​The Ocean Grove Chess Club

THE BEGINNING - 2007

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Malcom Hughes

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The Ocean Grove Chess was founded in October 2007 by Malcolm Hughes, uncle of former test cricketer Merv Hughes.  Malcolm taught chess to school students after school at the Bellarine Training & Community Hub (formerly the Ocean Grove Neighbourhood Centre), and adults in the evening.

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As well as a chess tutor, Malcolm was a principal at several local primary schools, and was involved in local basketball. Sadly, Malcolm passed away in 2012 at the age of 77 from a heart condition. Before his passing, he generously donated numerous professional tournament standard chess sets, chess mats, chess clocks and reference books to the chess club. Malcolm’s wife Roma still lives in the area and remains keenly interested in the club.

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2000's

Ralph Wright

 

The chess club was then led by Ralph Wright, a former chess student of Malcolm’s and a fellow schoolteacher, who joined the club in 2009. His passion for the game first developed when he learnt to play chess in Year 7 at Queenscliff High School. On his 13th birthday, his father gave him a wooden chess set which he still treasures today.    As a secondary school teacher, Ralph began taking students to Geelong school chess tournaments in the 1990s. Several of his pupils have done well in local school chess tournaments.

 

He has worked at many Geelong school chess tournaments as assistant arbiter/coach. When Ralph is not playing chess, he is also a keen sportsman and involved in numerous sports, including cycle racing, canoe marathon, triathlon, and surf lifesaving, as a competitor, coach and official. Ralph received support and help from wonderful Julie Long in administration, with Stan Rusiniak and other members promoting the club in the local newspapers and displaying posters in the local and regional shopping districts and supermarkets.

 

 

COVID-19 & A MOVE - 2020/1

 

With the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, the centre would not allow any community board, card game, etc. activities, although their training programs continued. 

Obviously, this was a setback for the chess club and the other community groups.

The chess players, outside of lockdown periods, in line with Victorian Government restrictions, commenced playing chess at member's homes on a rotational basis during daytime hours. 

The chess club decided it had to act and elected to look elsewhere and found another home at the Ocean Grove Citizens Club, and on Tuesday 23rd March at 1.30pm they welcomed us. 

Due to Covid the chess club ensured that measures were in place, including face coverings, QR (Quick Response) codes, hand sanitisation, as well as density limits to comply with Victorian Government requirements.

One drawback with the move is the being held during the day restricted new membership of people who worked during the day, and students. Also, Ralph, being a sessional schoolteacher is not always able to always attend. In this case, during these occasions, John Griffiths and Stan Rusiniak provide support in club operations. The senior members like playing during daylight hours, as they do not have to be out in the evening and drive home in the dark.

During the lockdowns, the club has been taking advantage of online chess platforms such as Lichess.org which let members play against another club opponent live online. With the easing of restrictions, once again we were able to meet.

With this change of venue being Covid compliant the club gained a new base from which to continue to grow the club and play chess.

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THE FUTURE - 

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As we head into the 2020’s, we hope for continued growth of the club, and its continued contribution to the local chess community, providing a friendly place for competitive chess, for those living in the Bellarine and in particularly Ocean Grove.

 

Here at the Ocean Grove Citizens Club facility players play only for fun and mutual love of the game.

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