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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 Chess Union Mourns the Passing of Damien Lavery Mar 02, 2026
Saturday 14th Feb 2026 and another brilliant monthly Childrens Chess Tournament. Youngsters from all over Ulster gathered at Methodist College to compete in an afternoon of Chess, a swiss tournament an... Feb 21, 2026
UCU Events Update – Remainder of the Season This has been a challenging year for UCU events; however, we have been fortunate to secure arbiters for events held so f... Feb 21, 2026
Standings of the Childrens Chess Grandprix after January 2026. The Ulster Chess Union runs monthly tournaments at Methodist College. All pupils are welcome to play. Five of these tour... Feb 07, 2026
The new year and the chess league continues.... Playing chess in a team is one of those joys of chess. You have the beautiful game and the team spirit. Each player focu... Feb 01, 2026
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Upcoming Events
Women's Chess Day with special guest - WGM Trisha Kanyamarala Mar 08, 2026 12:00 PM - 04:00 PM — Lisburn Chess Club, 60-62 Longstone Street
FIDE RATED Coalisland Blitz Championship 2026 Tuesday 10 March 2026. Check-in at 19:50 The 10 rounds will be played back-to-back from 20:00 to 22:30 Time-control 3-... Mar 10, 2026 07:50 PM - 10:30 PM — Washingbay Centre, 92 Ballybeg Road, Aughamullan, Coalisland, County Tyrone, BT71 5DX
Third Executive Board Meeting Agenda TBC Mar 10, 2026 08:00 PM - 09:30 PM — Lisburn Chess Club
March 14th 2026 Childrens Chess 12:30 – 5:00 UCU Monthly Schools Chess Tournaments Continues at Methodist College. Mar 14, 2026 12:30 PM - 05:00 PM — Methodist College,1 Malone Rd, Belfast BT9 6BY
FIDE RATED Black Mountain Rapid 2026 [event 2 of 10 in art & chess neurodiversity festival] The Chess neurodiversity festival continues. With second exciting event. Venue: Black Mountain Shared Space, 208 Ballyg... Mar 28, 2026 10:15 AM - 04:30 PM — Black Mountain Shared Space, 208 Ballygomartin Road, Belfast, BT13 3NG
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