British Chess Magazine is the world's oldest chess

Chess

Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...

 magazine

Magazine

Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...

 in continuous publication. First published in January 1881, it has appeared at monthly intervals ever since. It is frequently known in the chess world as BCM.

The founder and first general editor of the magazine was John Watkinson (1833–1923). He had previously edited the Huddersfield

Huddersfield

Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....

 College Magazine, which was the British Chess Magazine's forerunner. From the beginning, the magazine was devoted to the coverage of chess worldwide, and not just in Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

.

BCM is an independent and privately owned magazine; it is not owned or run by the former British Chess Federation (now the English Chess Federation

English Chess Federation

The English Chess Federation is the governing chess organisation in England and is affiliated to FIDE. The ECF was formed in 2004 and was effectively a re-constitution of the extant governing body, the British Chess Federation , an organisation founded in 1904...

), with which its name was occasionally confused, apart from the period August 1981–July 1992.

General editors

• John Watkinson (1833–1923), founding editor 1881–1887.
• Robert Frederick Green (1856–1925), editor 1888–1893.
• Isaac McIntyre Brown (1858–1934), editor 1894–1920.
• Richard Clewin Griffith (1872–1955), editor 1920–1937, and some months in 1940.
• Harry Golombek
  Harry Golombek
  Harry Golombek OBE , was a British chess International Master and honorary grandmaster, chess arbiter, and chess author. He was three times British chess champion, in 1947, 1949, and 1955 and finished second in 1948. He became a grandmaster in 1985.He was the chess correspondent of The Times...
  
   (1911–1995), editor 1938–1940, International Master.
• Julius du Mont
  Julius du Mont
  Julius du Mont was a pianist, piano teacher, chess player, journalist, editor and writer. He studied music at the Frankfurt Conservatoire and at Heidelberg, and became a concert pianist. He emigrated to England as a young man and became a successful piano teacher. Amongst his pupils was Edna Iles...
  
   (1881–1956), editor 1940–1949.
• Brian Patrick Reilly
  Brian Reilly
  Brian Patrick Reilly was an Irish chess Master, writer and magazine editor....
  
   (1901–1991), editor 1949–1981.
• Bernard Cafferty
  Bernard Cafferty
  Bernard Cafferty is an English chess master, columnist, writer, magazine editor and translator.-Chess career:...
  
   (born 1934), editor 1981–1991, FIDE Master.
• Murray Chandler
  Murray Chandler
  Murray Graham Chandler is a New Zealand chess grandmaster who has played internationally for that nation and for England, after gaining citizenship there in the early 1980s...
  
   (born 1960), editor 1991–1999, International Grandmaster
  International Grandmaster
  The title Grandmaster is awarded to strong chess players by the world chess organization FIDE. Apart from World Champion, Grandmaster is the highest title a chess player can attain....
  
  .
• John Saunders
  John Saunders (chess player)
  John Cameron Saunders is a British chess player, writer and magazine editor.-Chess career:...
  
   (born 1953), editor 1999–August 2010.
• Steve Giddins
  Steve Giddins
  Stephen Giddins is an English chess player and writer. He graduated from Keble College, Oxford in Philosophy, Politics and Economics in 1982. He went on to become a FIDE Master and wrote a number of chess books, some of which have also been translated into German...
  
   (born 1961), editor September 2010–April 2011, FIDE Master.
• Shaun Taulbut (born 1958), co-editors May 2011–present, International Master, James Pratt (born 1959) and John Upham (born 1960).

Columnists

• DJ Morgan, Morgan wrote the "Quotes and Queries" column.
• Ken Whyld
  Ken Whyld
  Kenneth Whyld was a British chess author and researcher, best known as the co-author of The Oxford Companion to Chess, the standard single-volume chess reference work in English....
  
  , from 1978 until his death in 2003, Whyld wrote the "Quotes and Queries" column.
• Chris Ravilious, from 2003 until Autumn of 2009, Ravilious wrote the "Quotes and Queries" column.
• Phil Hughes, until 2010, Hughes wrote the "Quotes and Queries" column.
• Alan Smith, from January 2011 onwards, Smith writes the "Quotes and Queries" column.
• William Ritson-Morry, Ritson-Morry wrote the "Posers in Play" column.
• Peter C Griffiths, Griffiths wrote the "Practical Chess Endings" column.
• A. John Roycroft
  John Roycroft
  Arthur John Roycroft is an English chess endgame study composer and author, who lives in North West London. He is married to Betty Roycroft...
  
  , Roycroft wrote the "Studies" column.
• C. Michael Bent
  Charles Bent (chess)
  Charles Michael Bent was an English composer of chess endgame studies. He was born in Newbury, Berkshire on November 27, 1919 and died on December 28, 2004 in a motorway accident. Bent was the most prolific English endgame composer and one of the top ten in the world...
  
  , from January 1975 until 1985, Bent wrote the "Studies" column
• John Beasley, for around twenty years concluding in 2010, Beasley wrote the "Endgame Studies" column.
• Ian R Watson, from 2010 onwards, Watson writes the "Endgame Studies" column.
• Christopher John Feather, Feather wrote the "Problem World" column.
• David Friedgood
  David Friedgood
  David Friedgood is a South African–British chess master.He won South African Chess Championship in 1967, 1971 and 1973. He shared 7th at Caorle 1972 ....
  
  , from 1992 onwards, Friedgood writes the "Problem World" column.
• Richard Nevil Coles, Coles wrote the "One Hundred Years Ago" column.
• Samuel Gideon Franklin, from 2011, Franklin writes the "Sam at the Back" column.
• Kenneth (Kenny) Brian Harman, from 2011, Harman writes the "Correspondence Chess" column.
• John S. Hilbert, from 2011, Hilbert writes the "Past Practices" column.
• Eddie Dearing, from 2011, Dearing writes the "Dearing's Discoveries" column.
• Alex McFarlane, from 2011, McFarlane writes the "Ask the Arbiter" column.
• Carl Gorka, from 2011, Gorka writes the "Endgames for Learners" column.
• Alan Dommett, from 2011, Dommett writes the "Practical Play" column.
• Andrew Martin, from September 2011, Martin writes the "Games Department" column.
• Nick Pert, from October 2011, Pert writes the "Endgames for Experts" column.
• Adam Raoof, from October 2011, Raoof writes the "Brits Abroad" column.
• Christopher Jones, from November 2011, Jones writes the "Problems" column.

Feature articles

• Edward G Winter
  Edward Winter (chess historian)
  Edward Winter is an English journalist, archivist, historian, collector and author about the game of chess. He writes a regular column on that subject, Chess Notes, and is also a regular columnist for ChessBase.-Chess Notes:...
  
  , Winter wrote various articles.
• Harry Golombek
  Harry Golombek
  Harry Golombek OBE , was a British chess International Master and honorary grandmaster, chess arbiter, and chess author. He was three times British chess champion, in 1947, 1949, and 1955 and finished second in 1948. He became a grandmaster in 1985.He was the chess correspondent of The Times...
  
  , Golombek wrote various articles.

Regular items

• Late (now Media) News
• Editorial
• For Your Diary
• News from the British Isles
• News from Overseas
• New Books (now and DVDs) in Brief
• Book (now and DVDs) Reviews
• FIDE News
• Spot the Continuation

Associated publications

• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 1: The 24th U.S.S.R Championship, Clarke, Peter Hugh, 19??. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 2: The Potoroz Interzonal, ?, 19??. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 3: 4th Candidates Tournament 1959, Golombek, Harold
  Harry Golombek
  Harry Golombek OBE , was a British chess International Master and honorary grandmaster, chess arbiter, and chess author. He was three times British chess champion, in 1947, 1949, and 1955 and finished second in 1948. He became a grandmaster in 1985.He was the chess correspondent of The Times...
  
  , 19??. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 4: Hastings 1960–1961 International Tournament, ?, 19??. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 5: Around the Chess World in 80 Years—Volume 1, Divinsky, Dr. Nathan Joseph
  Nathan Divinsky
  Nathan Joseph Divinsky is a Canadian mathematician, chess master, and chess writer, who is also known for being the former husband of the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, Kim Campbell. Divinsky and Campbell were married from 1972 to 1983....
  
  , 19??. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 6: 1930 Scarborough International Tournament, Golombek, Harold
  Harry Golombek
  Harry Golombek OBE , was a British chess International Master and honorary grandmaster, chess arbiter, and chess author. He was three times British chess champion, in 1947, 1949, and 1955 and finished second in 1948. He became a grandmaster in 1985.He was the chess correspondent of The Times...
  
  , 1962. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 7: 31st U.S.S.R. Chess Championships, 1963, ?, 1963. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 8: Around the Chess World in 80 Years—Volume 2, Divinsky, Dr. Nathan Joseph
  Nathan Divinsky
  Nathan Joseph Divinsky is a Canadian mathematician, chess master, and chess writer, who is also known for being the former husband of the 19th Prime Minister of Canada, Kim Campbell. Divinsky and Campbell were married from 1972 to 1983....
  
  , 1965. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 9: Bognor Regis International Congress 1965, Fishlock-Lomax, J. N., 1968. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 10: Mir Sultan Khan: All-India Champion 1928, British Champion 1929–1932–1933, Coles, Richard Nevil, 1968. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 11: Boris Spassky's Road to the Summit, Cozens, William Harold, 1968. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 12: The Ben-Oni Defence, Gelenczei, Emil, 1966. ISBN ?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 13: Flank Openings, Keene, Raymond Dennis
  Raymond Keene
  Raymond Dennis Keene OBE is an English chess Grandmaster, a FIDE International Arbiter, a chess organiser, and a journalist and author.p196 He won the British Chess Championship in 1971, and was the first player from England to earn a Grandmaster norm, in 1974. In 1976 he became the second...
  
  , 1979. ISBN 0-900846-32-1.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 14: 5th World Correspondence Chess Championships, Berliner, Hans
  Hans Berliner
  Hans Jack Berliner , a Professor of , is a former World Correspondence Chess Champion, from 1965–68. He is a Grandmaster of Correspondence Chess, and an International Master for over-the-board chess. He directed the construction of the chess computer HiTech. Berliner is also a chess writer.-Life...
  
   and Messere, Ken, 19??. ISBN 0-900846-?-?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 15: Counter Gambits, Black to Play and Win, Harding, Timothy D
  Tim Harding (chess)
  Timothy David Harding is a prolific chess player and author with particular expertise regarding correspondence chess. He published a correspondence chess magazine Chess Mail from 1996 to 2006 and has authored "The Kibitzer," a ChessCafe.com column from 1996...
  
  ., 1974. ISBN 0-900846-13-5.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 16: Tal Since 1960, Cozens, William Harold, 1974. ISBN 0-900846-?-?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 17: Staunton, the English World Champion, Keene, Raymond Dennis
  Raymond Keene
  Raymond Dennis Keene OBE is an English chess Grandmaster, a FIDE International Arbiter, a chess organiser, and a journalist and author.p196 He won the British Chess Championship in 1971, and was the first player from England to earn a Grandmaster norm, in 1974. In 1976 he became the second...
  
   and Coles, Richard Nevil, 1975. ISBN 0-900846-19-4.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 18: The Book of the Havana International Masters' Tournament 1913, Capablanca José Raúl
  José Raúl Capablanca
  José Raúl Capablanca y Graupera was a Cuban chess player who was world chess champion from 1921 to 1927. One of the greatest players of all time, he was renowned for his exceptional endgame skill and speed of play...
  
  , 1976. ISBN 0-900846-?-?.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 19: Mir Sultan Khan, Coles, Richard Nevil, 1977. ISBN 0-900846-25-9.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 20: London 1982, Keene, Raymond Dennis
  Raymond Keene
  Raymond Dennis Keene OBE is an English chess Grandmaster, a FIDE International Arbiter, a chess organiser, and a journalist and author.p196 He won the British Chess Championship in 1971, and was the first player from England to earn a Grandmaster norm, in 1974. In 1976 he became the second...
  
  , 1979. ISBN 0-900846-38-0.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 21: London 1927: The 'British Empire Club' International Tournament, Keene, Raymond Dennis
  Raymond Keene
  Raymond Dennis Keene OBE is an English chess Grandmaster, a FIDE International Arbiter, a chess organiser, and a journalist and author.p196 He won the British Chess Championship in 1971, and was the first player from England to earn a Grandmaster norm, in 1974. In 1976 he became the second...
  
  , 1983. ISBN 0-900846-40-2.
• B.C.M. Quarterly, number 22: The Lost Olympiad, Cozens, William Harold, 1985. ISBN 0-900846-43-77.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 1: The Grand International Masters' Chess Tournament at St. Petersburg, 1914, ?, 196? (1914). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 2: London 1899 International Tournament, ?, 196? (1899). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 3: Der Internationale Kongress Paris 1878, ?, 196? (1878). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 4: London 1862, ?, 196? (1878). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 5: Leipzig 1877 Schachkongress, Schallopp, Emil
  Emil Schallopp
  Emil Schallopp was a German chess player and author. He became head of the shorthand department of the Reichstag. He wrote many books, including one on the Steinitz–Zukertort 1886 World Championship match...
  
  , 196? (1877). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 6: The Game and Playe of the Chesse 1474, Caxton, William
  William Caxton
  William Caxton was an English merchant, diplomat, writer and printer. As far as is known, he was the first English person to work as a printer and the first to introduce a printing press into England...
  
  , 1968 (1474). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 7: Wien 1873 Der Erste Wiener Internationale Schachkongress 1873, Lehner and Schwede, 196? (1873). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 8: New York 1916 Rice Memorial Tournament, Sergeant, Philip Walsingham, 196? (1873). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 9: Karlsbad 1911, Vidmar, Dr. Milan, 1970 (1911). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 10: Coburg 1904 Kongress, Scellenberg, Schlecter and Marco, 1971 (1904). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 11: The Games Played in the London International Chess Tournament 1883, Minchin, James Innes, December 1973 (1883). ISBN 0-900486-08-9.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 12: A.V.R.O. 1938 Chess Tournament, ?, 197? (1938). ISBN 0-900486-10-0.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 13: Deux Cents Parties D'Echecs, Two volumes, Alekhine, Alexander
  Alexander Alekhine
  Alexander Alexandrovich Alekhine was the fourth World Chess Champion. He is often considered one of the greatest chess players ever.By the age of twenty-two, he was already among the strongest chess players in the world. During the 1920s, he won most of the tournaments in which he played...
  
  , 1973 (?). ISBN 0-900486-29-1.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 14: Die Schacholympiade Von Hamburg 1930, F. Chalupetzky and L. Tóth, 1973. ISBN 0-900486-12-7.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 15: Das Internationale Schachturnier Nurnberg 1896, Tarrasch, Dr. Siegbert
  Siegbert Tarrasch
  Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest chess players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century....
  
   and Chr. Schröder, 1974 (1896). ISBN 0-900486-15-1.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 16: Das Internationale Schachturnier Baden Baden 1925, Tarrasch, Dr. Siegbert
  Siegbert Tarrasch
  Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest chess players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century....
  
  , 1980 (1925). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 17: Das Champion-Turnier Zu Ostende 1907, Tarrasch, Dr. Siegbert
  Siegbert Tarrasch
  Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest chess players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century....
  
  , 1975 (1907). ISBN 0-900486-21-6.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 18: Das Internationale Schachturnier Karlsbad 1923, Kagan, Bernhard, 1977 (1923). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 19: Mährisch-Ostrau 1923 Internationales Schachmeister-Turnier, Kagan, Bernhard, 1980 (1923). ISBN 0-900486-?-?.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 20: World Chess Championship 1948, Golombek, Harold
  Harry Golombek
  Harry Golombek OBE , was a British chess International Master and honorary grandmaster, chess arbiter, and chess author. He was three times British chess champion, in 1947, 1949, and 1955 and finished second in 1948. He became a grandmaster in 1985.He was the chess correspondent of The Times...
  
  , 1979 (1949). ISBN 0-900486-35-6.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints, number 21: Bad Kissingen 1928, Tartakover, Dr. Savielly Grigorievitch
  Savielly Tartakower
  Ksawery Tartakower was a leading Polish and French chess Grandmaster. He was also a leading chess journalist of the 1920s and 30s...
  
  , 197? (1928). ISBN 0-900486-37-2.
• B.C.M. Classic Reprints : Capablanca's Hundred Best Games of Chess, Golombek, Harold
  Harry Golombek
  Harry Golombek OBE , was a British chess International Master and honorary grandmaster, chess arbiter, and chess author. He was three times British chess champion, in 1947, 1949, and 1955 and finished second in 1948. He became a grandmaster in 1985.He was the chess correspondent of The Times...
  
  , 1989 (1947). ISBN 0-900486-50-X.

External links

• British Chess Magazine
• Biography of John Watkinson