FAQ Frequently Asked Questions

Every Tuesday and Thursday from 19:30, until the end of the chess season (May/June). Please see our Google Calendar for any special events.

We have a large dedicated room upstairs in the Wesley Road Club (Trowbridge), with access to a licensed bar. See the Contact page for directions to the club.

The car park is free for all genuine users of the Social Club. To avoid a parking fine, all cars must be registered using the simple automated system found at the near end of the bar (inside the club).

We review the basic membership annually but this is expected to be in the region of £20 to £25 per person (less than £1 a week). We may be able to offer discounted rates for families that include Junior players.

Please note that all adults attending regularly are required to become members of the Wesley Road Club. Our combined membership fee includes this cost and also covers room hire and equipment.

To play over-the-board rated games, English Chess Federation fees have to be paid. An annual membership (of the ECF) for adults starts at £18 (Bronze level). Equivalent junior rates are £6 per year. A recent scheme provides free membership in the first year to women aged 18 and over.

There is no formal process and no money is taken up front. We expect players to make a financial contribution (at the end of the season) if they have represented the club in multiple league games.

Prospective members are welcome to attend any club-night with no obligation to continue. We try to keep Tuesday nights free of rated games, so that we can talk without disturbing other players. We recommend phoning ahead so that we can ensure someone is available to welcome you (and to play some chess).

Whatever you like (within reason)! We encourage shorter friendly games and sometimes arrange an impromptu competition. We like to discuss chess in all its forms, and we are happy to offer coaching on request.

Typically we will be playing a home match in one of the local leagues. This means that either 4 or 6 club members are playing rated games under competition conditions (lasting up to 3 hours). Therefore any noise (in the main playing room) must be kept to a minimum.

Other players who are not involved in the match are free to play rated games for one of the Club competitions.

Discussions about chess, blitz games, training sessions, etc. are strongly encouraged but we ask that these take place downstairs in the bar area.

When the Wiltshire league restarts (in November) we hope to see over a dozen regularly attending rated players, with most of them competing in league chess (teams of four or more).

In recent years we have offered a number of different Club competitions:

  • Club Knock-Out (Standardplay)
  • Rapidplay all-play-all
  • Blitz tournaments
  • Rated Club Competition (play as you go)
  • Club Ladder