Margaret Hepburn (née Welsh)

24 March 1894, Galashiels─? Brazil

Associated with Glasgow Ladies Chess Club

From Scottish Chess magazine, April 1994, p5:-

Scottish emigre makes her century in Brazil
Sao Paulo, Brazil March 24 1994

Five years after confounding the experts by passing her medical examination to live in Brazil, Mrs Margaret Hepburn today (Thursday, 24th March) receive a congratulatory telegram from the Queen to mark her 100th birthday. Scottish-born Margaret lived most of her life in Glasgow, where most days she would climb the hill to her house at Angus Oval, Cardonald. A strong chess player, she competed at regional and national level well into her eighties. Although never destined to win the national ladies championship she was always a contender for the title.

Mrs Margaret Hepburn at the 1973 SCA Congress, Bearsden
Picture: Glasgow Ladies' CC archives

Margaret is still honorary president of Glasgow Ladies Chess Club where she was a member for over 75 years. Rose Shedden, current secretary of the club, still keeps in touch; "She is a renowned speaker and poet and was always in demand to combine the two with her love for chess at club dinners and social functions." Until she left for Brazil five years ago, she was a regular player and member of the Scottish Correspondence Chess Association. She taught herself Russian, Spanish and German and still keeps in touch with some of her international adversaries. She now lives in Sao Paulo with her son Leslie who moved to Brazil with Rolls Royce over 30 years ago, captaining the Brazilian rugby team on many occasions. Of her entry to Brazil she says: "I passed the medical with flying colours, I was in better shape than the doctor who examined me."

Mrs Hepburn's poetic side was inspired by the circumstances surrounding the 1964 Scottish Chess Association congress in Edinburgh, which included R.G. Wade as controller. From Scottish Chess Nr 15, 1964:

From a Lady's point of view

Twice daily sessional,
Meetings congressional,
Never professional,
Simply obsessional.		 The ladies all dressed
in their elegant best,
Gloved, hatted, the rest
All duly impressed.

Pretty tough going,
However you're doing,
Never start crowing
Till your score's growing
Wade's Organization
caused quite a sensation,
deserves an ovation
From Chess Federation.
   
Even then, if it's fate,
Your opponent says "Mate",
And you notice, too late,
You've a nought on the slate.		 Schedules were tight,
Clocks were set right,
Quite enough light
Even at night.
   
But social affairs
Can banish your cares;
City Chamberlain's lairs
Had chocolate eclairs.		 A simul by Wade,
Extremely high grade
Chess moves he made
Against those who played.

Between times we'd run
To bask in the sun,
Lost games or won,
It was excellent fun.

NOTE:
Mrs Hepburn's son Leslie J. Hepburn represented Scotland in the 1951 Glorney Cup. 

Alan McGowan
Historian/Archivist, Chess Scotland

added 24/6/2023