A new chess facility in Bury St Edmunds

The Apex, venue for the annual Bury St Edmunds Chess Congress, will soon become the location for a new chess venture.   Starting in two weeks’ time, on Tuesday 4 February. from 3.30 to 5.30 pm, anyone can turn up to play chess in the upstairs Gallery area (pictured below).   This facility will be available to everyone, regardless of age or ability, and will continue every Tuesday afternoon.   It will doubtless appeal to retired or unemployed people, as well as to children as an after-school activity.   It will be entirely free of charge and refreshments will be available at the adjacent Aspretto coffee bar.

This initiative has been developed jointly by St Edmundsbury Borough Council, who own the venue, and Bury St Edmunds Chess Club.

The Gallery area is under-utilised at present and Richard Hartley, the Council’s Commercial Manager for Leisure, Culture and Communities, is keen to see the area used in this way, to attract people into the Apex who might not normally bother.   He also hopes to attract bridge and scrabble clubs, which could meet on other days of the week.

The Council today issued this press release (click on it to enlarge), which has been sent to the Bury Free Press and the East Anglian Daily Times.

On 4 February I hope to see a number of Bury St Edmunds club members present, to help to teach novices and to play friendly games against other opponents.