Chess club has all the right moves

Berwick Chess Club president Stuart Robinson.

Berwick has won the Borders Chess League, beating off competition from teams in Kelso, Galashiels, Selkirk and NHS Borders.

Team captain Stuart Robinson, who is also secretary and president, hopes it will increase the game’s popularity in this area.

Stuart, pictured, said: “It can be hard just to find five players every time.”

He added: “It has been a long established fact that chess is, in most parts of the world, underestimated.

“What could put more life into the chess-clubs of today would be a chess world championship match. A British player against a Russian. Short versus Kasparaov. Names that people know. When the Kasparov world match was on, it brought it to the fore and we got 10 to 15 people easy.

“Chess takes a lot of mental energy. I am not that good at it, but personally I want to keep playing it to keep from getting senile. It’s an excellent game to train the brain.”

Berwick joined the Borders Chess League in 2005 and won it in 2011,2012,2014, 2017 and 2018. The team meets each Tuesday at 7pm in the Plough Inn in Duns.