Chess has been played now in one form or another for around 1500 years . In recent years the internet has opened up the game to many more people. You can quite easily play online chess with people from all over the world from the comfort of your front room , However chess is a fundamentally a game that crosses all the social borders and you cannot beat the experience of sitting directly opposite your opponent and hopefully watching them squirm as you make that killer move. Serious competition chess doesn’t permit discussion and laughing out loud or “sledging” , It doesn’t allow mobile phones … and if that isn’t a great reason to take up chess I don’t know what is . However in the more social and friendly practise games the Art of Talking someone off the board is alive and well . Come down to our club and witness some of the banter . Chess can be both fun and serious . The internet has never made it so easy to pick up the skills to become the next Chess Champion . I have come across a really great site that is crammed full of tips and is aptly called The Chess World