Colchesster

10/10/2026

Every Sunday morning you can play chess at the Commons Cafe at the The Minories. This free meetup for all is provided by the E2-E4 Colchester chess club. During the Banksy exhibition, please enter by the garden door to the Minories. See https://colchesster.org.uk/docs/the-commons-at-the-minories-high-street/ for more information.

09/09/2026

Firstsite is hosting the Festival of Rice and Spice on Saturday 12 September. This year, you can also play some chess, as E2-E4 Colchester Chess Club will be there with some chess boards and enthusiasm!

Celebrate Colchester's diverse community through food, music and performances at the town's annual festival of Rice and Spice – including children's activities, workshops and a huge variety of food stalls.

05/09/2026

Chess and Bridge has been just online for several months. The new shop promises to be just as popular as the old one on Baker Street, I'm looking forward to dropping in soon.

03/09/2026

Mersea Island Chess Group is now back in action at the Victory. Colchester Chess Club is back to its usual room at the Belle Vue Social Club. We are set for a run of settled chess until Christmas. Or are we? Will the Banksy exhibition at the Minories https://www.theminories.org/event/out-of-line-banksy-and-the-art-of-dissent affect chess on a Sunday morning? Will there be tournaments or pop-up events? Keep an eye on the calendar for changes. https://colchesster.org.uk/colchester-chess-calendar/

And if you are a player who likes local tournaments, you might not have spotted the sad news that Bury St Edmunds Chess Congress 2026 is cancelled https://www.bsecongress.org/

04/08/2026

It is a while since GM Michael Adams was in Colchester for the opening event for the Jonathan Penrose Chess Park. He is trying this year to equal Penrose's record ten British Championship wins. The online coverage of this tournament is extensive with commentary to make it worth watching to improve your chess.

21/07/2026

The long school holiday sees the welcome return of Wivenhoe Family Chess. Thursday afternoons at the Wivenhoe Town Council Office, starts 23 July. All welcome. All free. Make new friends.
More info at:
https://colchesster.org.uk/docs/wivenhoe-family-chess-club/

20/07/2026

Today is World Chess Day. It happens every year on the 20th of July and unfortunately this year it falls on a Monday rather than, as over the last couple of years. at the weekend. As a result, there’s no special celebration in Colchester today, just this reminder to play some chess.

Celebrate World Chess day, or WC Day for short, by playing chess in the smallest room in your home. Obviously this makes more sense if you’re playing chess online, or with a very close friend.

If you’re out and about in Colchester today, you might find me, at an undisclosed location, playing some chess. If you do, please claim a free chess sticker or two.

Many of the pubs and cafes in Colchester are happy to have chess players use their facilities. Only a few have an appropriate chess floor in there. If you recognise this one, you can narrow down your search for chess stickers today: because I’m definitely not going to be in this central pub.

WC day info including past celebrations https://colchesster.org.uk/2025/06/08/world-chess-day/

Find places to play chess https://colchesster.org.uk/places-to-play-chess-in-colchester/

14/07/2026

Chessfest in Trafalgar Square was great fun last weekend - you can play 'spot the Grandmaster' in this photo. Now where in Colchester should we have a giant chess set?

https://www.chess-fest.com/

07/07/2026

Wivenhoe Chess Club is now at the Horse & Groom!

Every Tuesday from 8pm - go along to meet new friends for a game of chess, as well as a nice pint of IPA or whatever your summer thirst quencher is. Juniors allowed only up to 9pm because of licencing laws.

Full info at https://colchesster.org.uk/colchester-chess-calendar/

And yes! If you are quick, you can play at E2-E4 earlier in the day and still have a full evening of chess.

22/06/2026

With the weather getting hot enough to melt chess boards, you need to keep an eye on the Colchester chess calendar to see what chess meetups are still happening!
https://colchesster.org.uk/colchester-chess-calendar/

Already, Mersea Island Chess Group has gone on its break and after the week's AGM, Colchester Chess Club is moving from its club room to the main social club. Wivenhoe Family Chess sessions are being planned for school holidays.

This time of year is great for chess in the open air. Plenty of places to enjoy is a game - checkout the comprehensive listings at https://colchesster.org.uk/places-to-play-chess-in-colchester/