Letterkenny Chess Club offering free trial for anyone interested in joining

Letterkenny Chess Club is encouraging those who wish to play chess to get involved with the club.

They relaunched their Adult Chess Evenings in September, each Wednesday at 6pm at Letterkenny Community Centre, where over 18s, including beginners, are invited to come along for a free trial.

The club aims to offer the people of Donegal a safe environment to learn, play and enjoy the game of chess; to broaden the diversity of social activities available in Letterkenny / Donegal; To encourage social integration and help break down social barriers in our multi-cultural society; To offer a social outlet to people which is not linked to alcohol in any way; and to break down social isolation (particularly since Covid-19) and aid personal and mental wellness.

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Letterkenny Chess Club was established in January 2019, and became affiliated with both the Irish Chess Union and the Ulster Chess Union. They established a personal link with Mr Alexander Baburin. Ireland’s only Chess Grandmaster, who was very supportive of their efforts.

“We had approximately 40 members playing regularly within the club’s first year with membership fairly evenly distributed between male and female, and across many nationalities,” they say. “However, the onset of Covid-19 and the public restrictions led to all club activities being brought to a halt.”

Now they are opening an invite to adults of all ages (over 18s), all genders and all cultural backgrounds who wish to learn, play and teach chess; those who wish to make new friends in a fun environment.

The Annual (Sept-July) Membership Fee set out by the Club Committee, is €120 per annum or €12 per month for adults and €60 annually and €6 a month for unwaged / retiree/students. Please email [email protected] for more information.