Chess brings young and old together at championship in Coventry

As chess thrives, young and old are doing battle on the board

You can hear a pin drop as these contests take place - we are at the British Chess Championships, held at the University of Warwick this month.

The sport, once thought to be the domain of intellectuals and "not cool" by most, has been getting a lot more interest in recent years - and attracting those from young to old.

Riyaan was three years old when he first moved a chess piece. Now, aged six, he is competing at a national chess tournament.

The Coventry schoolboy is the youngest competitor at this year's championships and is already Britain's highest-ranked player in his age group, ninth in the world for under sevens.

He was introduced to chess by his older sister three years ago, and within weeks was holding his own against his father, Robert.

"My daughter and I learned to play chess online and then one day Riyaan came with us and asked to play," Robert said.

"Within weeks he was able to draw with me and then a month later he was consistently beating me, so we knew something was happening."

"I love checkmating my opponent," said Riyaan. "It feels amazing."

His father said following Riyaan's tournament games had become a passion of its own.

"It's as good as watching football," he said. "I feel like I'm playing every move with him and I find it very exciting."

The championships, first held in 1904, are attracting more competitors than ever before as chess enjoys a resurgence in popularity.

A mix of boredom during the Covid lockdowns, the rise of online chess platforms and the popularity of the Netflix series The Queen's Gambit are all referenced as helped propel chess into being one of the fastest-growing games in the world.

While the chess market across the world was worth about $3.45bn (£2.5bn) in 2025, according to the market researcher Fortune Business Insights.

Alex Hołowczak, director of events at the English Chess Federation, said their membership had doubled from 10,000 in 2015 to 20,000 today.

"We had a big surge in membership around the time of Covid and The Queen's Gambit, when there was a lot more exposure to chess," he said.

"Lots of the children who maybe would have done other activities came to do chess instead, and a lot of them are still around playing now."

The Queen's Gambit is a Netflix drama which became a huge hit in 2020, telling the fictional story of the female chess prodigy, Beth Harmon.

John Eddershaw, 93, is the oldest competitor in the championships in Coventry, having been taught to play by his father when he was eight.

"I've had untold pleasure," he said. "People I've met, the games I've played, and where one was able to travel."

He has been a member of several clubs and teams over the years, and says chess has kept him mentally active since he retired as a race walker.

"Chess is a game of studying. I call it a university game, because you have to use your brains," he smiled.

Eddershaw, from Sheffield, said he enjoyed playing against Riyaan, despite their 87-year age gap.

"I wasn't bored or anything. In fact, he was teaching me something," he said.

"There are more and more people playing chess these days, particularly [at] the younger end."

In terms of their game though, this time experience had the upper hand - as, with Riyaan finding his king under attack and no way back, he resigned.

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