Check-mate! Navan pub finds chess proves popular

PATRICK LAWLOR

AVID chess enthusiasts have moved from online playing to a sunny beer garden ... with the draw of a free pint per match in what is proving to be a great 'knight' out.

The chess kings and queens of the Royal County are flocking to Henry Loughran's in Navan to take on friends and foes in a novel new tournament which has drawn a lot of local interest. Manager Niall Brennan's clever gambit is a free pint for each of 'Lockie's' locals locking horns in the pub's post-lockdown chess tournament. The first tournament attracted 32 players but it is expected that given how many friendly matches punters are now playing in the beer garden, that the next competition could attract many more.

Niall, a grandson of the late Henry and Sheelagh Loughran, who is also a secondary school teacher, said: "I just started the competition for a love of chess. I run a chess club in the school where I teach but I never expected so many people playing all over the beer garden."

Asked about why the combination of a few tipples with some crafty rook moves has been such a big success, he said: 'There’s a huge appetite for chess right now in the pub, coupled with a huge desire to sit opposite someone and enjoy their company. Combine that with a free pint and it’s a win-win.

"We hope the final of this first competition will be played in a fortnight and then we’ll crack on with making a bigger, better one next time. There are at least ten more serious chess players in the pub who will participate in the next one."

One local competitor, Kacper Zeberek, said: "It's great to see so many people involved in a great game, and hopefully they will continue this on in the following weeks."

Niall Brennan said the next competition will take place at the end of August.