LCCC Champ Crowned! And the History of the Manhattan Chess Club

 

Sorry for the lack of new posts, but life gets in the way of chess writing sometimes.

The Club is still meeting on Mondays at the Buffalo Wild Wing’s in Brighton, MI at the Green Oak Shopping Center. We start at 4pm and go til 9pm at least. Stop on by for the best in casual chess and the occasional free to enter tournament.

Speaking of which, our Club Champion for 2022 is Dr. Ken Tack.

Congratulations Ken!

1^st – Ken Tack

2^nd – Vince V and Vince S.

4^th – Pete B, Sam T, Jeff S., Charlie S

8^th – Max B, Mike N

10^th – Paul M, Tyler B.

Thank you to all who participated! Look for another tournament after the 1^st of the year!  

Here is the 125 year history of the Manhattan Chess Club:

1877 - Chess players met at the Cafe Logeling, 49 Bowery Street in lower Manhattan. Mr. Logeling was a chess enthusiast and eventually built a room in the back of the cafe for chess. {There for 7 years}

November 24, 1877, it was decided to form a chess club. There was discussion to name it the Metropolitan, Morphy, or Manhattan Chess Club.

December 1, 1877, 37 members showed up for the first meeting. The entrance fee was $1 per person and dues were $4 per year.

October 2, 1879, the Constitution of the Manhattan Chess Club was adopted.

May 7, 1883, the Manhattan Chess Club of the City of New York was incorporated in the State of New York. Its board of directors included Leopold Hellwitz, George T. Green, Roscow Channing, Louis Cohn, L.D. Cohn, F.M. Teed, William M. De Visser, J.D. Peters, Charles Saulson, Isaac Rice, and Charles M. Harris. An initiation fee was $10, and the annual dues were $16.

May 1884, the group moved to 22 East 17th Street. {There for 5 years}

May 1889, the club moved to 22 West 27th Street.  {There for 4 years}

May 1892, the club moved to 105 East 22nd Street in the United Charities Building.  {There for 13 years}

1905 to 1910 the Club was located at the Carnegie Hall Building on 56th Street. {There for 5 years}

1910 to 1923 the Club was located at the Sherman Square Hotel, then to Beacon Hotel. {There for 13 years}

1924 to 1931 - the Club moved to a basement on Broadway and 73rd Street. {There for 7 years}

1932 to 1941, the Club was located at the Alamac Hotel. {There for 9 years}

1941 to 1956 the Club was located at 100 Central Park South. {There for 14 years}

1956 the Club moved to the Hotel Woodrow.  {There for 15 years}

1971, the club was located in the Henry Hudson Hotel on West 59th St. {There for 3 years}

1974, the Club moved to 155 E. 55th St. {There for 15 years}

1989, the Club was headquartered at Carnegie Hall on the 10th floor. {There for 1 year}

1990 - The Club later moved to 353 West 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenue on "Restaurant Row." Traditionally, the club was supported by the patronage of Wall Street executives. When they passed away, the American Chess Foundation, which owns the building, fell into the hands of non-chessplayers. They ordered the Manhattan Chess Club to move.  {There for 11 years}

In 2001, the Club moved to the New Yorker Hotel, Suite 1521, 481 8th Avenue. It was open on weekdays from 6 pm to midnight and on weekends from 11am to 11pm.  {There for 1 year}

In January 2002, the Manhattan Chess Club closed due to lack of a location to hold the meetings.

That is a pity and a loss of a great chess landmark. We can’t let this happen to LCCC!

Next Article: Searching for a rich person to grant the funds for a permanent location for the LCCC in Livingston County.

PS: Bidding starts at $2 million.

PSS: But don’t be shy. Going over that starting figure is allowed and encouraged.

PSS: Person with the highest bid gets free membership for life, their own parking spot in the lot, and their own chess table, set and 2 chairs in the club’s private playing area.

PSSS: For a winning bid over $3 million, the philanthropist can pick his own chess set for his table.