News reaches us from Terry Dawson on the Isle of Wight of a new chess club he's started for the over-50s at at the Age Concern Community Centre in Shanklin. Full report from the Isle of Wight County Press below:

By Lori Little

Chess Club's Free Starter Sessions for the Over-50s

LOOKING for a new hobby? How about chess?

Shanklin Chess Club meets every Tuesday afternoon from 2pm, and the first Saturday of the month from 10am to 2pm, at the Age Concern Community Centre on Regent Street.

Now, thanks to WightAID funding, there are free sessions on Saturdays for over 50s who wish to learn how to play.

Shanklin Chess Club will be offering a series of one-hour lessons on subsequent Saturday mornings, given by a qualified chess tutor.

It is part of the Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC) charity, which extols the benefits of playing chess for all age groups.

It reports a positive link between playing chess and academic attainment in the young, and also outlines how it may help fight the onset of dementia in older people.

In December, the club held its first Christmas chess competition, which doubled as a fundraiser for the centre.

The event was sponsored by local estate agent, Arthur Wheeler.

The winner was Carl Sheeran, with Richard Barnes taking second place and Philip Kennerly taking third.

For more information, email [email protected]

FREE CHESS LESSONS BOOSTED CONFIDENCE

The 50 Plus Centre in Shanklin has now completed its first chess course, sponsored by WightAid and and Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC).

The course was delivered by Charles Charalambous, the Island’s CSC co-ordinator and tutor. It followed a tried and tested, step-by-step, easy-to learn system of teaching. A dozen adults, who had never played before, learned how to play chess in 10 lessons of an hour a week. At the end of the course they said they hadn’t realised that chess could be so easy to learn. Playing chess helped them analyse each situation, resolve the problems, relaxed them and gave them more self-confidence, so much so that two of the adults have started their own chess club at the Crab & Lobster Tap in Ventnor on Fridays at 2:30pm

Charles has now opened a chess club at the Brading Community Centre on Thursdays from 11am -1pm. Another new chess club has been set up at the Independent Arts Creative Hub, Newport, on Saturdays from 12pm to 1:30pm. The Hub will be holding a chess open day on Saturday, 2 July, from 12pm to 3pm, with a giant chess set placed outside on the square, weather permitting. Visit website independetarts.org.uk or phone 822437 for more information.

Playing chess has many benefits for all ages and anyone is welcome to pop into any club.

On December 3 there will be a Winter Chess competition, sponsored by local estate agent, Arthur Wheeler. For more information contact [email protected]