Category: In The Media

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In The Media

Spotify Podcast

Queens Park Chess Club – and the game of chess – is the focus of episode 12 of Hobbysitive, a Spotify podcast series that delves into the culture and appeal of different types of hobbies.  

Club Members Ash Angappan (above, centre) and Ryan McGill (right), along with Club Secretary Derek Rankine (left), were interviewed by freelance Hungarian journalist Flora Csizmadia.

The interview, which went out live via the Hospital Broadcasting Service on the evening of 27 February, is available on Spotify. It covers Ash’s, Ryan’s and Derek’s journey towards Queens Park Chess Club, the activities we provide and competitions we take part in, and the welcoming ethos of the Club. It also explores the different styles and formats of chess, discusses whether the game’s gender imbalance may be changing, and highlights the wider social and health benefits that can be accrued by regularly playing chess.

Chess joins other Hobbysitive episode topics include bodybuilding, Scottish Gaelic, pottery, birdwatching and songwriting. Our gratitude to Flora for an enjoyable interview. You can follow Hobbysitive on Instagram.

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In The Media

Herald Magazine Feature

Queens Park Chess Club and our local Thursday Chess Group partner are the focus of a special feature in today’s (Sat 4 Feb) Saturday Magazine of the Herald Newspaper.

Journalist Catriona Stewart and photographer Colin Mearns spent several hours at the Chess Club in the Autumn, getting to know Committee Members Graeme, Derek, Caitlin and Alex L., plus Thursday Group founder Marianne Burns, and Club Member/Thursday regular Ryan McGill.

The article focuses on the history and formation of the Chess Club, and the recent growth of interest in casual and competitive chess around Queens Park. It provides insight into how the Chess Club and Thursday Group work together, and the valuable social connections that can develop over regular chess meetups, as bonds develop and friendships form.

Read the article here: https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23298998.glasgow-queens-park-chess-club-ensures-square-go/

The feature was trailed at the top of the front page

Our thanks to Cat and Colin for taking the time to get to know us – and to the Herald for highlighting the feature on the front page, and allocating so much space in the magazine.

The Herald feature comes on the back of items in the Evening Times and ITV News at Ten, and a Chess Scotland overview on the local scene. The Queens Park area is fast developing a strong national profile as a hotbed of chess. With the Chess Club now operating with 46 Members, six competitive teams, and a casual chess group, plus record attendances on Thursdays, all indications are that local popularity of the game will rise even further in 2023.

Main image created with artificial intelligence using DALL-E

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In The Media

Feature on ITV News at Ten

Govanhill Chess Club featured in several news items on ITV on Tuesday 28 June 2022.

Rhys, Giuseppe, Caitlin, Derek and Graeme met with ITN Scotland Correspondent Peter Smith in Queens Park. They were filmed playing games and also contributed interviews.

The footage accompanied a report on the launch of a new campaign for a second referendum on Scottish independence, with chess serving as a metaphor for strategic planning.

The report featured in the UK-wide news broadcasts at 6:30pm and 10pm, and in the lead story on the ITV News website. It can be viewed here.

Rhys (top left), Caitlin & Giuseppe in a sunny Queens Park

The filming location, the picnic benches at the Queens Park boating pond, is the same place we meet on Sundays from 10-12 for casual outdoor chess, through to the end of August 2022. Non-members and beginners are very welcome – details here.