A REVOLUTIONARY chess club that acts as a lifeline for struggling men has been nominated for a Proud of Barnsley award.

From a trailblazing idea six months ago to becoming a veritable movement throughout the borough, ‘Check Mates Barnsley’ has grown exponentially and hopes to use chess as a tool to unite locals.

Having worked in adult social care for the last decade, Connor Brookes has extensive experience working with anyone from vulnerable men and women to people with learning difficulties.

Connor created the group to create a real difference to men who are struggling with their mental health and has big plans for the future.

From championing an app that allows locals to find safe places to play a game of chess, ‘Check Mate IRL’ to using the power of the game to unite youngsters who attend Base 71 Connor has admitted that he wants to make the group his legacy and doesn’t plan to stop any time soon.

Open to men aged 18-plus, the informal drop-in sessions are every Wednesday, at 6.30pm and accommodating of all abilities, with equipment supplied.

Located centrally at Billy’s Coffee Bar, on Doncaster Road, Check Mates has steadily been growing a supportive community encouraging vulnerable men to come out of their shells one game at a time.

The club aims to tackle isolation, mental health challenges, relationship breakdowns and a loss of identity in the community.

Connor explained that the game has the potential to forge strong bonds between men and open the door to important conversations.

Unlike other games like darts or pool, chess sits players directly across from each other.

Additionally, the game has the power to re-ignite key childhood memories.

The group’s relaxed environment only has one rule to finish every game.

Connor said: “Each week we’ve had people consistently turning up, which tells me that Check Mates is needed.

“One of the difficulties is people having to catch buses from different parts of the borough, so we want to have as many hubs as possible.

“It still blows my mind that so many people have tapped into it this way and I’ve had a lot of international players and organisations reach out.

“I want to bring chess culture to Barnsley to eventually help as many people as possible.”

A PIONEERING ‘social media app for chess’ hopes to connect locals with chess hotspots throughout the borough.

Connor Brookes’ ‘Check Mates’ has transformed an ambitious idea into a real social movement with the help of Craig Aubrey, community development officer at Central Ward Alliance.

Using chess as a tool to connect vulnerable men, Check Mates has a devoted group of regulars that flock to Billy’s Coffee Bar every Wednesday.

Now, Connor is ready to launch a game-changing app created by a developer, Lucas Schaubel, that hopes to bring chess culture to Barnsley.

‘Checkmate IRL’ is a revolutionary app that hopes to connect chess players with local cafes.

Through the app, locals can find venues across the borough where they can pull up a chair and play a game.

Connor said: “What I’ve found with Check Mates is that people from across the borough were having to catch buses to get there.

“This app changes the game because it brings the game to them.

“The app’s developer, who is from Berlin, actually reached out to me and did it completely for free.

“We find venues that are suitable for a game of chess and give them a board and register them on our app.

“People can then find somewhere close to them to play a game. The app is ready to go and I’m excited to make chess accessible in Barnsley.”

Craig added: “I first got involved with Check Mates when I heard about Connor’s idea and less than 24 hours later he turned up at our door.

“Normally, when we get people coming to us with groups everyone involved already knows each other.

“You generally don’t see groups like Check Mates that develop organically at such pace.

“I always do things one step at a time, but the fact that people have still turned up through a heatwave and football matches is a good sign.”