For chess and backgammon players new and experienced, there’s an opportunity to gather at the Dublin Community Center twice a month to learn more about the games and play with other people in the community.
Dublin resident Chris Sprague hosts the game nights and said he hopes to bring in people from around the region. He said he wants the events to provide a space for “meeting people, getting out of the house and challenging your mind.”
Lisa Moran of Greenfield was at her second chess night on Thursday.
“It’s fun to play with different people because you see different strategies,” she said. “No one’s judgmental. They just make you feel so comfortable. It’s very nice because you don’t have to feel intimidated.”
Will Elcoate, a Dublin resident who has been attending the game nights since the fall, said, “I learned to play chess at university 50 years ago,” and has used this as an opportunity to pick the game back up.
Sprague hopes to create a mentoring environment for people attending the game nights and hopes the attendance will grow. He imagines they could have about 10 players at a time.
Game nights are held on Thursdays and co-sponsored by the Dublin Public Library. Backgammon is held on the second Thursday of every month at 4 p.m. Chess is held on the fourth Thursday of the month at 5 p.m., and the first hour is loosely an introduction to chess where Sprague discusses principles and strategy and people can play from 6 to 8 p.m.
Information and online resources can be found at dublinnhpubliclibrary.org/games-for-all-ages.html.