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.

Playing chess in Bourne has become a whole lot easier thanks to Bourne Chess Club.

Young players are welcome to come to the “Junior’s Club” on a Tuesday evening at Wake House, in the Windmill Room from 6.30-7.30pm  Cost £2   This is a very friendly and relaxed way to learn about chess for youngsters. The club has a Safeguarding Policy that is enforced and parents are required to accompany their children at all times in the building.

For older newcomers to the club, you are best off starting by coming to the Tuesday evening “Social” session. You can meet some of the members of the club in a relaxing environment, and it matters not what ability or previous experience you have of the game. This is also on a Tuesday evening and it starts at 7.30pm going through to 9.30pm – cost £5

For any players who like more competitive chess, and perhaps want to play rated chess where they improve their grades within different time controls, the Thursday evening session is for you. It is in The Baxter Room of Wake House, Thursdays 6.30-9.30pm  £5  We have refreshments available for free.  You may enter yourself in the pool of players to represent Bourne Chess Club in external league matches within the Cambridgeshire County Chess Association. All we ask is that newcomers to the club first of all come to the “Social” session on a Tuesday evening before visiting us on a Thursday as Thursday evenings do have rated league matches running.

Everybody who comes to Bourne Chess Club on either evening is welcome to make use of the private car park at the rear, and are advised to tap in their registration on one of the many monitors in the building- parking is free.

Bourne Chess Club has been running for just under a year at the time of writing and for most of that time, it has been running at a loss. But we have persevered in the hope that at some point, we would manage to keep afloat. We have no intentions of making profits, our aim is for residents of Bourne to come and enjoy chess and make friends along the way. But clearly, there are expenses to running clubs and thankfully, recently there have been a few kind donations provided to help keep the Club running.

The members and Committee of Bourne Chess Club would like to thank the following organisations for their generous donations:

Cambridgeshire County Chess Association

The Len Pick Trust

Bourne United Charities

Let’s hope that with these kind donations, we are able to continue growing and helping more and more people experience the joys of playing chess.

For people who have played chess before but it might have been a long time ago, or perhaps other things prevented them from continuing, the Thursday evening session is a good way to get back into the game in a relaxing atmosphere. Please be aware that we do insist on silence when there are competitive games being played so as not to distract others. There are many members who are willing and able to help newcomers to get back into chess again. There are two seperate playing rooms to assist members in keeping the volume down.

There is a library of chess books, self-help guides to get back into the game at home. All we ask is that members return the books.

There is also a Chess Up 2 to help members improve their game that they can utilise if they want a break from playing an over the board match.

Tea/coffee and nibbles are provided free of charge.

Michael had passed on to Tom a variety of chess equipment and resources collected over the years. Some were used to help start Bourne Chess Club in March 2024. In fact the chess pieces seen in the website were passed on from Michael. There were literally dozens of chess books and DVDs that Michael had studied over decades. He was a lover of the game from an early age and taught his son, Tom when he was young.

The competitive playing of chess has its challenges. Attending tournaments, sometimes a far distance from home involves arranging accommodation and takes a good deal of planning not to mention courage and determination when playing against a strong field of players. To continue doing this into your 60’s, 70’s and 80’s is a mark of character that few people possess.

A ‘solid’ club player is probably an appropriate way to describe Michael’s ability. His last recorded ECF rating was in excess of 100, 1488 in current rating. As organisers of chess clubs and chess tournaments know only too well, it is precisely the type of chess player that Michael was, that helps to keep the game going. Having a bank of players who are willing to play chess competitively is what helps to establish clubs and provide some stability.

Bourne in Lincolnshire fielded a strong bank of competitive players in the 1980’s, one of whom is a member of the current Bourne Chess Club. They used to play in local pubs, The Anchor, The Nags Head and The Mason’s Arms.

Whether you would like to play competitively or socially, you would be very welcome to attend the club evening and make some new friends.