There’s a new game in town.
Well, chess as a game isn’t new, but the Simcoe County Chess Club certainly is.
Three local residents have taken on the challenge of bringing the club to life with the hope of rapid growth this year.
Pekka Reinio, Doug Trotter and Will Sorley will be hosting the inaugural meeting of like-minded chess enthusiasts on Tuesday, June 20 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Massie Family Community Room at the Painswick branch of the Barrie Public Library, which is located in the city's south end at 48 Dean Ave., near Yonge Street and Big Bay Point Road.
The regular meetings will then be running on the third Tuesday of every month, with the club accepting new members aged 16 and over.
Reinio is hopeful and confident that the club will take off.
“We know there is a lot of people interested, we just want them to come out,” he explained. “We are hoping that the Simcoe County Chess Club will be an opportunity for people to come out meet some other people and learn how to play chess and have fun playing chess.
“At the Simcoe County District School Board tournaments, we had hundreds of kids trying out for the elementary level tournaments, we had well over 100 teenagers playing in the secondary school tournaments, and in my previous experience with the older Barrie Chess Club that ran 10 to 15 years ago, we had a number of adults from their 20s to their 70s coming out for our chess tournaments and meetings,” Reinio added.
The useful benefit of playing chess is social time with others, friendship and learning how to become a better chess player, the group says.
"When you are playing chess, there’s puzzles you get to go through and exercise your brain,” said Trotter. “When you win, you feel a little bit of euphoria, and when you lose, you get to experience a little bit of humbling and you have to dig deep and analyze where you went wrong and get another chance to learn.
"So even when you lose, you win," he added.
Sorley says that he also hopes people will come out and join in.
“I think chess is a big and growing thing, especially since the pandemic hit as well," he said. "It really blew up, and especially with the younger generations through online play.
"Playing over-the-board chess is a lot different than online chess. It is a lot more fulfilling experience, I have to say," Sorley added.
To find out more about the new club, questions can be emailed to Reinio at [email protected].
