Major investment to transform future of English chess announced

[Leonard Barden]

Carl, can the last two posts be moved to the Reeves makes her move on chess fund thread? The Budapest Olympiad starts tomorrow, and this report on the eve of the event isn't exactly a team morale booster.

[John Townsend]

Do you mean the two messages from Jonathan Rogers and me? They seem to be on topic, so it would be an unusual and unnecessary action to move them elsewhere.

[Jonathan Rogers]

I wouldn't object to my post being moved to the other thread, which I hadn't seen when I posted on this one. This could be done as a matter of good housekeeping. But if Leonard is concerned about the Times report having the capacity to undermine team morale, then logically he would ask for that other thread to be removed altogether. As it is, I feel quite sure that all squad members are already keenly aware of the Times report; and I daresay that some of them, as with some of us, will have some time ago anticipated its contents.

[John Townsend]

I am wondering how much success can be had by asking for posts to be moved to another, less appropriate thread.

[John Upham]

I am wondering how much success can be had by asking for posts to be moved to another, less appropriate thread.

Might I suggest a new thread is created on this very topic?

[Paul Cooksey]

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.

I disagree. There are lots of ways for experienced players from Wokingham to encourage young players, not least because Berkshire Junior Chess Association runs most of its events in Wokingham. But a concrete board does not help us.

On the wrong side of the tracks, or at least the B3348, in Bracknell Forest there is an outdoor table at the Morgan Rec. Usually there are lots of children and some mums. I have yet to see any chess.

I strongly suspect the mothers of young children would not welcome chess players in the playground. I also suspect that even if they are favourably disposed to chess, they would tell you it is an indoor game for rainy days. Hopefully they know Crowthorne Juniors meet on a Wednesday at a local school.

Maybe there is an outside chance of two bored mums deciding to have a game of chess instead of reading or browsing their phones. Should this be the actual plan, to encourage more female players, and if it works, I owe a genius at the DCMS an apology. But probably not.

[Ian Thompson]

Hopefully they know Crowthorne Juniors meet on a Wednesday at a local school.

There's an opportunity to make some use of the board - put an advert near it saying "Want to play chess, but didn't bring any pieces with you? Join Crowthorne (junior) chess club instead where everything will be provided for you. See https://crowthornechess.org.uk/ or phone the club secretary on ...".

[John Townsend]

Thank you, Paul. What I would envisage is volunteers supplying chessmen and manning a table. One of my teachers at school used to take his cricket bat into the playground at lunchtime, offering a penny to anyone who bowled him out. Today it would need to be a fiver for visitors beating the volunteer over the board. That would be a good incentive initially. Later, the volunteers could supervise people playing among themselves.

Unless more people become willing to support such a scheme, instead of predicting failure, we won't know what could be achieved.

[Jonathan Rogers]

In theory this could work. Why don't you be the first to give it a try? Don't be put off by people staring!

[Geoff Chandler]

These benches and board were added to a public garden in Haddington from money raised by the Tesco Bags for Help Programme. They have been there since 2018 and no sign at all of any vandalism.

I've often seen it when on the bus going in and out Haddington so I thought I do a photo shoot with my garden set and tick off another box in my bagging outdoor boards quest. This is a bit like Munro Bagging without all the effort of actually climbing a mountain.



Due to a rare moment of sunshine in Scotland it does look like the board is the wrong way round, but it's not. It has red and white squares and white is on the right.

The crest on both benches.

[David York]

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?).

If an alien came to earth and asked for an example of a grumpy old chess player I would point them to this forum. STOP BEING NEGATIVE and get out there to promote the sport you play.

Kids and local councillors playing chess on the same table in a park.

[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?).

If an alien came to earth and asked for an example of a grumpy old chess player I would point them to this forum. STOP BEING NEGATIVE and get out there to promote the sport you play.

By all means do that, but I should think that most visitors from outer space will conclude that the sceptics on this forum have a point.

[Chris Goodall]

I stand by my assessment that the chess tables are a blessing from heaven, for everyone who carries heavy plastic pieces around with them but not a light folding board.

Your local Starbucks has probably had a chess board design on their round tables for years, with similar results.

I'm a little alarmed by the reference to a warranty. Once the warranty expires are we going to have to avoid castling too vigorously, lest they split asunder and stave our kneecaps in?

[Mick Norris]

Yes, my experience in Todmorden is that there's a boardgames cafe in the centre which has, as well as lots of alternatives, a chess set and board

You could play a 12 board county match there

Out at the park, it's not obvious that there are either standard sets available for the Concrete Sports table nor giant pieces for the nearby large Concrete board on the floor

[Mick Norris]

2024.10.12 Accrington.jpg (1.18 MiB) Viewed 826 times

There were 2 of these picnic tables (so 4 boards in total) outside Haworth Art Gallery in Accrington yesterday; as you can see, helpfully they do have access to pieces to use too

I've no idea how long these have been there, so whether they form part of the recent funding, but it does seem more practical when they are in suitable locations (which is the main argument many of us have against the tables, they aren't as useful when they are in a park with no pieces available); the boards on top of an existing table seem a more obvious idea than the correct tables and chairs