#Internet chess killer series

Of the international competition, Pein said: вЂњOur prison team has been preparing for six months and they are highly motivated and excited by the prospect of playing the Russians.

For some prisoners it has relieved the isolation theyвЂ™ve felt inside by being able to enjoy a shared activity with other prisoners that crosses all language and cultural barriers.вЂќ вЂњAt Wandsworth there are games of chess being played all day long. It has a positive effect on behaviour as it relieves boredom and was a lifeline to some prisoners during lockdown. He said: вЂњChess instils mental self-discipline, problem-solving skills and the ability to concentrate. Pein said the charityвЂ™s ambition was to establish a chess club in every prison and young offender institution. Its captain is the CSC chief executive, Malcolm Pein, an international master.

#Internet chess killer series

It comes as chess enjoys increased popularity, due in part to the hit Netflix TV series The QueenвЂ™s Gambit.Д¬SCвЂ™s prisons coordinator, Peter Sullivan, who has run a thriving chess club at HMP Wandsworth for more than three years, has trained the England team. The tournament will be played under the auspices of the International Chess Federation.ДЄn MoJspokesperson said it was an exception and confirmed it was understood to be the first time prisoners have been permitted to take part in an online competition. The charity has been working with prison authorities and the technology provider Novus to ensure the games are played securely.ДЄs part of the two-day event, starting on Wednesday, the England team will take on inmates from prisons in 31 countries including the US, Russia, Croatia, Portugal and Trinidad and Tobago. The four-man England team are all members of prison chess clubs, set up by the UK charity Chess in Schools and Communities (CSC). This time they can make their moves on the computers themselves. With just 10 minutes permitted in a game, this time-consuming method proved impractical and they lost all their matches. Instead, prison officers and volunteers inputted and relayed the moves for them. But security concerns meant they were not allowed to access the computers themselves.

On a previous occasion, prisoners were indirectly allowed to play against online opponents. But the Ministry of Justice has approved prisoners from the category B HMP Wandsworth in London and the category D open prison HMP Hollesley Bay in Suffolk to take part in the first Intercontinental Online Championship for Prisoners. So the decision to grant inmates at two prisons in England permission to play competitive chess in an international tournament for the first time, allowing them direct access to the internet to make their moves from prison computers, has been lauded by campaigners.ДЄccess to the internet is severely restricted in UK prisons and largely limited to education. The benefits of chess have long been extolled for retaining mental agility and as an escape from boredom, making it the perfect pastime for prisoners confined to four walls.