Players young and old turned out to make Shrewsbury Chess Club’s first night at their new venue a success.
About a dozen players attended the Nerdy Café in Mardol on Friday evening – the first time many players have met to play friendly chess in person since the start of the pandemic.
They ranged from experienced pensioners Ivor Salter and Tony Purser to young brothers Gareth and Jacob Kitchen, who are eight and seven years old respectively.
The club also welcomed new player Theo on the night, and hope to have more new faces when the club next meets in the new year. The club was also pleased to welcome Telepost players Fred Bench and Kate Walker, who attended to offer their support.
Club officials were pleased with the attendance, despite a few minor issues emerging. The flood-related closure of Frankwell car park certainly made parking in the town centre a more challenging prospect than usual, while Nerdy was also closed to the public on the night for a ticket-only art event. Under the arrangement with Nerdy, Shrewsbury will meet at the venue on the second and fourth Fridays of each month from 7.30pm. The next club night will be held on January 14.