Bourne Chess Club has come a long way in its first year! Plenty of members attended to celebrate and join in the happy occasion. There was lots of party food and drinks including a special chessboard cake made by one of the member’s Mum.

Honorary Member Jason Dilley came to join in and played some games of chess, much to the delight of the members. Also attending was Susan from one of the grant providers, Bourne United Charity. In the group were many of the original founders of the club going back to March 2024 and of course a large group who have joined since then.

The occasion was marked by the number of smiling faces who were clearly enjoying the company and atmosphere.  Special thanks need to go to BCC Committee members Andy and Ed for all of their tireless work throughout the year, in the background, entirely free of charge – helping the club to maintain a steady course.

Newcomers are always welcome to try out our Tuesday evening Social evenings that start at 7.30pm – 9.30pm even if you just want to have a relaxing social game, with a cuppa and meeting friendly faces.

Bourne Chess Club is one today!  And what a fantastic year it has been. The Club has come a long way since the first club evening on 21/03/2024 where Honarary Member Jason Dilley opened the Club for the people of Bourne to enjoy playing the game of chess.

Over the year we have had the pleasure of dozens and dozens of visitors who have wanted to come and play some fun chess. So many youngsters in fact, that a Junior’s Club was started on Tuesdays. And for those older chess players who just want to enjoy some relaxing chess, they can attend after the Junior’s Club on a Tuesday.

But we do have the good fortune to have a pool of more competitive chess players who enjoy playing in a range of tournaments: blitz, rapid, standard, over 60’s, informal – there really is a fabulous range of matches to play in. Members can decide if they want to be in tournaments that are ECF rated, whether to play with time controls on our DGT 3000 limited edition chess clocks and whether to notate the games or not. There is something for everyone.

Bourne Chess Club is also thriving in the external “4200 North” league too, currently in top spot.

Bourne has a range of competitive playing members with ELO’s from 1200 up to 1820, and we have big plans to play in more external leagues in the new chess season. If you enjoy competitive chess, then Thursday evenings is for you.

The Club started with a handful of loyal members in the Spring of 2024 who have continued to play at the Club all year round. Many of those members were very generous with their support, advice and financial donations and kept the Club going by coming along each week and playing chess. The Club was set up as non-profit making, which it remains today, and has invested heavily in a wide range of equipment and has been hosted superbly by the good people at Wake House in Bourne. As the Club has grown in strength, the venue has been able to accommodate increased numbers and time slots for the members to attend. Bourne Chess Club is very grateful to the staff of Wake House who have been extremely kind and supportive in their service by helping the club to flourish.

The Club has a small but dedicated Committee who work tirelessly in the background so that members not only benefit from playing chess locally but also at events in the region. The Club would be very grateful for the assistance of more Committee members as it continues to grow; there are vacancies currently for Treasurer, Fixtures Secretary, Vice-Chair, Captain, Social Media Contributer, Results Data Input and these posts do not necessarily need to be filled by active members who participate in playing chess.  All applications to: bournechessclub@gmail.com F.A.O Club Secretary.

Bourne Chess Club is for the people of Bourne – please come down and support our thriving club.

One of the advantages of chess over other hobbies and sports is that it can be played at all ages. Many tournaments have a strong following from under 10 year olds, and some of them are strong chess players. But equally, it can be played at home, for fun, between Grandad and Grandson where they both enjoy some time to bond.

Our photo here is an example of how chess appeals to all ages. Bourne Chess Club members, Harrison (12 yrs) from Glinton playing on the Chess Up 2 board with Ian who is over 80 yrs old. As you can see, both are deeply engrossed in the moves being calculated. Bourne Chess Club invested in the Chess Up 2 because it helps members to recognise strong (and weaker) moves, it can be very useful at helping them to see passages of play that they otherwise may miss, so it develops their ability.

There is also the Bourne Junior’s Club that has under 10 year olds going up to 13 years. The Juniors get to make friends and have fun with puzzles and learning about the game.

Learning chess and then playing the game prepares young people with some vital life skills. To begin with, to learn how to play chess is not easy; rarely does a beginner advance to higher levels of ability that might occur with a natural golf swing or kicking foot.  

The natural progression involves learning how to set the pieces up, how each piece moves and their individual worth. It is beneficial to get some kind of appreciation of what the aim is, many newcomers mistakenly believe it is to take as many of the opponent’s pieces as possible. Recognising the rules or structure in which the game is played does take time such is the depth of all the laws of chess.  

At Bourne Chess Club we methodically guide our learners through 5 stages of progression, each with its own externally marked exam leading to a personalised certificate.   

Beyond considering how to move and how to win, the game introduces to a youngster vital lessons such as learning how to lose gracefully and benefit from losing. Judging an opponent’s ability by their appearance is a common early error. Developing grit, perseverance and patience; as a new player will almost inevitably suffer many losses at the start of their learning path.  Utilising that vital information of why the loss occurred will accelerate progression. 

The game is rich in history and for those who are interested, offers a great insight into how different countries around the world have engaged in the game over hundreds of years and offers an intriguing profile of traits and characteristics of how people tend to play in different continents. It is fascinating that a game that starts off in the exact same position no matter where or who you play, can provide such complexity and unpredictable outcomes.  

A youngster will get used to the etiquette of the game; shaking hands at the start while offering good luck, shaking hands at the end while either being gracious in defeat or generous with advice in success. The discipline that is required to play a game in an orderly fashion takes some getting used to – to not put off or distract your opponent, to remain still, to not instantly play the first move that comes into the mind, to maintain concentration for long periods of time, to maintain the abiility to think while under pressure, to double check for blunders prior to moving.  Nobody would expect a youngster of 6 years to accomplish these skills instantly, but over time, they come to recognise the expectations.  

Perhaps one of the most enjoyable lessons that youngsters learn about chess is its ability to deceive. It takes great skill to not only consider our own position and possible attacks, but also to accurately monitor the intentions of our opponent. It is wonderful to discover how a game can flow in one phase, and yet dramatically twist and turn in another phase. The realisation of the power of pins, skewers, forks and other such tactics is very pleasing to discover. A wonderful lesson for the surprises of life. 

As a young player progresses they inevitably start to play matches in more formal settings of organised tournaments. Often they will gain a sense of pride in representing a chess club as a team but can also enter events as individuals where they try to increase their chess rating, collect trophies and win prize money.  

Playing the game of chess will foster in a child a sense of belonging, where other members in a club support and guide, encourage and praise, and offer in a friendly environment comradeship which is quite particular within chess circles. 

At Bourne Chess Club we would recommend to come along to our Juniors evening first of all on Tuesdays 6.30-7.30pm. Our chess pupils are provided with their own training pack to help them remember key ideas. It is a friendly and fun environment where we mix puzzles, drills, theory and practical chess to help keep our juniors motivated, enthusiastic and able to start seeing the many benefits that chess can offer.  

There is something very satisfying and enriching about sitting down for an hour or perhaps half an hour, and playing a game of chess with a person ‘over the board’ as opposed to online. There is the opportunity to put all of the days stresses and worries aside for a moment, and just contemplate your next move in peace and quiet. 

Playing ‘over the board’ has been seen for hundreds of years in cafes, outside spaces like parks or street squares, within chess clubs, in pubs and schools and colleges and universities. Even some employers now have a ‘quiet room’ set aside for employees to benefit from playing chess.

At Bourne Chess Club we can offer a relaxing game of chess on a Tuesday and Thursday evening for the price of a Starbuck’s coffee!  We have different tournaments for competitive chess if you’re wanting to improve your chess rating. But if not, we have tournaments where our members (there are now over 20), get to play each other in a variety of structured events. It is of course beneficial to play different opponents so that a steady increase in experience is achieved.

Our members range from 6 years to over 80 years of age, and we have a dedicated Juniors section for our younger members. In addition to that, for anyone interested in popping down just to perhaps have a game and see how you get on, our Tuesday evenings (7.30-9.30pm) is a great starting point.

Teas/coffees and snacks are provided free of charge to our members, as is parking, and you can come along without the need to bring any equipment with you – we have it all here, including move sheets, clocks and the latest Chess Up 2 for your free use!

If you have had a busy, stressed day then Bourne Chess Club gives you a chance to make friends with like-minded people over an enjoyable game of chess.