A VILLAGE club has seen a ‘resurgence’ in chess among young players in the area.

Stockton Heath Junior Chess Club, which operates at Sandy Lane Community Centre, was founded in 2018.

It provides young players of all abilities with the environment to test out their skills while socialising.

The club was founded by volunteers and is now co-run by experienced chess player Damian McCarthy and certified chess tutor Nadia Siuda.

Nadia said: “It’s been amazing to see such a resurgence in chess amongst juniors.

“We are thrilled to be part of all this by offering a safe environment for children to learn and play in.

“Damian and I teach our weekly chess workshops.

“One week, we may teach about essential tactics such as pins or forks, while another may see us have a tournament!

“The aim is to help children who wish to develop a proper understanding of chess become better players. But not only that, it’s also just a brilliant way to get them socialising as well.”

The pair wanted to spread the word about their club so worked with a Northwich-based digital marketing agency to design a new website.

Cheshire Cat Marketing’s owners, Rhiannon and Darren Birch, are both passionate about chess and were happy to help out completely free of charge in order to see it grow further.

Darren said: “Stockton Heath is a fantastic club that’s done a lot for the community.

“The children are always excited to learn and play, so we can’t wait to see what the future holds for them!”

The sessions take place every Monday from 5.45pm to 7pm.

Find out more about Stockton Heath Junior Chess Club at stocktonheathjuniorchessclub.co.uk.