Galway Chess Club

This Thursday (18 April) will be the final round of the Winter League (our club championship). That means that no other games will be able to be played, though spectators are welcome (subject to the usual rules of chess tournaments that there be complete silence and no electronic devices such as mobile phones or laptops are brought into the room). The Winter League is coming to an exciting finish, with four players still in strong contention.

If you have any questions about this (or any other) event, please drop us an email at the address at the very bottom of this page.

2024 Programme

Doors open at 7pm. All events start at 7:30.

January 11Beginners’ Night
January 18Blitz (5 minutes + 5 second increment)
January 25Galway Winter League (Round 4)
February 1Spring Rapidplay: Rounds 1-3
February 8Blitz (5 minutes + 5 second increment)
February 15Puzzle Night
February 22Galway Winter League (Round 5)
February 29Spring Rapidplay: Rounds 4-6
March 7Blitz (3+2)
March 14Social Night featuring chess variant
March 21Galway Winter League (Round 6)
March 28Club closed (Easter)
April 4Spring Rapidplay: Rounds 7-9
April 11Blitz (5 + 5)
April 18Galway Winter League (Round 7)
April 25Social Night featuring chess variant
May 2Winter League play-off, if required, or
Season-ending Blitz (5+5)
May 9Annual General Meeting (members only)
May 16Season-ending Blitz (5+5) (if not held on 2 May)

  • Venue: Galway Bridge Centre (upstairs), St. Mary’s Road, Galway H91 C2C3.
  • Time: 7pm-10:30pm. Events start at 7:30pm sharp.
  • Season: September to May.
  • Regular informal meetings on Tuesday evenings in the Mechanics Institute – contact us in advance.


FAQ

My child loves chess – can they come to the club?

Teenagers are welcome if accompanied by a parent/guardian. Be advised, this is primarily a club for adults, so children remain the responsibility of their parent/guardian at all times.

For younger children, we advise that you contact Brendan Buckley (at brendan[at]chessossity[dot]com), who runs Galway Juniors Chess.

I am a beginner/rusty – would the club be suitable for me?

All are welcome, but some events are more suitable than others. The Beginners’ evening, obviously, would be a good place to start. The Rapidplay evenings are also very good, because the time control is about 15 minutes in length, which is a happy medium between the Winter League games which go on for a couple of hours, or the blitzes which are quite fast. If you play a game or two with someone in the club, they should be able to advise you what events you might enjoy.

The Tuesday evening meetings in the Mechanics’ Institute are extremely informal and might also be a good choice.

Where can I park when visiting the club?

There is a limited number of places in Galway Bridge Centre, but you have to get there early. Alternatively, the Bridge Centre has informed us that they have an agreement with St Mary’s School that allows us to park in the School car park, which is directly opposite on the other side of St Mary’s Road, and has ample spaces. (You can see the car park on the google maps link, if you zoom in and choose satellite view.)

Do you need to be a member to attend?

No – you are very welcome to drop down and attend an evening or two to see if you like it before we ask you to commit to anything.

I wish to join. How can I do so?

The most popular way to join is to come to one of the club evenings and chat to our Treasurer, Scott. He will take your membership fee of 60e (30e concession), name, and contact details. If you cannot make it down to the club to join, email us and we will send you a PayPal link.

I wish to be added to your weekly mailing list – how can we make this happen?

Email galwaychess[at]gmail[dot]com and let us know.

Contact Email for all queries: galwaychess[at]gmail[dot]com . If you want to be added to our mailing list to receive weekly updates on our goings-on, please send an email to that address.

Posted by Admin on March 5th, 2012