Check, Mate?

The last time I was obsessing about protecting bishops, castling and pawn tactics I was about 14. I’d dream of black and white squares and would tie myself in knots over my stream of lost games against my dad. Then I went all goth, only communicated with my parents at decibels that were probably higher than was strictly necessary, and the chess set was relegated to the back of the hall cupboard along with my Snoopy bobble hat and an extraordinary number of skipping ropes.

Roll on 2020, the acquisition of Netflix (yes, I was a slow convert) and a global pandemic and boom! the next best box set was on everyone’s lips. The Queen’s Gambit. Skilful scripts, fabulous fashion and a completely and utterly captivating storyline that had at its heart The Game. Chess.

It took no time at all for me to want to play again. After 30 years it seemed almost ridiculous, but then again, my recent reignited love for roller skating put paid to any hesitation about getting stuck into what the Soviets once subsidised, and the Russians rate up there with vodka and space travel.

Finding an actual human to play when no one was allowed inside was a mere bagatelle compared to firing up my chess brain so that I wasn’t toast in 7 moves (in my defence that only happened once). I dusted down my board grateful that I owned my own: the TV series had ignited a newfound love for the game and searches for chess sets went up by 273% according to eBay UK, that’s one search every 6 seconds! It was just as tricky to acquire a chess set as it was a loo roll when Covid kicked off. Who knew?

Armed with dreams of gaming genius and a resilience for defeat that only playing a computer repeatedly can give you, my chess buddy and I played in pub gardens at every opportunity we could get, come wind, rain or shine. Our games got longer, our competitive edges sharpened and our thirst for play was never quenched.

Then the world started to reopen. Dad was delighted when I visited and challenged him to a game (I’m hoping he would have been just as delighted to see me had I not come armed with my chess set) and we set about playing his first game in years. He thrashed me. The wily old fox. As we started to get back to face-to-face events and socialising, I was thrilled to be able to use the newly refurbished space at 4Motion for classes, and we soon hatched a plan to hold a games night after my Thursday class. The Loading Bay café at the venue is very much a community space, and the Director Dean Soden had long wanted to have an evening where people could come and get to know each other over a game of whatever took their fancy, whether that be chess or chequers.

Chess at The Loading Bay Cafe

Community Cafes aren’t new concepts, and the idea is that great food and drinks are served, and something is given back to the community. In this case, the Loading Bay holds all sorts of inclusive events for all ages, from dance theatre and singing to wellbeing workshops and fitness for care home residents. At a recent meeting of a group of unemployed ladies in Cornwall (the not-for-profit operates all over the Southwest too) one lady said that she had not spoken to a single person since the meeting the previous week.

This was a stark reminder that not everyone has a network that they can switch from online to ‘real life’ at the drop of a hat (or in our case a press conference from Number 10), and that loneliness is still one of the main contributors to a decline in mental wellbeing. According to The Marmalade Trust, one in ten people are ‘always or often’ lonely, a figure which is three times higher for the over 65’s, and around 200 000 older people have not had a conversation with a friend or relative in over a month. Loneliness is also damaging to our physical health and is thought to be a significant contributor to heart attack and stroke.

So what can we do? One really simple thing is to take a moment to check up on a mate. Perhaps you have a friend or relative you’ve lost touch with over the pandemic, or maybe you’ve noticed your neighbour never has any visitors. Say hi, check in, make that phone call. And if you’re feeling lonely find your local community café or come and see us at The Loading Bay in Windsor. Chess not obligatory, chit chat compulsory!