Whether you’re a bishop, king, queen or a humble pawn, why not banish boredom with a board game and beer at Histon’s new weekly chess club? Lucy Callington finds out more…
One of the great things about Histon and Impington is that there really is something for everyone! There’s a host of hobbies to enjoy, clubs to join and no shortage of pubs to meet up with mates in. Then sometimes the stars align, and you find a club that combines all of the above!
Chess club is the idea of Rose and Crown regulars Harry Williams and Kai Bain. They spotted a gap in the market for a weekly sociable games night, approached landlord Steve Snudden, who enthusiastically gave the idea the go-ahead, and, hey presto, that gap was filled.
The club now meets every Wednesday evening from 7.30pm in the cosy surroundings of the Rose and Crown pub. Chess boards and pieces are provided, and there’s plenty of beer on tap, so all players need to turn up with is a sharp brain.
On deciding to create the club, Harry says: “The main motivation was that there wasn’t a chess club local to Histon and Impington so keen chess players like me would have to go into town to play. Now people can access it locally and it’s also a great opportunity to socialise with a variety of different people.”
Rook-ies welcome
With around 10-20 players of all ages each week and all skill levels catered for – from chess newbies to wannabe Grand Masters – the club is fast becoming a midweek fixture for those wishing to sup while stimulating their mental synapses!
According to Harry, attendees have been enjoying it so far. He shares: “It’s a very fun game and the replay factor is eternal. Many players haven’t played in years or even decades and are enjoying getting back into it, along with the social bonus of meeting like-minded people in a relaxed setting”.
Join the club
Since the pandemic, chess has been experiencing something of a surge, with over 600 million registered players worldwide and a growth in participation among younger people in particular.
According to its players there are many benefits to chess – including being mentally stimulating and good for logical and critical thinking skills. Expanding on this, Harry adds: “It can also help you to view problems or parts of your life in a different way – which can be helpful”.
No time to get ‘board’
So that individual games don’t take all night (or, very importantly, go past last orders!) club members play speed chess – a much shorter form of the game. Time controls range between bullet, (the fastest time control), to blitz and rapid.
“Bullet is usually one or two minutes per side”, Harry explains, “so players rely heavily on intuition and trying to play logically. Blitz is three or five minutes, with a bit more time for calculation but still relies quite heavily on intuition or pattern recognition. Then rapid takes around 10-30 minutes”.
The speediness of the game also allows players to think a bit more deeply about the positions without committing multiple hours to it.
Check it out
Landlord Steve Snudden enthuses: “I’m very pleased with how well the club has been going so far – we are always looking for new chess players of any ability and would love to see more players coming along!”
Look out for the opening of the Rose and Crown’s extension and expanded kitchen provision, set to be finished at the start of July. And, who knows, more room may even mean more tables for chess boards!
Chess Club is from 7.30pm every Wednesday at the Rose and Crown, Glebe Way, Histon.
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