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Adult novice chess in Ireland?

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  • 07-06-2013 3:55pm
    #1
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,055 ✭✭✭✭


    One of the things I've noted by banging my head off it recently is that if you're an adult and trying to come back to (or get started in) chess, it's not quite as obvious as it would be if you were a junior (or a college student).

    Finding a local club and going to it sounds like easy advice... but that doesn't make it easier for someone to do it. Finding the local club is easy enough if there is one (the ICU list is great for this), but other things that might occur to a potential new member aren't so easy to find out:
    • What is a normal night in the club like? (Photos would help here!)
    • Are beginners welcome to just walk in or is there some sort of beginners night event?
    • What do you need to bring on your first night, if anything? And will you need to get things as you progress? If so, where from (because normal tournament chess sets in Ireland seem to be something you have to hunt for or else order off the internet), and what should you get?
    • How much will it cost? Do you have to join the club on the first night, is there an annual fee and a nightly fee, how does all that work?
    • Is the club mainly focussed on competitive chess or just recreational? And how does it structure itself accordingly?
    • Does the club have a development officer or even someone who's a nominated friendly face to contact first?

    All the non-core, location-specific chess stuff, in other words :)

    Not many clubs seem to have those details online; maybe folk can post their notes about this here?


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    #2
    cdeb
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 7,154 Mod ✭✭✭✭cdeb


    Good post.

    Our club details are here. Not all the questions you posted are answered though; I think we answer Q1, 2, 6 and kind of addresses 5. I'm not sure Q4 is of huge relevance to a beginner really; extra info risks cluttering up the About page. I think there's a balance there (for the record, most tournaments in Ireland now supply boards, sets and clocks, so a pen is all that's needed really).

    But obviously any suggestions on improvements are welcomed. There's relatively few clubs with sites alright; it doesn't have to be mad detailed, but a basic site can't hurt. Wordpress makes it really easy to get a basic site up and running; even update for league results and the news feed will keep ticking over.

    Obviously the ICU club list is great too.


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    #3
    reunion
    Registered Users Posts: 1,334 ✭✭✭reunion


    Sparks wrote: »
    One of the things I've noted by banging my head off it recently is that if you're an adult and trying to come back to (or get started in) chess, it's not quite as obvious as it would be if you were a junior (or a college student).


    Here is a list of upcoming events


    You're best bet would be to talk to one of the executive listed here. They can get the contact details of someone (if not the person in charge of) a particular club.
    Sparks wrote: »
    Not many clubs seem to have those details online; maybe folk can post their notes about this here?

    A lot of Irish chess isn't in the 21st century. The Munster Chess Union doesn't have a website (that I can find anyway) so most of it is done through word of mouth and phone calls.

    Most are welcoming to new people and they do what they can to help you improve. It is a mix of things. They typically won't charge for the first night (depends on the club though) but hopefully you'll stick around for a few more weeks and maybe become a full member


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    #4
    brilliantboy
    Registered Users Posts: 444 ✭✭brilliantboy


    I started playing a few years ago as an adult and decided to just suck it up and attend some tournaments alone.
    Making connections in the bar between/after rounds led me to find a club and meet some very nice and interesting people.
    Of course some people would prefer to get their feet wet at a club first before diving into tournament play, but either way they shouldn't be intimidated as you'll never find a friendlier bunch than chess players. True, we can be a bit eccentric at times, but that only adds to the experience :D


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    #5
    Irish Warrior
    Closed Accounts Posts: 76 ✭✭Irish Warrior


    Sparks wrote: »
    Not many clubs seem to have those details online; maybe folk can post their notes about this here?

    Each club is different.

    Your questions from the point of view of a new player looking for info are usually answered by making contact with the club (usually the secretary of the club).

    Our website has been updated regarding your questions, as I'm sure it would be helpful for someone to see those answers straight away.


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    #6
    Sparks
    Registered Users Posts: 40,055 ✭✭✭✭Sparks


    Irish Warrior wrote: »
    Your questions from the point of view of a new player looking for info are usually answered by making contact with the club (usually the secretary of the club).
    That's pretty much what happened in my case - Mark Orr in the ICU was very helpful and so was Kevin when I contacted him (and John when I showed up); but as you said yourself,
    I'm sure it would be helpful for someone to see those answers straight away.
    Yup, exactly. It takes a certain degree of effort to contact people from out of the blue like that; lowering that amount is lowering the barriers to entry and should see people trying it out more (at least, that's what Volunteer Ireland keep trying to drum into our skulls :D ).


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    #7
    bduffy
    Registered Users Posts: 404 ✭✭bduffy


    Hi Folks,
    The Curragh have details available through our Facebook page, It's used more regularly in preference to the older page as everyone can post on it rather than putting all the effort on one persons shoulders. It's also great for getting the Juniors interested, and their parents, showing how we are encouraging younger players to get involved.
    Cheers,
    Brendan


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