Club Moves to St. Marks Church in Qualicum

The Oceanside Chess Club is pleased to announce that after some years of meeting at the Qualicum Beach Library, we are finally making the move the basement of St. Marks Church.

The Oceanside Chess Club was first started early in 2019 by Len Molden, following the closure of the Bishops of Bowser during the pandemic. The Vancouver Island regional library acted as the club’s birthplace. The peaceful environment and excellent exposure helped the club to find its footing in what was a rough time for most other chess clubs.

For the past few years, the library has been an excellent place to attract new members. We have been fortunate enough to meet so many of you thanks to the library. We would like to take a moment to extend our thanks to all the staff who work there for their support, without whom we should surely not exist.

As the club continued to grow, it became clear, though, that we needed a larger space. Thanks to the efforts of Phil Bitz, we found the perfect place to set down our roots, the basement of St. Marks Church. The new location has ample room, plenty of storage for our boards and clocks, and a large upstairs hall that we can use for future tournaments.

We look forward to seeing you in our new space. Come join us on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for some fun-filled competition. Here’s to new beginnings, and to the many chess games ahead!