The politics of chess?

[David York]

How many MPs play chess?
How many local politicians play chess?

How many local MP vs Mayor chess matches can you point to?

I have been promoting chess in the City of Colchester for a while now and mostly I need help in that.

Different mayors have opened the Jonathan Penrose Chess Park

04The Mercury Theatre hosts a webpage about Jonathan Penrose.jpg (143.02 KiB) Viewed 5575 times

and a chess table in a park

05Opening a park 'two-times table' is a job for a mayor.jpg (579.73 KiB) Viewed 5575 times

and now the current mayor is hosting a full day of chess at Colchester Town Hall.

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About the day: https://colchesster.org.uk/chess/

This time, Chess in Schools and Communities is part of the fun on the day. My ambition is to help increase the amount of chess in schools - starting with junior schools, which have been invited by the mayor to take part for free in his charity event.

Of course, I get plenty of help too from the local chess clubs and meetups and others willing to do more than just turn up for a game.

Is this a model for promoting chess in other places? The answer is 'yes' but only if you or your club work at it.

[David York]

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Following the day of chess, local social media carried plenty of coverage. Some of which passed through my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086346963185

A town hall full of children and their parents at their first chess tournament (thanks to Chess in Schools and Communities) guarantees plenty of word of mouth encouragement for chess.