At the end of this page you will find attached PDF files of old issues of The Chequered Board. These should still be accessible but Google Sites now requires that such files are provided via a link to a Google Drive archive. So I will be providing such links under the heading Recent Issues, while the other content follows. So you should find here:
Recent Issues (Nos. 40-46)
Older Issues (Nos. 26-39)
Early Issues (Nos. 1-4)
I hope all this makes some sense and that you enjoy the back issues that are available here.
Will Burt (Magazine Editor)
The most recent issue, No. 46 from Summer 2024 is available from this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S-egeShyvsBB2-1adyItCuIwhH-ID8HO/view?usp=sharing
For No. 45 (Spring 2022) visit:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/17Y5_Vuy4fqU5fdkHljor76tKLot44zaA/view?usp=sharing
For No. 44 (Winter 2020) visit:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/13f7fxYNLbXFPEXX0UGC9aZGRLatDJkun/view?usp=sharing
In issue No. 43 (Summer 2019), in which we remembered Ray Starkie, one of the founding editors (along with David Bruce), I have removed one image which includes a junior for the time being. I hope it may be possible to replace it once I've checked with Safeguarding about it. It's a rather good picture (and not just because I'm in it!). Anyway here is the link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1VvhbcDo8QCmeEO72Rp3VyxVT5OlNBlxX/view?usp=sharing
Issue No. 42 (Spring 2015) can be found here:
No. 41 (Summer 2014):
No. 40 (Summer 2013):
After helping Lester Millin produce issue No. 26 I took over as Editor from issue No. 27. Here you can find brief descriptions of all these issues up to No. 39. The files themselves should be found attached at the bottom of the page.
Important Note: For safeguarding reasons it has been necessary to think about the use of images of under-18s in these online versions. At the moment versions on this page have all images of individuals currently under-18 removed. Historic images of children remain however: look out for Will Burt in No. 27 and Gerard O'Reilly in No. 29!
Issue No. 26 Winter 2006 (459KB) - The Chequered Board pays tribute to GM David Bronstein (1924-2006) and Heather Lang gives an extensive report on the doings of Cowley juniors.
Issue No. 27 Summer 2007 (1.08MB) - We celebrate winning the National Club Rapidplay, while bidding farewell to David Bruce, who is moving to Birmingham. Dave was one of the first editors and a regular contributor to the magazine.
Issue No. 28 Winter 2007 (357KB) - Congratulations to Anna Wang on becoming British Under-8 Champion; elsewhere Will Burt mulls over rules and queen sacrifices and the club prepares to move to a new venue, due to the impending closure of Cowley Community Centre.
Issue No. 29 Summer 2008 (839KB) - Plenty of good chess of course, but the sad duty of this magazine was to pay tribute to our fellow club member Mike Harrison following his untimely death - Lester pays tribute to Mike, who was associated with the club for nearly twenty years.
Issue No. 30 Winter 2008 (1.21MB) - It is particularly poignant that, having paid tribute to Mike Harrison in the previous issue, Lester himself died while this issue was in preparation. Just some of the many tributes to this legendary force in Oxfordshire chess appear here, and a special memorial edition appeared in 2009. Appropriately we have more junior success to report: James Foster becoming British Under-15 champ and playing in Dubai with sister Chantelle; meanwhile Maria and Anna Wang reflect on their time at the European Youth Championships in Montenegro.
Issue No. 31 Spring 2009 (1.55MB) - This is the special memorial issue mentioned above, in tribute to the legend that was Lester Millin (1937-2008), featuring many memories, annotated games and anecdotes, both on and off the chessboard.
Issue No. 32 Autumn 2009 (616KB) - There is more globetrotting from Cowley Members, as Chantelle Foster plays in Poland and Clifford Marcus visits Argentina. Meanwhile Tim Dickinson has provided no less than three articles: as well as reporting on two junior events, he and Ray Starkie both write about their participation for Lancashire against Yorkshire in the final of the open county championship.
Issue No. 33 Spring 2010 (686KB) - James Foster plays in the European Youth Championships in Fermo, Italy, while Anna Wang visits Turkey for the World Girls' event. Meanwhile games by the editor and other Cowley players have been appearing on the off-the-wall 'Chandler Cornered' website, and we reveal the source of the leak. We also report that several local players have gone to prison, but only to play a match against inmates at the thriving HMP Springhill club.
Issue No. 34 Autumn 2010 (1.12MB) - Chantelle Foster has been abroad again, this time to the Czech Republic, while Gerard O'Reilly gives us an in depth view of an interesting game from Anna Wang's World Girls' campaign. Meanwhile Maria Mate reports on some Hungarian chess. Cowley 2 make a noble attempt to stop City 1 from taking the Frank Wood Shield trophy and, as nobody has yet objected, the 'Editor's Miscellany' makes its second appearance.
Issue No. 35 Winter 2010 (864KB) - The magazine finally gets back on schedule with an issue out in time for the Christmas Blitz. Heather Lang has found her way to the Olympiad in Siberia, but had rather more trouble going to the right venue for a local league match! She still won, however. Chantelle is in Georgia this time, but the biggest story of all is Gerard O'Reilly giving an in depth account of his famous win over grandmaster Peter Wells when Cowley 2 took on Witney 1 in the Oxfordshire league.
Issue No. 36 Summer 2011 (1.71MB) - The club benefited from the services of star player David Zakarian, who gives us an in depth look at the 129th Varsity Match, won by Oxford. Maria and Anna Wang report on their participation in the World Junior Championships and Geoff Rasell takes us to Wantage in the depths of winter.
Issue No. 37 Winter 2011 (591KB) - Local chess coverage includes GM Peter Wells getting even with Gerard O'Reilly while Chantelle Foster reports on the Euroyouth Championships in Bulgaria (brother James also played). Our international coverage also reaches Debrecen in Hungary and the Witney Rapidplay.
Issue No. 38 Summer 2012 (575KB) - We celebrate junior success at the British Championships and elsewhere, Maria Mate's immortal "six pieces en prise" game gets an in depth look and Cowley's team sweeps the board at Witney Chess Club's quiz night.
Issue No. 39 Spring 2013 (550KB) - A new feature called "Beginners' Corner" launches and we mark another success at Witney. The Editor reviews a one act opera by Philidor, better known to us as the top chess player of the eighteenth century. Cowley 1 v Banbury 1 ends in six wins for black and David Robson mulls over the probabilities.
These PDF files have been produced the hard way, by editing old word-processor files to look like the original hard copies. I am afraid these four magazines was as far as I ever got with this time consuming project! Brief descriptions of each issue follow and the files themselves can be found attached to the bottom of this page.
Issue No. 1 Spring 1997 (243KB) - David Bruce and Ray Starkie greet readers from the editors' desk, and there is an entertaining article on the Sicilian by Tim Dickinson. Look out for "Claire's Queen Sac" as well!
Issue No. 2 Autumn 1997 (250KB) - This includes an exclusive article by Harriet Hunt, as well as an amusing Star Trek themed article by the ever imaginative Tim Dickinson.
Issue No. 3 Winter 1997 (305KB) - The editors got a bit trigger happy with fonts in this issue, and I have rationalized these. As ever there is plenty to enjoy, especially Ray Starkie's intelligent interview with Harriet Hunt (and her equally intelligent replies). Look out also for some tricky Christmas puzzles from Lester Millin.
Issue No. 4 Spring 1998 (339KB) - The first issue to show the hand of Lester Millin at work: so expect especially good coverage of junior chess. You'll also find several interesting cuttings from "Ray's Scrapbook" and much more ...
Will Burt (Magazine Editor)
9th July 2013 (first version of this page)
13 August 2024 (latest update)