Gambit is an established chess club in Nottingham. We currently have 25 members with 5 teams in the Nottinghamshire Chess League (one team in each division). Our players’ grades range from 72 to 203. Many of us play for the various Nottinghamshire county teams and compete in the Nottinghamshire’s county championship, rapid play and congress.
We’re founder members of the inter-club summer CWANG jamboree (involving 5 clubs), and remain open (and busy) throughout the summer for members and non-members alike for ’normal’ chess (yawn) as well as 5 minute chess etc, and often have mini-tournaments.
Oh, did I mention that we are based in one of Nottingham’s finest real ale pubs?
Club History:
Gambit was formed in 1967 in the Blue Bell Pub in the centre of Nottingham. After brief stays at the News House on St James Street and the Old Angel on Stoney Street, the club moved to the Federation House Social Club on Claremont Rd in the early 1970s. Gambit won the 1st division championship in 1973 and went on to win the title 5 years in a row from 1975 until 1979. They were next champions in 1992 and then 3 more times between 1993 and 1996. Their next, and latest, title came in 2006, after merging with Dark Horses chess club in 2001.
Oxclose chess club played at the Oxclose pub until 1995 when the club moved to the Fiveways pub, taking its name. Fiveways won the 1st division championship in 3 successive years from 1997 until 1999. In 2000 the club moved to the Horse & Jockey pub on David Lane under the Dark Horses name for a year before merging with Gambit.
In January 2011 Gambit moved to its current location, the Lincolnshire Poacher public house on Mansfield Road, just a few minutes walk north of the city centre.