Stonehaven Chess Club

14/04/2026

♟️ How to Win (and Lose) at the Aberdeen Congress

Congress chess returned to Aberdeen this weekend — five rounds, a wide mix of players, and plenty of lessons along the way.

David has pulled together a series of match reports and reflections from the weekend, focusing not just on results, but on the decisions behind them — the kind that every club player can relate to.

From brave decisions over draw offers, to building pressure move by move, to those single moments that decide everything — there’s a lot to take from both the Major and Minor sections.

👉 Read the full blog here: https://stonehavenchessclub.co.uk/how-to-win-and-lose-at-the-aberdeen-congress/

Great read — and plenty in there for anyone who’s ever played a congress.

Match Reports by David Watkin This weekend, congress chess made a welcome return to Aberdeen: five rounds of classical chess, a wide spread of playing strengths, and that familiar mixture of anticipation, tension and quiet camaraderie that defines a good weekend tournament. For club players especial...

05/04/2026

♟️ Fancy testing yourself against the best club players in the North East?

The Aberdeen Chess Congress is on next weekend (10–12 April) — one of the key events in the local calendar

If you’re playing regularly at Stonehaven, this is the next step.

Proper long-play, graded games
Strong opposition from across the region
Cash prizes up for grabs
A great chance to meet like-minded players and raise your level

These congresses are where you actually improve — not blitz, not online, but real competitive chess.

Stonehaven players should be there.

👉 Get yourself entered:

 A Junior discount of £5 is available to players aged under 17 at the start date of the congress. Please click the "Junior" option in the entry form. 

03/04/2026

A strong and competitive evening at the club this week as Stonehaven Dunnotar faced Bon Accord Rooks in the North East League.

The final scoreline finished 3–1 to the visitors, but that doesn’t tell the full story. There was plenty of sharp, attacking chess across the boards, including a superb miniature from Jamie Smith to secure his first North East League win — and in style.

My own game was a good battle that turned on a single decision in the middlegame — a reminder of how fine the margins are at this level.

A big thanks to David Watkin for putting together an excellent match report, capturing the key moments and spirit of the night far better than any result alone.

👉 Read the full report here: https://stonehavenchessclub.co.uk/a-tale-of-kingside-attacks-as-dunnottar-fall-to-bon-accord-rooks/

Plenty of positives to take forward — we go again next week.

14/03/2026

♟️ Stonehaven Dunnotar 3 – 1 Aberdeen Archbishops ♟️

A strong team performance on Wednesday night saw Stonehaven Dunnotar secure a 3–1 victory over Aberdeen Archbishops in the North East Chess League at Stonehaven Chess Club.

Points on the night came from Ian Hodgson (default), David Watkin, and Jan Berg, with some entertaining and dramatic chess played across all four boards. The final game of the evening also produced plenty of excitement before the match concluded 3–1 in Dunnotar’s favour.

It was an excellent result for the home side and another valuable set of league points on the board.

👉 Read the full match report here:
https://stonehavenchessclub.co.uk/dunnotar-secure-3-1-victory-over-aberdeen-archbishops/

♟️ Four boards. Four very different battles. A great night of chess in Stonehaven.

23/02/2026

What a memorable afternoon it was hosting Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard at Stonehaven Chess Club on Saturday.

From an insightful and thought-provoking talk to a competitive and good-humoured simul — including a remarkable win, a hard-fought draw, and plenty of laughter — it was an event we’ll be talking about for years.

We’ve now published a full write-up on the club website, including both featured games:

👉 https://stonehavenchessclub.co.uk/a-memorable-afternoon-with-gm-jacob-aagaard/

A huge thank you again to Jacob (and Lucy!) for making the trip north and giving us such a special day.

On Saturday 21st February, Stonehaven Chess Club had the great privilege of hosting Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard (2423) for a simultaneous exhibition and talk — an event that will long be remembered in the club’s history. Jacob arrived in Stonehaven in good spirits, accompanied by his wife and thei...

21/02/2026

What a superb afternoon of chess at Stonehaven Chess Club.

We were honoured to host Grandmaster Jacob Aagaard for a simultaneous exhibition, preceded by an engaging and thought-provoking Q&A session. Jacob shared stories from his career, his experiences as a coach and author, and — most valuably — practical advice on how club players can improve their thinking and training habits.

The simul games were competitive and instructive, and afterwards Jacob played through a few of the positions, offering short but insightful snippets that gave us a real glimpse into how a grandmaster evaluates the game.

His warmth, generosity, and passion for chess were evident throughout the afternoon — and we were equally delighted to be joined by his lovely golden retriever, Lucy, who quickly became the most popular guest in the room.

A huge thank you to Jacob for travelling up and giving his time so generously. A memorable day for the club and a real privilege to host him.

21/02/2026

An exciting day ahead for the club. We have GM Jacob Aagaard playing a simul against 11 of our clubs members!!

25/01/2026

This promises to be a great event and welcome return to the Chess Calendar!

Aberdeen Chess Congress 2026

The Bon Accord Chess club is delighted to announce the return of the Aberdeen Chess Congress

The Congress will take place on the 10th-12th of April 2026.

It will be a 3 day Event with 3 sections.

Sections: Open | Major (1800) | Minor (1400)

Time Controls: 90 minutes with 30s increment from move 1.

The Congress will take place at Curl Aberdeen.
Eday Walk, Aberdeen AB15 6LN

More Details on link below:
https://congress.org.uk/congress/738/home

25/01/2026

Behind the Boards – Player Profiles

Our Behind the Boards series continues with our second player profile, this time featuring David Bridges.

David has been involved in chess for decades, from school and university through to teaching, league chess, and now Stonehaven – with a few interesting stops along the way (including 65 seasons of cricket!).

The series is all about sharing the stories behind the players who make up the club.

Read David’s profile here:
👉 https://stonehavenchessclub.co.uk/behind-the-boards-david-bridges/

More profiles coming soon.

david bridges – Club Member A closer look at the people who shape our club. 1. How did you get into chess? I was taught chess at primary school in Southampton and continued playing at high school after moving to Arbroath. I had a main chess rival at AHS – he won the seniors (S4/5/6) […]

23/01/2026

Stonehaven Cowie push league leaders all the way in Aberdeen ♟️

A narrow 2.5–1.5 defeat against Bon Accord Rooks, but a strong performance across the boards and a clear step forward from the reverse fixture earlier this season.

Featuring:
• A high-quality strategic battle on Board 1
• A sharp Benko Gambit win for Watkin on Board 2
• An epic stalemate from Bridges on Board 3
• Hard lessons against a strong attack on Board 4

Full match report here:
👉 https://stonehavenchessclub.co.uk/stonehaven-cowie-push-league-leaders-all-the-way-in-aberdeen/

Match report by David Watkin.

A narrow defeat, but a clear step forward for Stonehaven Cowie. Match report by David Watkin Stonehaven Cowie made the midweek trip into Aberdeen to face top-of-the-table Bon Accord Rooks, and the evening delivered everything you could hope for from a league match: careful manoeuvring, kingside dram...

17/01/2026

♟ Behind the Boards – Lewis Matheson

We’re launching a new section on the Stonehaven Chess Club website highlighting the people who make the club what it is.

First up is our chairman, Lewis Matheson — sharing his chess journey, the story behind restarting the club after COVID, and the vision for growing chess in Stonehaven and the wider North-East.

It’s an honest look at the work that happens away from the board and why community chess matters.

Have a read here:
👉 https://stonehavenchessclub.co.uk/behind-the-boards-lewis-matheson/

More player profiles coming soon.

Lewis Matheson – Chairman A closer look at the people who shape our club. How did you get into chess? I was taught the moves by my dad when I was at primary school, probably P6 or P7. My brother learned at the same time and quickly overtook me after getting some instruction from our […]