The club was formed in the mid- 70s, was based at the Kirkton Community Centre and was called the ‘Self-programming Chess and Draughts Club’. This was later shortened to the ‘Kirkton Community Centre Chess Club’. Among the founding members were Jim and Jean Chalmers, Andy and Peter Millan, Les Milligan.
The earliest written record is the minutes of the AGM of 1978 after which several members left to form another club, Dundee West End.
1979 was the first in a period of several years during which a number of changes of premises were made:
In 1981 we moved to Menzieshill Community Centre - the club was required to change its name to Menzieshill Chess Club;
‘1314 Club’ in Dundee City Centre, (premises of the SNP), and we changed name to ‘1314 Chess Club’;
In the Summer of ’82 the 1314 Club closed and we then became somewhat nomadic before returning in 1984 to the 1314 Club which was renamed ‘Castlehill Club’, whose name we adopted, and where we were to remain for several years. Our next move was to the Taychreggan Hotel followed by short tenures at the Princes St Snooker Club and the Arctic Bar.
Our penultimate move took us to the Civil Service Sports & Recreation Club for the next 15 years when our final move brought us to the Chaplaincy Centre in 2015.
Jim and Jean were two of the earliest members before moving on to form Dundee & Victoria Chess Club