Ballarat Chess Club – Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute

Meet Thursdays in the Humffray Room

The chess table in the photo (which is part of a collage of portraits of old BMI members) is possibly one of those still in use in the BMI Library on the ground floor. The date of the picture, at a rough guess, is believed to be between 1866 and 1875. C.J. Harvey (shown on the picture), J.Tatham (on the collage) and W.D. Battan (secretary of the BMI, on the collage and who presented the collage to the BMI in 1910) were active chess-players in 1866-67. They played, amongst others, in the infamous Smythesdale handicap-chess tournament, which lasted 8 months, and ended in controversy.

BMI News

Newsletter – September 2025

A Message from the Chair... | Rosemary's New Releases and...

A Message from the Chair | BMI Board of Directors | September 2025

The Little Brass Band – Fundraiser Looking back to the...

Rosemary’s Book of the Week

The Eye of the Dragonfly: My life seeing the world...

Ballarat Chess Club | Reinactment of the 1925 Chess Tournament

The re-creation of the 1925 chess tournament between Ballarat and...

Cart

Your cart is empty! Return to shop