The u3a West End chess group has been meeting every other Monday for nearly six months now in the lovely surroundings of the club room in the Mackintosh Halls in Shakespeare Street. We usually start our two-hour meetings with a demonstration of a well-known opening for the white or black pieces, followed by some discussion and then individual games.

The group has a mix of more experienced players – though none of us are exactly grand masters! – and members who haven’t played since childhood or in some cases have never played before. There is a great atmosphere, with relative newbies getting lots of support and encouragement to learn the game and try out different approaches. One complete newcomer is now winning games against other members and has definitely got the chess bug!

We are keen to expand the group, so please do get in touch and contact Stephanie via the link above, if you’d like to come along and join us. (Mackintosh Halls is a great place to meet, with plenty of free parking and a quiet room to ourselves. We hope to see some of you there soon!)