You could hear a pin drop at the British Chess Championships at the University of Warwick this month, as players aged six to 93 faced off across the board.

The sport, once seen by many as the domain of intellectuals and “not cool”, has picked up much more interest in recent years and is drawing players from young to old.

Riyaan was three when he first moved a chess piece. Now six, the Coventry schoolboy is competing in a national chess tournament.

He is the youngest competitor at this year’s championships and is already Britain’s highest-ranked player in his age group, as well as ninth in the world for under sevens.

His father, Robert, said Riyaan was introduced to chess by his older sister three years ago, and quickly started matching him.

“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.”

Riyaan said: “I love checkmating my opponent. It feels amazing.”

Robert said following his son’s tournament games had become a passion in itself.

“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 were first held in 1904 and are attracting more competitors than ever before as chess enjoys a resurgence in popularity.

Boredom during the Covid lockdowns, the rise of online chess platforms and the popularity of the Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit are all cited as helping drive that growth.

According to market researcher Fortune Business Insights, the chess market across the world was worth about $3.45 billion, or £2.5 billion, in 2025.

Alex Hołowczak, director of events at the English Chess Federation, said 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 became a major hit in 2020 and told the fictional story of female chess prodigy Beth Harmon.

At the other end of the age range is 93-year-old John Eddershaw, the oldest competitor in the championships in Coventry. He was 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.”

Eddershaw, from Sheffield, has been a member of several clubs and teams over the years, and said chess had 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 said.

He also 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.”

This time, experience won their game. With Riyaan’s king under attack and no way back, he resigned.

Robert said he believed his son had a strong future in chess.

“All the signs are pointing towards him being very good when he gets older,” he said.

Eddershaw said he has no plans to stop playing: “I’ll carry on playing chess until the good Lord takes me.”

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