Father and son look to jump-start East Kings Chess Club with tournament in Wolfville
After several years without a club, the sport of chess is about to make a comeback in Kings County.
East Kings Chess Club members Ralf Dornieden and his 14- year- old son Jonas Dornieden, of Wolfville Ridge, are coorganizing a tournament for the club, which takes place at Acadia University’s Beveridge Arts Centre on Jan. 6.
Following a lengthy hiatus, a local club was recently re-established with Monday evening meetings at the Wolfville Library from 6:30-9 p.m. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Members of varying skill levels practice playing against each other with and without a clock. There have been as many as 16 players taking part. The Dorniedens hope those numbers grow to 40 or 50. Ralf said the Monday evening sessions are great for beginners just learning to play.
Chess can be a great social activity but can also be very competitive. Ralf said they moved to the area last year and Jonas has been competing in a lot of Nova Scotia Chess Association youth and adult tournaments in Halifax.
They thought it would be great to have an opportunity to play locally over the winter months. They met recently with another local player, Ian Anderson, of Coldbrook, about establishing a club.
Jonas, a Grade 9 student at Horton, said they decided to hold a tournament to help jump-start the club. It’s all about getting people out and playing. He has heard a lot of people mention that they play chess but not in a club or organization.
Ralf said a lot of people are playing online these days, where there are some very good clubs and programs available.
“You can have chess lessons online and you can have everything online but it’s totally different psychology to play on board,”