'Incredibly successful' chess tournament takes place in Derry

This was the first time this competition took place in the city and the organisers say the event was a ‘huge success’. The competition saw teams of four from all over the north compete against each other with 20 minutes each on the clock per round. There were six rounds in total throughout the day.

Brendan Jamison, International Chess Federation (FIDE) Chess Arbiter said: “We’ve got ten teams competing today from all across Northern Ireland. We absolutely love the city of Derry, everyone’s super friendly here so we’re all having such a great time. We would love to come back again and run another event here, we’ve been talking about doing another one-day event here in the future so hopefully that’ll be happening soon.

"The World Chess Championships are on at the moment in Kazakhstan so there’s quite a buzz about the chess community. We’ve got all ages competing here today which is part of the beauty of chess. We’ve also got quite a lot of international players who live here or are here as students. It’s beautiful that everyone plays together no matter who you are.

"There’s a man here from Baltimore, Steve Skinelle, he would be the highest ranking player here, and we’ve also got players from Poland, Malaysia, India and plenty of others. It’s a very friendly game too so, if someone did lose a game, their opponent will give them tips and feedback on the game they just played. People play friendly games between rounds too so it’s just a lovely day and a great competition, made even more special by the friendly atmosphere here in Derry.”

City of Derry Chess Club Treasurer Alan Turnbull is passionate about teaching chess to children. He believes that chess is the key to helping children with additional needs to focus in class and also to helping children when it comes to exams, as they ‘understand the butterflies in their stomach’. A number of people Alan taught as children were competing in the competition this weekend.

Alan has been involved in the City of Derry Chess club for years and says the success of this competition is testament to the hard work done by the team in recent years to ensure the smooth running of events and entice new members to join the Derry club.

He added: “This is the first time this event has happened in Derry but it’s not the first FIDE event to happen here – it’s the fourth. I hosted the Irish Championships here twice and someone else hosted it too. The Irish Championships lasted for seven days and was a huge competition.

"I used to go round the schools teaching chess and I’m so proud of the children I taught. Some of the children are overtaking me now and that’s exactly what I wanted. I loved teaching so much, especially the kids who had problems. Chess changed those children and it was magical to see.

"Chess enables people from everywhere to compete together and that’s why it’s so beautiful. It doesn't matter what language you speak, the rules are all the same: if you touch a piece you have to move it.”

The City of Derry Chess Club meets every Thursday at 7.30 in the Verbal Art’s Centre and is open to everyone, no matter their skill level.