About the Club

Terry Burgess is the club’s oldest player and still a self-confessed chess addict at 84. “I often wake at night, my mind churning over the moves I should have made,” he admits, and adds that he never misses a day without a game (or several) on his well-worn touch-screen tablet.

As club president, and a regular for 44 years, Terry is often the first to welcome newcomers, and firmly believes that club night should be a relaxed, sociable occasion, no matter what level of chess is played.

So if you just want a friendly game, there’s usually no shortage of like-minded opponents on a Tuesday night at Parkway (see Venue). We attract a wide range of members, among them beginners and others who just want to play for fun.

Or if you seek a challenge, we also have several strong players – in fact, some of the strongest in North Wales - and our teams compete in the top and 2nd division of the Chester district league, as well as in the Gwynedd league.

Do you Want to Know More?

You can contact our Secretary, Mike Whale, for an informal chat, or come along to the club night at Parkway.

Free Coaching

Colwyn Bay are happy to offer advice, coaching and training to people wanting not only to enjoy a game of chess, but who are interested in improving. This is free to club members, and if there is enough interest, short sessions can be organised when there are no matches. Keeping sessions short helps to focus on the main point for improvement.

Advice and coaching is for all levels: for beginners wanting to learn about the game, and people who can play but would like advice on ideas for improvement.

One key coach is Michael Vidler, who has a lot of experience in organising and providing training, and has coached a junior who went on to win the world junior championships. Michael emphasises simple ideas to begin with, to guide planning your play and picking your moves; and for more experienced players, a range of approaches to improving their focus, testing their ideas to understand what a person sees and misses, and what they can do to remedy weaknesses.

Introducing Some of our Members