Social chess a smart opening

STEEL sculptor Andre Sardone is trading artistry for strategy with the launch of a new social chess group at the Old Church on the Hill.

Mr Sardone first started playing as a child and said he wants to share his love of the game further with the community.

“I’ve always thought that in a city with 110,000 people, there should be more people playing chess and more opportunity to play chess,” he said.

“I liked the idea of just being able to play some social chess to encourage children and families.

“The Old Church on the Hill has got a fantastic space and community involvement and I thought the two could fit together well.”

People of all ages and experience are encouraged to attend the meetups, which Mr Sardone said he hopes will help to “cross pollinate” Old Church programs, including those involving multicultural community members.

“I thought chess would be a good way to bring them together because it’s a language all of its own, you don’t need to be able to speak the language to play chess against someone,” he said.

“It’s such a wonderful game and I’d love to provide the opportunity for people to come together and play and to bring community together after all this time we’ve been apart.”

The social chess meetups will be held every Saturday from 9am to 12pm, starting this weekend, and players are encouraged to bring their own board if they have one.