Chess Player needed to open Cafe

[Chris Rice]

Hoping someone can help me out here.

I coach an 11 year old in Kent whose father has just opened a riverside cafe in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. The father wants to get some PR for the cafe by telling the local media that he is arranging for someone to play customers at chess on a weekend day or even make it a regular thing if it works out. If the customer loses then they make a small donation to a charity. The details haven't been all worked out yet but the main problem is that he just doesn't have a chess player to do it as yet, it could be someone with a title or perhaps a strong local player, male or female, who might be able to get some publicity for a local chess club. I said I'd reach out and try and find someone but I don't know anyone from that area and Google has been spectacularly unhelpful so far.

Would anyone be interested? (If you volunteer someone else perhaps best to do it via a private message).

[Dan Lambourne]

Closest Chess Club is almost certainly the new club at Bishops Cleeve, and then the club in Cheltenham.

I started going to Cheltenham Chess Club when I worked in Tewkesbury, but only worked there for a year, so have only been back recently for a few classic car shows that have had to stop because they got too big.

I have no details on the club at Bishops Cleeve other than what is online, but I still play for Cheltenham, so I can email the secretary for you and see if anyone is interested.

Another possibility in the other direction is that Malvern have a chess club.

[Chris Rice]

Closest Chess Club is almost certainly the new club at Bishops Cleeve, and then the club in Cheltenham.

I started going to Cheltenham Chess Club when I worked in Tewkesbury, but only worked there for a year, so have only been back recently for a few classic car shows that have had to stop because they got too big.

I have no details on the club at Bishops Cleeve other than what is online, but I still play for Cheltenham, so I can email the secretary for you and see if anyone is interested.

Another possibility in the other direction is that Malvern have a chess club.

Thanks for getting back so quickly Dan, much appreciated. I didn't know about Bishop Cleeve or Malvern so I'll try contacting them. I imagine Cheltenham is the biggest club around that area so if you can email the secretary that would be brilliant. The cafe owner tells me there's a slice of lemon drizzle cake in it for you if anything comes out of it!

[Joey Stewart]

There's a couple of players I know from the Gloucester club who actually live in Tewkesbury. I would even do it, but the busses are A bit infrequent and I don't trust them not to leave me trapped there.

P.s. one reason it is harder to find information about chess in this area is that the league insists on calling itself the "north" Gloucestershire League even though there has been no south Gloucestershire for several decades and if Chris was having trouble finding us then it just goes to show that a renaming is long overdue.

[John Upham]

I would suggest that rather having a chess player (singular) that almost certainly no-one would have heard of that you encourage chess club members to attend the opening and use this to generate pre and post event publicity.

Just a thought...

[IM Jack Rudd]

Depends when he needs someone, but I'd certainly be interested.

[Chris Rice]

Depends when he needs someone, but I'd certainly be interested.

The dates can be arranged Jack and I think you would be the sort of player the owner is looking for. I do think the other ideas are very helpful though as contacting the chess clubs around Gloucester to come and play you would generate a lot of added interest. Let me have a chat with the owner and we'll see if we can sort something out.

[Nick Ivell]

I'm sure the owner would be delighted to get a titled player!

[Chris Rice]

I know a couple of people are trying to reach me discretely but when I send PMs the message often seem to spend forever in the Outbox. There is one still there now from Monday morning. It's probably my fault but I'll leave an email address anyway where people can reach me directly on this subject: [email address now deleted due to Carl's comments]

[Carl Hibbard]

I know a couple of people are trying to reach me discretely but when I send PMs the message often seem to spend forever in the Outbox. There is one still there now from Monday morning.

No that one confuses everyone - it stays in the outbox until it is read by the recipient then it moves into sent.

[Chris Rice]

I know a couple of people are trying to reach me discretely but when I send PMs the message often seem to spend forever in the Outbox. There is one still there now from Monday morning. It's probably my fault but I'll leave an email address anyway where people can reach me directly on this subject: [email address now deleted due to Carl's comments]

No that one confuses everyone - it stays in the outbox until it is read by the recipient then it moves into sent.

Thanks Carl, appreciate the information. I've now deleted the email address from my posts but obviously can't from yours.

[Carl Hibbard]

I know a couple of people are trying to reach me discretely but when I send PMs the message often seem to spend forever in the Outbox. There is one still there now from Monday morning. It's probably my fault but I'll leave an email address anyway where people can reach me directly on this subject: [email address now deleted due to Carl's comments]

No that one confuses everyone - it stays in the outbox until it is read by the recipient then it moves into sent.

Thanks Carl, appreciate the information. I've now deleted the email address from my posts but obviously can't from yours.

I know a man who can.

[David York]

Sorry to see this a bit late. The idea of setting up a regular chess meetup is great - I have done that in Colchester - see colchesster.org.uk You need an opening event with lots of social media coverage to get it off the ground (I did that for the Prettyage pub). Trouble is, the best local news coverage is after it gains a following. To be honest, local newspapers will be very happy to have someone write an article for them with a few pictures just about X opens a new Y in the town. The chess is just a bonus!

[Chris Rice]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. With the various contacts that were suggested the Riverside Cafe had a trial chess event with a local Gloucester player taking on all comers for a couple of hours just to see if it would work.

The format was five minute blitz games and the more money the customer donated to the Red Cross the more time he/she was given on the clock with the Gloucester player getting less time and there were prizes if the customer won. £41 was raised in a very short time and the owner, Robert, was so pleased he's going ahead with an official opening of the café on Sunday August 6th where chess will be centre stage all day. Every chess player who lives in the Tewkesbury area, or really anyone who just fancies a game or wishes to donate to the Red Cross will be very welcome.

I'll update on the event as we get nearer to it and as I intend to be there myself hopefully I'll get some photos to put on the forum. Once again thanks to everyone who wanted to help, you succeeded in turning a passing thought of a cafe owner into a reality.

[Tim Spanton]

Thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. With the various contacts that were suggested the Riverside Cafe had a trial chess event with a local Gloucester player taking on all comers for a couple of hours just to see if it would work.

The format was five minute blitz games and the more money the customer donated to the Red Cross the more time he/she was given on the clock with the Gloucester player getting less time and there were prizes if the customer won. £41 was raised in a very short time and the owner, Robert, was so pleased he's going ahead with an official opening of the café on Sunday August 6th where chess will be centre stage all day. Every chess player who lives in the Tewkesbury area, or really anyone who just fancies a game or wishes to donate to the Red Cross will be very welcome.

I'll update on the event as we get nearer to it and as I intend to be there myself hopefully I'll get some photos to put on the forum. Once again thanks to everyone who wanted to help, you succeeded in turning a passing thought of a cafe owner into a reality.

Worth sending the pix with a short write-up to Chess mag, I would have thought