Why it matters: 5asideCHESS is planning to bring its Battling Suicide Bus and giant chess set back to Ipswich for a free 09:30-14:00 event on Thursday, 22 January, but organisers need a suitable location that can accommodate the equipment and allow public access.
What they're saying: "People aren't talking to each other anymore – they're on their phones, focused on jobs and relationships, with no time for each other," said Ross Smith, co-founder of 5asideCHESS. "One day it all stops – you lose your job, get divorced – life happens. You've got 1,000 friends on Facebook but no one to talk to. You can't just randomly talk to people in Costa."
Smith said he uses chess to create opportunities for people to connect in person. "The story is loneliness – depression, social friction, suicide. The story is how we make time to fix each other."
What's needed: A suitable venue must accommodate the giant chess set and Battling Suicide Bus from 09:30-14:00. Smith suggested locations including the Cornhill where they successfully set up in 2023, the train station, car parks, supermarket locations or the Corn Exchange, though organisers are open to other options that can host the equipment and allow public access.
The big picture: 5asideCHESS, founded in 2015 by south Cambridgeshire business partners Ross and Ian McKay, uses chess as an "international language" to break down social barriers and get people talking. The social enterprise has spent 10 years travelling around the country working with prisons, universities, youth groups and community centres as part of its #HELPyourSELF programme.
Chess has been widely reported to have been used therapeutically since the 9th century in Baghdad, where physician Rhazes used it as a metaphor to help patients understand their challenges. The game encourages problem-solving, builds rapport between players, and demonstrates empathy through anticipating opponents' moves.
The details: The planned event will feature a giant five-a-side chess set – a simplified version of the game that is quicker to play and easier to pick up – alongside the organisation's Battling Suicide Bus, which provides a space for people to relax and have conversations around the theme "What does it take to make Ipswich a better place?"
The free event is open to all ages and abilities, with no chess experience necessary. The organisation will also work with Suffolk Libraries for an event in Lowestoft that afternoon.
For context: 5asideCHESS previously visited Ipswich in June 2023, setting up at the Cornhill in the town centre with their giant chess set. Smith described that event as having "great engagement" from the local community. The event will serve as a warm-up ahead of a planned UK tour later this year.
The bottom line: With just under two weeks until the planned event, 5asideCHESS needs a venue to bring its loneliness intervention back to Ipswich – offering residents a chance to connect face-to-face in an increasingly isolated world. Can you help? Email editor@ipswich.co.uk.
