Simon Williams (a grandmaster) once said “The beauty of chess is it can be whatever you want it to be. It transcends language, age, race, religion, politics, gender, and socioeconomic background. Whatever your circumstances, anyone can enjoy a good fight to the death over the chess board.” I saw this very quote come to life in the weekly chess club at Central Ealing Library. Taking place from 1:30 pm - 3:30 pm every Sunday, I planned to visit after seeing the poster up on the library wall: an opportunity to explore this 1500-year-old board game.  

Upon arrival, I was greeted by a scattering of chess boards and tables, all eager to observe a checkmate. However, while I waited for what I thought was the average participator in chess club- a wise old grandmaster- I was instead greeted by mother Enshul and her five-year-old son. Her son wasted no time in setting up a board and keenly challenging another young chess player. I was in awe at the sight of two battling out the merry war called chess, especially at such a youthful age. This pleasant surprise had me curious to learn about Enshul and her son’s journey with chess. When asked what she thought was the most interesting thing about chess, Enshul replied that “It’s nice, no language barrier, no age barrier, two people focusing on the game, no care about who is sitting across,” Her response proved true as I watched the children continue playing, strangers and yet happily communicating through chess, as though it were a language! My intrigue grew as Enshul told me that she, her husband, and her son had recently moved to the UK from India and that her son had “adapted well”- clearly carrying his chess skills over 4000 miles, ringing true how chess is a universal language. 

Alongside Enshul and her son, I met a father and his 8-year-old son, Riyan- another avid young chess player. He began by playing with his father, a race against the clock calculating his next move. As I inquired about Riyan’s start with chess, I found he started 3 years ago, at the youthful age of 5 simply because they “had it at home,” Playing chess began as a “weekend activity” for Riyan but “he got good at it and started to like it,” 

Having attended the club, I had my eyes open to the range of chess players and how chess can be more than just a game, even for those as young as 5! I found that attending the club allowed me to gain a new perspective on chess, a game I once thought to be complicated and only suitable for geniuses. However, just like Simon Williams said, chess can “transcend language, race, religion, politics, gender, and socioeconomic background.” - a feat to what it is. It is evident that our misconceptions about ‘difficult’ activities, such as chess, can hold us back from finding a potential passion; instead, we should release worries and simply be open to learning and exploration – just like Riyan and Enshul’s son. 

Thank you to Central Ealing Library for hosting this surprisingly insightful chess club and to all those who enlightened me in this interview!