22-07-2025
Chess tournament held on moving train
Eight players from the West Midlands have taken part in what is thought to be the UK's first chess tournament on board a moving train, to mark International Chess Day. The competitors battled it out over two hours on a return journey between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent three-round event was organised by Chesscafe in Digbeth, Abdirahim Haji, said: "We hope this inspires more people to pick up the game, whether it's in a park, at a coffee shop, or even on their commute."
Andrew McGill from West Midlands Railway said: "Isn't it nice to be able to engage with a fellow passenger, bring a chess board along, set it out on the table and enjoy your journey by challenging your minds?"Mr McGill said staff were used to seeing people do "all sorts of things" on trains, including reading and listening to podcasts, but this was event took place on Friday, following qualifiers at the winner was 24-year-old Paddy Mulvey, who said: "It was an interesting experience. A couple of times we went around tight corners, but I kept focus despite the lovely scenery going past."Mr Haji said: "People can socialise much easier when there's something in the middle of the table and people are interacting with it."One of the other players, Ondre, said it was good to be spending "hours playing this, rather than hours on your screen. "Interacting with a human being is always quite nice."
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