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Anthony Williams shows Coast chess club member Jamie Simpson some moves.
Forming a local chess club proved to be as simple as asking on social media if anyone was keen, says Waiwera chess player Anthony Williams.
Anthony says enquiries came flooding in and 10 players attended the first meeting of Hibiscus Coast Chess, held on July 9 in Silverdale.
Anthony, 39, has played chess since he was a boy. He wanted to form a club because club membership is required if you want to play in NZ Chess Federation tournaments.
“I found that the closest clubs to the Coast are Whangarei or Mt Eden, so plan B was to start my own,” he says.
Chess appeals to all ages, and people with different skill and experience levels can play each other. Hibiscus club members so far are aged from nine years to 50 plus.
Anthony’s father taught him how to play and Anthony says he had to wait years to beat him – until he was 16.
“The first thing he taught me is that it’s not a game for people that like to win – you are going to lose, and lose a lot. It’s about strategy and perseverance because there’s no-one that you can’t beat,” he says.
Anthony wasted no time signing up for his first tournament, which was held in Auckland last weekend.
Joining the Hibiscus Coast Chess club costs $75, which includes registration with the NZ Chess Federation. This means you can play in tournaments – but the club also enables you to meet other chess enthusiasts and learn from each other. Casual play is also possible for a $2 donation.
The club meets three times a month in a vacant retail space in the Silverdale Centre (near OPSM), which has been donated to the club until a tenant is found. The next meeting is on August 13.
Info: phone Anthony, 021 471 680.
