BREAKING NEWS

Club Circular to all members

Hi Bangor Chess Club Members,

Thank you so much for paying your club fees by our 11th Sept deadline.

We’ve removed former members from the WhatsApp ‘broadcast message’, from ‘our club email and from the club website, so we keep this new season current with only paid-up members.

Over this past week, our Child Protection Officer, Jennifer Worbey, has been amazing at helping shape our club protocols to keep all our kids safe and happy at the club! We’re introducing a new membership form which we will ask all members to sign this week (parents to sign on behalf of children) which outlines that all members accept the club policies and membership gets immediately revoked for anyone who breaks our rules.

Thankfully in the 59 and a half years history of the club I don’t think we’ve ever had to revoke any club memberships but it’s just good to have all policies in place, especially to keep everyone aware of all the child protection guidelines.

Copies of the form will be at the chess club this Thursday night. Please sign when you arrive and leave up to the arbiter desk.

Thank you so much everyone!

Super excited to hold our first big chess tournament in the main hall this Thursday at Groomsport! The place will be buzzing!

See you all there!

After a 4 month summer break, the local chess community is bursting with excitement as the doors of Bangor Chess Club reopen at 7pm on Thursday 11 Sept at the Church of Ireland Parish Hall, 30 Main Street, Groomsport.

Club President B. Jamison states:

“the 2025/2026 season is particularly special as we celebrate our 60th anniversary in early 2026, making us the longest continuously running chess club in Northern Ireland. Over the past few years, the club has grown from 20 members to over 80, making it the largest in Northern Ireland and one of biggest in the UK! About half the members are primary school children and teenagers, from age 8 upwards. The cross-generational magic allows our younger players to learn every week from the adults and pensioners who bring a wealth of experience and wisdom to the game. Newcomers are very welcome to attend, sample the club, and if they enjoy the special atmosphere, we’ll invite them to join as members the following week when they return. We run the club as volunteers and try to keep chess very affordable so the fees are £40 per season for adults or £30 for U18s/students/unemployed which equates to about £1 per night for 3 hours of fun!”

“What sets Bangor chess club apart from other clubs in the province is the weekly chess tournaments which are rated by FIDE, the International Chess Federation. This unique characteristic has been a massive draw for many international members coming to join the club when they move to Northern Ireland to work or to study as students, in particular from India, Kazakstan, France, Poland, Hungary, Canada and the USA. This creates a beautiful cross-cultural buzz in the playing hall every week, like a mini olympics on our doorstep!”

“Players of all levels enjoy the chess club! All we ask is that anyone coming along for the first time knows how the pieces move. The club meets every Thursday from 7pm to 10pm during the chess season of September to April. We also hold additional events on weekends, usually once a month. And thanks to recent National Lottery Community Funding, we plan to spread chess events all across Ards & North Down, to many new locations over the next 2 years. Chess is a fantastic activity to break down barriers and unite communities through a celebration of diversity and mutual respect.”