Major investment to transform future of English chess announced

[Paul McKeown]

Total waste of money, and Nick and Matt are spot on with regard to the government's rule by worthy sounding slogan, cynically broadcast without the slightest intent to act thereupon (the slogans are not even meant to convince the public who know better, but are meant to drive criticism from the news cycle by providing intentionally misleading talking points for their client media to focus on). Moreover, I wouldn't mind a wager that a large number of these boards (no pieces) have black squares in the right hand corners, too.

[Roger Lancaster]

Total waste of money, and Nick and Matt are spot on with regard to the government's rule by worthy sounding slogan, cynically broadcast without the slightest intent to act thereupon (the slogans are not even meant to convince the public who know better, but are meant to drive criticism from the news cycle by providing intentionally misleading talking points for their client media to focus on). Moreover, I wouldn't mind a wager that a large number of these boards (no pieces) have black squares in the right hand corners, too.

I've already indicated I'm not in the "wonderful investment" camp but I think "total waste of money" might be going too far in the opposite direction. In past years, when the weather forecast was particularly promising and schools were closed, my club organised junior meetings in a local park. Decent chess tables would have been an asset but, in their absence, boards were brought along together with sets and clocks. It helped that the local park had other amenities including a cafe and a play area (swings etc) for those younger kids not actually playing to stop them getting bored. We're not due to receive HMG tables but, had we been, they would have served a purpose. Downside, of course, is that there aren't too many days (at weekends or in non-term time) when the forecast is reliably encouraging - I think the best we managed was 3 or 4 meetings in a year. Maybe others did better.

[Roland Kensdale]

Daily Telegraph 9.5.24 (sometimes paywalled) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/0 ... ss-tables/

Case in point are the park’s public toilets which she says the council “don’t look after. It’s just little things, isn’t it, and they’ve spent all that money on that [chess board]. The soap dispenser doesn’t work. There’s no toilet roll in one.”

...

Samantha Sampson, 40, a housewife who lives on the outskirts of the park and treats it “like our garden” insists it has only been used as “the rolling table and the drinking table”. Rolling? “Joints and things like that. It doesn’t get used as a chess table, unfortunately. It’s a shame.”

...

Although rare is the chess player who carts their own pieces around, the park ranger tells me there is a young man trying to source a communal set for the park and encouraging people to play. “He’s really enthusiastic. Once people see it being used, I think it will encourage other people to start getting involved.” And that is “a good thing,” he says. “Chess is a universal game everyone can play.”

Sadly, the £2,500 board has already been graffitied with the cryptic message “boc mat” which the park ranger tells me he can’t remove with chemicals or “the warranty is out of the window”.

The journalist eventually finds an opponent and enjoys the experience.

[Jon D'Souza-Eva]

We want a photo of the "very ugly wooden top with no chessboard".

I found a picture of the Bury Knowle (Headington) chess table after the concrete table top got vandalised and replaced by an ugly wooden top:


A close up (I am not responsible for this!):

[Gerard Killoran]

Rolling? “Joints and things like that. It doesn’t get used as a chess table, unfortunately. It’s a shame.”

Of course, it can be used as both. I could name one or two chess players for whom this would be an incentive.

[Reg Clucas]

Not sure whether some of these 'boards' are the right way round?!? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6p2n2zg0ejo

[Paul Habershon]

Not sure whether some of these 'boards' are the right way round?!? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6p2n2zg0ejo

Looks ok. The seat with blue spots for a player and the two seats either side for captured pieces or kibitzers. Soon to be vandalised, no doubt, with graffiti if not bent and twisted.

[Geoff Chandler]

More on this here https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cprglvj820po 'Debate over £2,500 'levelling up' park chess tables.'

""I think the £2,500 for this board probably could have been spent on something that is actually going to get used...Park budgets around here have been cut right back to the bone, now we've ended up with a chess board that's sort of a white elephant." Kevin Mercer.

"If you spent half a million quid on football it's loose change, but for chess this is quite a substantial sum." Nigel Short.

A picture of a chess table and snakes and ladders board at Culross taken when I was looking for things about John Cochrane.
I asked to be put on a bus for Culross but was picked up by the member of staff at the bus station as wanting to go to 'Kinross.' It was whilst going through Cowdenbeath I realised perhaps I am on the wrong bus. Apparently Culross is pronounced as 'coo-riss' by everyone in Scotland except me.

[Mick Norris]

There's one in Manor Heath Park in Halifax, near the cafe and children's play area, and the board is the right way round

It's a Concrete Sports one, so I assume I don't need to upload a photo as you know what it looks like

[Carl Hibbard]

A post was removed.

[MJMcCready]

We've got quite a few tramps in the park nearest to me, would they be allowed to use the chessboard too or will there be a dress code in play?

[Matt Mackenzie]

A few tramps have been quite strong chess players, of course.....

[Mick Norris]

There's one in Manor Heath Park in Halifax, near the cafe and children's play area, and the board is the right way round

It's a Concrete Sports one, so I assume I don't need to upload a photo as you know what it looks like

And another in Centre Vale Park in Todmorden near a concrete table tennis table

[Jonathan Rogers]

In yesterday's Times, there is a prominent article concerning the DCMS grant, which is said to be in danger. The department is thought to be especially vulnerable to cuts and a source is quoted as saying "low-hanging fruit tastes as good as the fruit at the top of the tree". Plenty of photos of Rachel Reeves but the tone is that it would be difficult for her to intervene on this.

Predictable, alas.

The article also mentions opposition from those who think that their local councils would dearly love to spend the same amount of money available to them for chess tables on, well, about a thousand more important things.(Also predictable. Er, do we yet have as much as a single account of anyone other than an administrator or local club player actually playing chess on any of them?).

[John Townsend]

The scheme would benefit from a little support and enthusiasm from experienced players, including some of those who want the money to be spent on forms of "elite chess". We don't have one here in Wokingham, but a table placed in Elms Field would be a sure way to attract young players to the game.