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Visiting and Joining

If you would like to visit us (and perhaps join our club), please read this page to find out what to expect.

Visiting on Club Nights

We are a very friendly club, so please come along to meet us!

Two club members reviewing a game

We meet every Tuesday evening at 7:15pm at The New Inn Hotel, Gloucester. See Venue for maps and directions.

You don’t need to be a member to visit. However, if you come regularly then we ask that you join. See Membership for details.

Someone should be available to meet new members and to play games and to discuss chess skills. However, we have less than 20 members so if matches are in progress there may be no one free.

Therefore, before visiting for the first time it’s best to plan ahead by looking at our fixtures. It’s also worthwhile contacting a club official first so that we can arrange to meet you.

Visiting on Match Nights

Our home Competition Matches are played on the same night (Tuesdays), so a match may be in progress. Matches start at 7:15pm and last up to 3 hours. Each team is made up of 5 players (so there are 5 games in progress), and the atmosphere is silently intense! If you are new to chess this may seem extremely strange!

Play in progress

If a match is in progress then please be extremely quiet. There must be no talking above or near the match tables. Even the team Captain is not allowed to speak, except under certain circumstances. However, you are allowed to observe from a distance – please do not crowd the board.

If playing a friendly game on one of the side tables, or meeting other Members, then talking must be no more than an occasional whisper. This is why meeting us on a match night can be difficult.

Coaching

Occasionally we run group coaching sessions for our players. Most recently, one of our strongest players has been coaching Rook and Pawn endings. Please see our News page where such events are normally published. Feel free to come along to discuss these chess skills!

See some of our coaching articles.

How to Join

If you would like to play regularly then we ask that you become a Member. See Membership page for details.

There is no “qualifying process”. However, we will gauge your chess strength by playing friendly games with you to determine your suitable competition level.

If you are completely new to chess, please read our Guide for New Starters which gives information to take you from beginner to club player – for example, writing chess notation (it is mandatory to keep score), using the chess clock, and board etiquette. You don’t need to know all of this to play casual chess, but before you can play matches you must have these skills. We’ll help you with that too!

If you are under 16, then please be aware that this club may not be suitable for you, since we don’t offer formal coaching. We would also ask that your parent or guardian accompanies you to club nights. Therefore you may be interested to know that Cheltenham has a junior club called Musketeers. On the other hand, if you are eager and determined, then please speak to us – you might become the next Magnus Carlsen!

If you are an experienced player and are seeking a new club (perhaps new to the area), then you’ll be pleased to know that we’re always open to new Members. You’ll find Gloucester a very friendly club with a wide range of chess levels, and always eager to improve.

What to do now?

  • Check out our Venue to see where we are
  • Check our Fixtures to see when it’s best to visit
  • Contact one of our Club Officials to arrange a meeting
  • Or just pop in to see how it all works!

Also, why not find out more about our club here: