Hands linger over chess pieces, silently debating the possible outcomes, all with a ticking clock counting down as everyone retreats into their world, but not isolated, a comfortable knowledge that chess players surround the room battling the same questions.
Perhaps they had already considered all the outcomes; even the younger children stare at the chess boards and back up at their opponents, curious about the thoughts inside their heads.
A bustling sense of community within the quiet concentration.
Many members of the London Chess Club and the UWE Chess Society have only played online before; now, they can soak in the silent deliberation.
Chess.com and Lichess saw a stark rise in membership accounts during the 2020 Lockdown, and this success continued into 2022, as Chess.com reached over 100 million members.
London Chess Club Organiser Harry comments that since the lockdown and the Netflix series ‘The Queen’s Gambit’, the community has become larger and larger each year as they move from cafe to cafe.
Rows upon rows of friends, fathers and sons, and young children all sat in the MMY Elephant Park since the London Chess Club merged with the local London Knight Club in 2024.
Four years have passed since the end of the lockdown, and community chess clubs such as the London Chess Club and university chess societies are booming.
Co-founder of the UWE Chess Society, Edward Honey, believes the increase in online platforms will increase communication between universities, allowing arrangements such as inter-university Chess to become the norm.
The increase in interest has led to YouTube phenomenons such as Gotham Chess, encouraging the next generation of Chess players.
President of the UWE Chess Society, James Meadows, said: “The youth of today shapes the future of tomorrow.”
An eight-year-old at the London Chess Club mentioned playing Chess for two weeks, first inspired by YouTube channels.
Her father has encouraged her passion for the game by taking her to the chess club, where Organiser Jed helps teach the young chess player.
The youthful spark of passion for strategies.
The London Chess Club organises monthly tournaments for around 50 to 100 players, divided into different rating groups: Pro, Intermediate, and Novice.
Various Grandmasters have dropped the club, including Pia Cramling, Alessia Santeramo and Noel Studer.
Harry explains that a Grandmaster is a title awarded to Chess players; other titles include Female Grandmaster and International Master.
University can become a lonely environment, with stacks of papers piled high on desks, a new labyrinth of hallways and faces to memorise, and the grey hues of British weather threatening to unleash the rain.
Upon walking into a room full of beginner and more advanced chess players, a warmth of light glows with the friendly welcome of the UWE Chess Society.
Co-founder of UWE Chess Society, Edward Honey, started the society in his second year with the old President; in his third year, the other committee members agreed that Edward should be President.
As the 2023/24 President of the UWE Chess Society, his primary aspiration was for the society to be a place where students can come together and improve their chess skills.
Co-founder Edward Honey said, “I just wanted it to be an inclusive place where beginners and advanced players could meet, have fun, and enjoy the game of chess.”
A member of the 2023/24 UWE Chess Society and the President of the 2024/25 UWE Chess Society, James Meadows, reflected on the society’s founding: it “started up again in 2022 because students started talking to each other when they were playing at a chess board in the engineering building.”
While Chess maintains a serious reputation, the players themselves are not.
On Valentine’s Day, the UWE Chess Society had a hand-and-brain tournament instead of the more traditional format.
Hand-and-brain Chess involves two team members on each side: one person as the hand moves the pieces, and the other person as the brain voices which type of piece.
The team, however, cannot collude with each other.
Sometimes, the game can become a source of madness and frustration when one teammate takes a different direction.
But at the final checkmate, the two teammates have strengthened their understanding of how each other plays and reflected more deeply on themselves.
The President of the UWE Chess Society, Meadows, said: “Our hand and brain events encourage players to work together, so it really helps in creating a sense of community.”
Meadows will continue the hand-and-brain tournaments to help members bond together.
Co-founder of UWE Chess Society, Edward Honey, said: “It’s a lot easier to create a competitive team from a sociable club than to turn a competitive club into a sociable environment.”
Honey arranged other social events for the UWE Chess Society, including fresher fair stalls across campus to play Chess against the 2023/24 Committee, solving chess puzzles, and a Christmas trip to Chase and Counters to bond the members.
His goal as President was always to keep the group tournaments competitive but fair and fun.
Four tables are divided into groups where players compete with a set timer, and from the tables, one player would come out to play against a different table.
The lingering over pieces to the quick touchdown and rushing to press the chess timer to begin re-considering your move or waiting for the plan to unveil.
Honey won the April UWE Chess Tournament by three points.
James Meadows took over as President in the 2024/25 academic year.
If Honey had more time, he would make inter-university Chess more accessible, and Meadows has continued his work with future matches in the Bristol Chess League.
President of UWE Chess Society, James Meadows, said it “will give our players the opportunity to play competitive classical chess”, but he remains focused on creating “a real sense of community.”
Both Honey and Meadow focus on fostering a strong sense of community within the University.
James Meadows strategising in a friendly game of chess
Honey returned in July after graduating with a first-class honours degree as an alum member.
President of UWE Chess Society, James Meadows, said: “I’ve known from very early on when I started playing chess that it is so much more enjoyable when the experience is shared with others… you realise that you have a lot in common with people”.
While it maintains its status as a Chess society, some members bring other games, such as Geoguesser, similar to the fostering of the game community at the London Chess Club.
The London Chess Club has expanded its reach to another game called ‘Go.’
UWE Chess President Meadows said: “Chess mirrors life, and we can learn a lot about life and ourselves when we play it.”
The teacher of Go, Jim, believes the same psychology about ‘Go’.
Similar to Chess as a strategic and older game, two players place pieces down in order to capture more territory than their opponent.
Whether through online platforms, local tournaments, or social events, the game of Chess continues to unite people of all ages and skill levels, proving that its relevance in modern society is as strategic and timeless as the game itself.
Skye Collacott Williamson 