Our First Chess Pilot Was a Success - Here's What We Learned and What's Next
Intense The Street Gambit Match at Jurong East
I’m thrilled to report that the first over-the-board (OTB) chess pilot has concluded with overwhelming positive reception. We brought local chess enthusiasts together for face-to-face games, and the response exceeded all expectations. First of all, thank you to everyone who responded to my initial call-out – you really didn’t have to reply to a random Danish Chess.com account with a toucan as its profile picture, but you did, and I’m very grateful for your trust and enthusiasm. Your participation turned a simple idea into a vibrant reality.
It’s clear that players are eager to get back to the board. In fact, in the wake of the pandemic there’s been a global chess boom – club memberships have surged and chess set sales spiked after Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit[1]. Our local success with this pilot mirrors that trend, showing that many people (new and returning players alike) are looking for opportunities to play in person. Today, I’d like to share some highlights and lessons from the first pilot, and give a sneak peek at what’s coming next for our growing chess community.
Key Learnings from the First Pilot
After running our first pilot meetups, a few key takeaways stood out:
Use of Real Boards and Clocks: We found that playing on a traditional chess board with a physical clock creates the best experience. The tactile feel of real pieces and the sight of a ticking chess clock keep players focused and immersed. (When a physical clock wasn’t available, a clock app on a phone worked in a pinch, but the analog experience was preferable.) The equipment really matters for serious play and enjoyment.
Competitive, Well-Matched Games: The games were very competitive and fun, which tells us our rating-based matchmaking is working. By pairing players of similar rating, we ensured exciting battles that were neither mismatched blowouts nor boring stalemates. Skill-wise, everyone had a worthy opponent, making the matches intense and rewarding.
Board Game Cafés as Great Venues: Hosting the meetups at board game cafés turned out to be an excellent choice. The cafes provided a comfortable, chess-friendly environment with plenty of tables and a fun boardgaming atmosphere. I’m happy to report that we’ve now partnered with four board game cafés who are enthusiastic about supporting these OTB chess sessions. The combination of coffee, snacks, and chess sets in a cozy cafe environment really enhanced the social aspect of the pilot.
The Appeal of Public Spaces: We also experimented with playing in public squares, and this had a really cool appeal. There’s something special about two people absorbed in a chess battle in the middle of a public space – it tends to draw interest from passersby and adds a bit of drama to the game. (In contrast to the quieter cafe setting, the outdoor public games felt like mini pop-up events!)
Chess in a Public Square: Playing chess outdoors in a public square creates an energising atmosphere. During one of our pilot sessions, an open-air game attracted curious onlookers, turning a normal match into a mini-spectacle. The players loved the fresh air and the friendly buzz of people stopping to watch. Our pilot confirmed that an outdoor setting adds a lively, communal vibe to the experience, making the game even more enjoyable.
(On the other hand, we haven’t tested regular coffee shops extensively yet – but the few café meetups we tried went well. It seems any friendly location with a table can work, though dedicated gaming cafes and scenic public spots were clear favourites.)
Improvements for Next Time
No pilot is perfect, and we’ve identified a few improvements to make our next events even better. Based on feedback and my own observations, here’s what we’ll be tweaking:
Stick with Boards & Clocks: We’ll continue using real chess boards and clocks at all meetups. The consensus was that nothing beats the authenticity of a physical board and a ticking clock for OTB play. (Of course, a phone clock app remains a fine backup if needed.) This setup keeps the games serious yet fun, and it avoids any technical hiccups that online play might have.
Small Group Format (4-Player Pods): Instead of strictly one-on-one meetups, we plan to arrange sessions in slightly larger groups – typically pods of four players of similar rating. This change should make the experience more social and less intense than a single head-to-head matchup. Importantly, it also provides a buffer in case of no-shows or last-minute cancellations. In the first pilot, a couple of people cancelled the day before their game, which was disappointing for their would-be opponents. With a group of four, even if one person cancels, the others can still pair off and play. The group format ensures no one is left without a game and might even allow for rotating opponents for variety.
Mitigating Cancellations: On that note, we’ll be urging participants to firm up their availability and maybe even have one “alternate” player on standby for each group. Last-minute cancellations suck for everyone, so we’re taking steps to minimise them. The new group-of-four system is one solution, and we’ll also send friendly reminders as the day approaches. The goal is to ensure that everyone who signs up gets to play as planned.
Pre-Match Group Chats: We’ll keep doing the day-before group chats for each meetup. Having a quick chat thread (for example, on WhatsApp or Discord) the day before the game allowed players to introduce themselves, confirm logistics (time, exact location, how to identify each other), and break the ice a little. This proved to be a great way to build camaraderie even before anyone sat down at the board. Several participants commented that it made meeting a new opponent in person far more comfortable. We’ll continue setting up these pre-game chats so that when people arrive to play, they already feel acquainted and at ease.
Growing Our Chess Community
One of the best outcomes of this pilot was seeing how many people are eager to join in. For our next event, we had 55 players sign up almost right away! This is a huge increase in interest, and it’s incredibly exciting to see our local chess community growing so quickly. If you have friends who play chess (at any level), please invite them to come along and sign up for an upcoming session. The more, the merrier – chess is for everyone, and we’re happy to match newcomers and veterans alike with suitable opponents. Our mission is to make it easy for people to find a real, live game and new chess friends in the area.
Given the strong response, I’m also looking into organizing multiple meetup days or staggered time slots to accommodate everyone. We want to ensure that all 55 (and counting!) of you get a chance to play without it being too crowded at any one location. Stay tuned for scheduling updates on that. And don’t worry – even as we scale up, we’ll maintain the rating-based pairings or groups so that games remain fair and enjoyable for all skill levels.
New Pilot in Johor Bahru (JB)
I’m excited to announce that we are expanding to a new city! Our pilot program will be launching in Johor Bahru (JB) soon. This means chess enthusiasts across the causeway (or anyone who’s nearby) can join the fun. If you’re in JB or have friends there who love chess, spread the word that in-person chess meetups are coming their way. The JB pilot will follow the same model – coordinating matches at local cafes, board game venues, or public spots – to foster a vibrant chess community there. I’ll be partnering with some local venues in JB and looking for volunteers to help host or organize, so please reach out if you’re interested. We can’t wait to see the JB chess scene come alive!
For our current participants, this expansion is also great news: it opens the door for occasional inter-city chess meetups or friendly tournaments in the future. Imagine a weekend where the Singapore and JB groups meet halfway for a chess day, or a JB vs SG mini-match – the possibilities are endless. For now, the focus is on getting the JB pilot up and running, but down the line we might organize special events that bring all our players together.
Bringing the OTB Experience Home
On another note, I want to share a cool development for those who can’t get enough of chess: I recently got my hands on a ChessUp smart chess board, and it’s been an amazing way to practice and play from home while still getting that over-the-board feel. In case you haven’t heard of it, ChessUp is a high-tech physical board that connects to your phone and lets you play online matches on a real board. Your opponent’s moves light up on the board, and you move the pieces – it’s the closest thing to playing someone in person when you’re actually at home. The board has touch-sensor pieces and built-in timing, really capturing the authentic OTB experience[2] even though you might be facing an online opponent or an AI. It’s great for improving your board vision and avoiding the “screen fatigue” that comes with online chess.
As a thank-you to the community, I’ve arranged a 10% discount code for anyone interested in getting a ChessUp board for themselves. If you’re looking to level up your home chess setup or want that true board feeling for your online games, this is a perfect opportunity. Use my special code: NICOLAIAT (or the link) provided to get 10% off your ChessUp purchase. I don’t normally plug products, but this one genuinely impressed me, and it aligns with our OTB philosophy by blending technology with the traditional chess experience. So I’m happy to pass along the discount to anyone who’s interested.
See You Over The Board!
Once again, thank you all for the incredible support and for making the first pilot such a success. I’ve learned a ton from this experience, and it’s been so rewarding to watch people connect over chessboards in real life. The smiles, the intense thinking faces, the post-game handshakes – it all reminded me why OTB chess is such a beloved tradition.
Going forward, I’m more excited than ever. With our upcoming improvements, more players joining, and a new branch in Johor Bahru, the future of this chess meetup program looks bright. Whether you’re a seasoned tournament player or someone who’s only played online so far, I invite you to come be a part of this growing community. There’s nothing quite like the clack of pieces on a wooden board and a friendly rival sitting across from you, ready to play – it’s the heart of chess.
Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you at the next meetup. Spread the word, bring a friend, and let’s continue to revive the joy of over-the-board chess together. See you over the board! 😉
Sources:
1. The Guardian – Chess boom in the post-pandemic era[1] (context on the surge in chess popularity)
2. ChessUp Community Forum – User feedback on the ChessUp 2 board capturing the OTB experience[2]
[1] The Guardian view on the chess boom: how rooks and knights captured the world | Editorial | The Guardian
[2] Is ChessUp 2 the right choice for my training goals? (FIDE 1700) - General - ChessUp
