Medway Chess Club campaigns for more to take up the sport

It comes after the Government announces plans to invest £1 million in English Chess.

Transcript

00:00 You've got to really think hard.

00:03 Just enjoyed the tactical thought process of it.

00:05 I don't think there's anything else like it.

00:08 It's a simple result.

00:09 There's plenty of reasons why members of the Medway Chess Club love coming back week after

00:13 week both to play casually and competitively.

00:17 Over the past few years the game has grown exponentially with the rise of online chess

00:21 and its presence in pop culture breathing life to a new generation of chess lovers.

00:26 But more locally, members here are hoping that with government backing the sport will

00:30 have a UK resurgence.

00:31 I think the advantage of this place is it's central and we've come along with a lot of

00:37 younger players because of the location.

00:41 It has really helped for the young players.

00:44 So we're hoping that the numbers keep going up and with this government initiative we're

00:49 hoping that we'll get more players and the club will expand more players.

00:53 This is Pash Gal who insisted on giving me a game.

00:57 Unlucky for me I lost quite quickly.

01:00 Well any of the members here at the Medway Chess Club could beat me any day but that

01:04 doesn't matter.

01:05 What the government wants to see with this investment is that more people take it up

01:09 at all ages and that eventually it leads to more clubs opening like this one.

01:14 The government is investing a million pounds to fund the English Chess Federation to turn

01:18 England into what it describes as a chess heavyweight.

01:22 With people encouraged to play in their local parks and clubs.

01:25 The government also mentions encouraging young girls to play, something that Medway regular

01:29 Nicoletta told me is important to her.

01:32 My first thought when I started playing here was why aren't there enough women here, why

01:38 are they not playing?

01:39 Should I consider potentially starting a women's chess club separate from this one which is

01:46 actually not a good way to go about it.

01:48 I think it's a lot better to just keep this community in just the one community and try

01:53 to attract more women here.

01:54 The way I look does not matter in chess whatsoever so I think this is pretty much the only space

01:59 where I'm kind of like leaving the house wearing whatever I'm wearing and just kind of enjoy

02:04 playing chess.

02:06 So with the club planning an open day in Rochester Cathedral later this year, perhaps the chess

02:11 boom could be this club's next winning gambit.

02:14 Bartholomew Hall for KMTV in Medway.

02:17 [BLANK_AUDIO]