THE Wee County once again boasts its very own chess club, following decades of absence.

Clackmannanshire Chess Club has this month been formed at charity Resonate Together in Alloa, offering people the chance to play the highly regarded classic game over the board.

People of all ages and skill levels are welcome to play at the Carsebridge venue every Wednesday night from 6pm to 8pm in what is not only a chance to keep brains active but also to socialise.

As reported previously, fundraisers at Resonate got together to help kickstart the club and they have smashed their target following the Dundee Kiltwalk in August.

The club’s first session took place at the start of September and Glen Wilson, the man behind the idea, is looking to steadily grow and sustain the club.

He told the Advertiser: “The most important thing is that we’ve got chess in Clackmannanshire again.

“It’s been decades since there was a chess club for anybody to attend so it’s just very important to make sure we can sustain it.”

Glen is hoping to get as many people along as possible over the coming months and years.

People who just simply want to play the game to socialise are more than welcome with some coaching available while there is also a quieter room set up for those who wish to stay focused on a long, thinking game.

Absolute beginners can head along as well with Glen happy to show people the ropes; there are even cheat sheets printed on how the pieces move.

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Glen also has links to Stirling Chess Club who already visited to offer some coaching while competitions are a long-term idea.

The popularity of chess exploded during the pandemic and while Glen reckons things have slowed down in pace, there is still plenty of momentum left.

And it has also attracted some of the younger generations with figures such as International Master Levy Rozman, known online as GothamChess and regarded as the “internet’s chess teacher”, rising in popularity.

Glen added: “It has died down a little bit [since Covid], not enough to kill the game – it’s a game that has been played for hundreds of years, it’s not going away anytime soon.”