Chess has come a long way recently but there is still a missing piece, says 18-year-old Jay Demetriou, whose membership of Wanstead and Woodford Chess Club has helped him connect with the community
With social media providing us all with quick-fix entertainment with little need for thought, it could have been assumed that thought-provoking pastimes like chess would fade into irrelevance. Instead, chess is more popular than ever before; chess.com now has more than 4.5 million active UK users. Many of these new players come from the younger generation, and at Wanstead High, I’ve watched this phenomenon first-hand.
More and more young people are playing chess! Chess has flourished, not because it is so different from other activities, but because it has moved with the times and adapted for the modern world. Chess can be played online, like a video game. The game-mode Bullet Chess (where each player has one minute to make moves) has proved particularly popular in an entertainment landscape which prioritises quick dopamine hits. Streaming series like The Queen’s Gambit have also breathed new life into the game. The boom is great for chess, turning what was once seen as unfashionable into a game for everyone.
This online integration, however, leads to the exact problems we always hear about social media and video games: a loss of a feeling of community; a loss of true connection. While this is frequently used as a way of attacking young people, it is rarely followed by a solution. This is why local chess clubs are important, and why the social atmosphere of Wanstead and Woodford Chess Club is so valuable for us; a way to bridge the gap between the internet and true community.
Our chess club creates this atmosphere through its location, the welcoming Wanstead House, and the accessible nature of chess as a mental sport. A game for all ages. There are two sections of the club: the junior section, which runs every Tuesday from 5pm to 7pm, and the broader club session which runs from 7.30pm to 10pm. The bar is a key reason for the lively feel! From here, teas will be brought to the players during their games. When matches are over, players will often return to the bar to chat. It’s also a meet-up point for a trip to the pub for some!
For juniors, whose first experience of chess may have been from behind a phone screen, playing games over the board with their friends – learning and improving together – allows them to maintain their love for the game. The social aspect of chess should not be overlooked.
While chess is alive and well, it could be livelier if more people were to join clubs and enjoy the social aspect. Providing an answer, though not the answer, to the broader 21st-century problem of a lack of community. So, next time you think of a night-in, why not think of a knight out?
Wanstead & Woodford Chess Club meets at Wanstead House, 21 The Green. For more information, visit wnstd.com/chess
