English Chess Forum

20 July 2024 is International Chess Day and this year is FIDE's 100th aniversary.
put these fact together with the next one
The single best way to grow your club is to promote it publically in the right places.

Newly ECF affiliated E2-E4 Colchester Chess Club recenly celebrated its 6 months anniversary with a move to much larger premises because it built membership with free, accessible and highly visible chess events at an art gallery in Colchester's main shopping area. Membership is up by over 400% https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 6346963185

So what is this 100 Handshakes event - you don't always need to have a chess legend's hand to shake - In Colchester we are aiming to celebrate the way chess brings people together. Before and after a game it is traditional that the players shake hands. So, dependimg how you count handshakes, we may be playing 100 games or 50! You can replicate this event or do something even better.
https://colchesster.org.uk/clubs-and-me ... 00?popup=1

On the eve of the 100 Handshakes event, the ColcHESSter website shows 3 World Chess Day events in Colchester. The regular Saturday morning meetup "Castle early CHESS", the 100 Handshakes event at the Jonathan Penrose Chess Park and ... [long dramatic pause]
World Chess Day at Woodland View Care Home
Read all about it at https://colchesster.org.uk/clubs-and-me ... 00?popup=1
Yes - not even a chess club but willing to do an event for World Chess Day.

I'm beginning to wonder if the ECF grassroots initiative is going to fall on deaf ears?
From the prospectus:
6. Social Chess Support - Financial support for clubs to run social/community chess events using non-club venues. This could have a big effect on making over the board chess more visible and mainstream and on attracting more players to join clubs and play in leagues and congresses. This could be linked to the Tables in Parks initiative in partnership with local authorities and Chess in Schools and Communities. The funding could go either direct to the clubs or via leagues/associations to help run the events and maybe pay for some top-level players to appear.

Yes we did make the 100 handshakes on the day - 28 in the morning at the 'Castle early CHESS' meetup and 'more than 72' in the 2pm to 8pm session at the Jonathan Penrose Chess Park. Of course, a blitz tournament helped - the prize of a vintage chess computer was won by Ruquyyah Rida in fine style.
The best handshakes for me were with beginners - helping spread the magic of chess on World Chess Day is what it is all about.

We are now into summer holiday mode and that has prompted Wivenhoe Chess Club to do afternoon family chess sessions where beginners are very much welcome see https://colchesster.org.uk/clubs-and-me ... lang=en-UK

Our local press has been covering '10 free family activities for school summer holidays' - so it is advertising chess as one of these https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/244 ... -holidays/

Very impressive!