Church | 4 June 1872 |
| J.S. Leadam | Brasenose | 12 March 1873 |
| F.H. Woods | Jesus | 3 May 1873 |
| A.R.C. Connell | Trinity | 16 December 1874 |
| S.R. Meredith | Brasenose | 14 April 1875 |
| W.P. Emerton | Christ Church | December 1875 |
| R.A. Germaine | Brasenose | 26 October 1876 |
| E.J. Crosse | Exeter | 4 December 1876 |
| W.M. Gattie | Christ Church | 6 June 1877 |
| F.M. Wright | Queen's | 18 March 1878 |
| E.H. Kinder | Brasenose | 1 November 1878 |
| C. Taylor | Christ Church | 20 March 1879 |
| B.R.V. Mills | Christ Church | 1 December 1879 |
| J.F. Welsh | Christ Church | 5 March 1880 |
| C.A. Darley | Christ Church | 26 October 1880 |
| C.C. Lynam | Hertford | 18 March 1881 |
| W.N.P. Beebe | Trinity | 17 June 1881 |
| T.A. Wise | Lincoln | 17 March 1882 |
| James Manders Walker | Wadham | Lent 1883 |
| S. Weall | St. John's | Michaelmas 1883 |
| F. Tracey | Exeter | Lent 1884 |
| C.D. Locock | University | Midsummer 1884 |
| James Manders Walker | Wadham | Lent 1885 |
| F.G. Newbolt | Balliol | Winter 1885 |
| S.J. Buchanan | New | Lent 1886 |
| F.G. Newbolt | Balliol | Michaelmas 1886 |
| W. Stoney | Christ Church | Hilary 1887 |
| A.G.G. Ross | New | October 1887 |
| W.M. Le Patourel | Balliol | Michaelmas 1888 |
| Frank Edward Jelly | Magdalen | October 1889 |
| R.G. Grimley | Balliol | October 1890 |
| G.G. Lynam | St. Catherine's | October 1891 |
| T.A. Staynes | Brasenose | Michaelmas 1920 |
| Ian Webster | St. Anne's | Trinity 2001 |
| Simon Breen | Trinity | Trinity 2003 |
| Ed Stembridge | Balliol | Trinity 2004 |
| Ed Stembridge | Balliol | Trinity 2005 |
| Alexander Dutton | Keble | Trinity 2006 |
| Ed Stembridge | Balliol | Trinity 2007 |
| Zubin Siganporia | St Catherine's | Trinity 2008 |
| Kevin Henbest | (Unattached) | Trinity 2009 |
| Matthew Wills | Trinity | Trinity 2010 |
| Samuel Woolacott | Queen's | Trinity 2011 |
| Erik Thörnblad | St Hugh's | Trinity 2012 |
| Sean Lim | St Hilda's | Trinity 2013 |
| Sean Lim | St Hilda's | Trinity 2014 |
| Gordon Scott | Merton | Trinity 2015 |
| Angelos Vakalis | Lincoln | Trinity 2016 |
| David Martins | Worcester | Trinity 2017 |
| Alexander Hardwick | Magdalen | Trinity 2018 |
| Aloysius Lip | Christ Church | Trinity 2019 |
| Callum Evans | St John's College | Trinity 2020 |
| Aditi Agarwal | New | Trinity 2021 |
| Ruairi Garrett | St Peter's | Michaelmas 2022 |
| Ashvin Sivakumar | Harris Manchester | Michaelmas 2023 |

#### Secretary

| Name | College | Served from |
| W. Braithwaite | Wadham | 30 April 1869 |
| W.H. Fisher | Exeter | 20 October 1869 |
| E. Morgan | Lincoln | 8 February 1870 |
| E.W.B. Nicholson | Trinity | 23 March 1870 |
| T. Constable | Magdalen | 9 December 1870 |
| J.T. Dodd | Christ Church | 6 March 1871 |
| J.A. Curling | St. Alban's | 5 June 1871 |
| Falconer Madan | Brasenose | 5 December 1871 |
| E. Petit Jelf | Christ Church | 12 March 1872 |
| J.S. Sinclair | Oriel | 4 June 1872 |
| S.R. Meredith | Brasenose | 4 December 1872 |
| A.E.P. Gray | Brasenose | 12 March 1873 |
| F.H. Woods | Jesus | 28 May 1873 |
| A.R.C. Connell | Trinity | 3 December 1873 |
| Horace Plunkett | University | 4 June 1874 |
| W. Parratt | Magdalen | 16 December 1874 |
| A.F. Leupolt | Brasenose | December 1875 |
| C.L. Brook | Trinity | 15 October 1876 |
| W.M. Gattie | Christ Church | 4 December 1876 |
| R.M. Latham | Exeter | 6 June 1877 |
| F.M. Wright | Queen's | 8 February 1878 |
| A.S. Perceval | Trinity | 18 March 1878 |
| C. Taylor | Christ Church | 1 November 1878 |
| B.R.V. Mills | Christ Church | 20 March 1879 |
| C. Scott-Malden | Trinity | 1 December 1879 |
| C.A. Darley | Christ Church | 8 March 1880 |
| T.A. Wise | Lincoln | 26 October 1880 |
| W.N.P. Beebe | Trinity | 18 March 1881 |
| G.E. Wainwright | University | 17 June 1881 |
| J. Moultrie | New | 17 March 1882 |
| James Manders Walker | Wadham | 21 April 1882 |
| S. Weall | St. John's | Lent 1883 |
| S.H. Nash | Balliol | Summer 1883 |
| C.D. Locock | University | Michaelmas 1883 |
| W.A. Shearer | Exeter | Midsummer 1884 |
| Richard Barnett | Wadham | Lent 1885 |
| S.J. Buchanan | New | Winter 1885 |
| A. Rutherford | Brasenose | Lent 1886 |
| S.J. Buchanan | New | Michaelmas 1886 |
| A.G.G. Ross | New | Hilary 1887 |
| F. Tillyard | Balliol | October 1887 |
| E.B. Osborne | Magdalen | Michaelmas 1888 |
| L.C. Crump | Balliol | October 1889 |
| F.E. Jelly | Magdalen | October 1890 |
| A.B. Hinds | Christ Church | October 1891 |
| P.W. Sergeant | Trinity | Michaelmas 1892 |
| E.W. Poynton | Exeter | Michaelmas 1893 |
| E.G. Spencer Churchill | Exeter | Michaelmas 1895 |
| G. Fraser | Corpus Christi | Michaelmas 1896 |
| A.H.W. George | New | Michaelmas 1897 |
| Frederick Soddy | Merton | Michaelmas 1898 |
| Harold Davidson | Exeter | Michaelmas 1900 |
| A.C. von Ernshausen | Balliol | Michaelmas 1901 |
| W.N. MacFarlane | University | Michaelmas 1904 |
| H.J. Rose | Balliol | Michaelmas 1905 |
| N.J. Roughton | New | Michaelmas 1906 |
| A.P. Waterfield | Christ Church | Michaelmas 1908 |
| Ernest Shepherd | ? | Michaelmas 1909 |
| B.A. Bull | Jesus | Michaelmas 1910 |
| G. Davies | Pembroke | Michaelmas 1911 |
| P.A. MacMahon | Hertford | Michaelmas 1914 |
| H.D. Wells | Pembroke | Michaelmas 1915 |
| C. Duffield | St. John's | Michaelmas 1916 |
| H.R. Bigelow | Balliol | Michaelmas 1920 |
| W.E.B. Pryer | Pembroke | Michaelmas 1921 |
| G.S.A. Wheatcroft | New | Michaelmas 1924 |
| K.H. Bancroft | Pembroke | Michaelmas 1926 |
| G. Abraham | Wadham | Michaelmas 1927 |
| Lucy Martin | Somerville | Trinity 1990 |
| Nasir Rizvi | St Catherine’s | Michaelmas 1996 |
| Kieran Smallbone | New | Trinity 2001 |
| Adam Shardlow | University | Trinity 2003 |
| Ben Kamil | Brasenose | Trinity 2004 |
| Ben Kamil | Brasenose | Trinity 2005 |
| Ben Kamil | Brasenose | Trinity 2007 |
| James Worthen | Brasenose | Trinity 2008 |
| Stephen Belding | St John's | Trinity 2009 |
| Jay Unadkat | St. Anne's | Trinity 2010 |
| Szymon Pozimski | St. Peter's | Trinity 2011 |
| Michael Hopkins | Lincoln | Trinity 2012 |
| David Hewitt | St Edmund Hall | Trinity 2013 |
| Hendrick Brackmannn | St Catherine's | Trinity 2014 |
| David Martins | Worcester | Trinity 2015 |
| Daniel Sutton | St John's | Trinity 2016 |
| Daniel Sutton | St John's | Trinity 2017 |
| Andrew Rogozinski | Worcester | Trinity 2018 |
| Filip Mihov | Balliol | Trinity 2019 |
| Akshaya Kalaiyalahan | Regent's Park | Trinity 2020 |
| Akshaya Kalaiyalahan | Regent's Park | Trinity 2021 |
| Réka Sztáray | Hertford | Michaelmas 2022 |
| Niall Clarke | Worcester | Michaelmas 2023 |