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Social Chess & Chess for Youngsters

Details on clubs and Children's Chess competitions at Methody

Newman Hindley Series (Children’s Chess) – Methodist College, Belfast

Mark Newman and Geoff Hindley run monthly events at Methody for children in primary & secondary school.

There is also a puzzle-solving competition at each event.

The events throughout the series (October – May) are ran as a Grand Prix with the top four in each section being invited to an award ceremony at Stormont held in June.

The competitions in October, December, and May are qualifiers for larger events and therefore are an all-day competition (9:30am-5pm) with the time control 30+0.

Events in November, January, February, and April are our standard competitions (12:30pm-5pm) with a time control of 15+0.

We ask that children are registered for the events to allow for a smooth running of the competition.

Anyone interested should contact Mark Newman with the below details:

-          Child’s name

-          Child’s age + school year

-          School name (if applicable)

 

Local Chess Clubs and Activities

Lisburn

Lisburn Chess Club is very active and has many youngsters attending. They have a beginners class/tournament on a Tuesday evening and a club day on a Saturday.

The club is very active on social media and can be contacted through there or via email.

City of Derry

The club host learning nights for Primary School Students every Tuesday from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
The club is very active on social media and can be contacted through there or via email.

Bangor

This is another club which is very active with a lot of younger members. The club meets every Thursday and can be contacted via social media or email.

 

2 Royal Avenue

Although not a club, 2 Royal Avenue meets every Sunday for some casual games. Children under 16 must be under supervision.

Contact Paul for more details.

 

NAS Newtownards (National Autistic Society)

NAS has a newly founded chess club for youngsters and meets every other Tuesday. You can contact NAS Newtownards via their FaceBook page.

News
Ulster Champions were crowned at Methodist College on Sat 6th Dec 2025 37 young chess players gathered at Methodist College to compete for the age group titles of Ulster Champion. 6 rounds o... Dec 08, 2025
Lisburn Chess Club shares with deep sadness the news of the passing of young Gopi Marengo Nov 18, 2025
Ulster Masters 2025 – Results A 5 round FIDE-rated classic event was held at Lisburn Chess Club, Friday 14th November – Sunday 16th November. Nov 16, 2025
An afternoon of brilliant chess and puzzle solving was held at Methodist College on 1st Nov 2025 The first of our 5 Childrens Chess took place on Saturday. These feed into a grandprix with top players being invited to... Nov 08, 2025
The LJCC Belfast Qualifier took place at Methodist College on 25th Oct 25 The first of the UCU monthly childrens tournaments took place on 25th Oct 2025 after being postponed due to the storm. 3... Nov 02, 2025
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Upcoming Events
Ulster Blitz Championship 2025 Sat 27th Dec at Fruithill Chess Club. FIDE rated 3mins + 2sec. 18 Rounds. Become an Ulster Champion. Dec 27, 2025 09:30 AM - 04:30 PM — Fruithill Chess Club, Falls Bowling Club, 63 Andersonstown Rd, Belfast, BT11 9AH
Second Executive Board Meeting (Rescheduled) Jan 06, 2026 08:00 PM - 09:30 PM — Maynard Sinclair Pavilion (Playball conference room)
January 10th 2026 Childrens Chess 12:30 – 5:00 Monthly Chess Tournaments Continues at Methodist College. Jan 10, 2026 12:30 PM - 05:00 PM — Methodist College,1 Malone Rd, Belfast BT9 6BY
FIDE-rated Williamson Shield 2026 Jan 23, 2026 - Jan 25, 2026 — Maynard Sinclair Pavilion, Upper Newtownards Road Belfast BT4 3TA
Sligo Chess & Culture Festival Jan 30th - Feb 8th 2026 The Sligo Chess and Culture Festival will have entertainment, social, cultural, and sporting activities, chess talks, wo... Jan 30, 2026 - Feb 08, 2026 — Diamond Coast Hotel, Enniscrone, Ireland
Upcoming events…