{"id":254542,"date":"2025-07-21T19:22:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T09:22:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/railuk.com\/?p=180083"},"modified":"2025-07-21T19:22:00","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T09:22:00","slug":"west-midlands-railway-hosts-uks-first-chess-tournament-on-a-train","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=254542","title":{"rendered":"West Midlands Railway hosts UK\u2019s first chess tournament on a train"},"content":{"rendered":"

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West Midlands Railway (WMR) has today (18 July) hosted the UK\u2019s first chess tournament on board a moving train ahead of International Chess Day, which takes place this weekend.<\/p>\n

Passengers boarding the 10:36 service from Birmingham New Street to Lichfield Trent Valley were greeted by the contest held on one of WMR\u2019s Class 730 electric trains.<\/p>\n

Eight chess players went head-to-head in three rounds over the course of the two-hour return journey, which culminated in a tense final where Paddy Mulvey (24) was named the winner.<\/p>\n

All players were selected by chesscaf\u00e9 (@chesscafebrum), a fortnightly social night in central Birmingham that brings together chess, music, and coffee. They earned their spot in today\u2019s event through a qualifying tournament held during one of the sessions.<\/p>\n

Jonny Wiseman, WMR customer experience director, said: \u201cThe introduction of our Class 730 fleet onto the Cross City line last year brought modern features such as intelligent air-con, Wi-Fi and open gangways for a spacious feel.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing we wanted to shine a spotlight on today is the addition of tables, which weren\u2019t available in the previous fleet. Our passengers can use these tables for more than checking emails. Bring along a sketchbook, pack of cards or – in this case – a chess set and make the most of your journey on board.\u201d<\/p>\n

International Chess Day is celebrated on Sunday (20 July) to commemorate the founding of the International Chess Federation.<\/p>\n

Karan Singh, co-founder of chesscaf\u00e9, said: \u201cWe started chesscaf\u00e9 as a third-space for people to connect offline, something relaxed and social, especially for us young people navigating digital fatigue post-lockdown.<\/p>\n

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West Midlands Trains hosted a first by holding a chess competition on a moving train between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley. Picture by Shaun Fellows \/ Shine Pix Ltd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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West Midlands Trains hosted a first by holding a chess competition on a moving train between Birmingham New Street and Lichfield Trent Valley. Picture by Shaun Fellows \/ Shine Pix Ltd<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n

Abdirahim Haji, co-founder of chesscaf\u00e9, said: \u201cWe were excited to partner with West Midlands Railway on hosting this tournament, and we hope this inspires more people to pick up the game, whether it\u2019s in a park, at a coffee shop, or even on their commute.”<\/p>\n

The Class 730 fleet came into service in 2024 serving the Cross City line, as well as routes between Birmingham International and Rugeley, and between Wolverhampton and Walsall.<\/p>\n

The trains include modern features including four-seater tables, smart air conditioning, Wi-Fi, power points at every seat and improved accessibility. There are a total of 48 trains in the fleet – the specific train used for today\u2019s chess tournament was unit number 730017, coupled with 730019.<\/p>\n

chesscaf\u00e9 was co-founded by Abdirahim Haji and Karan Singh in 2025 and offers a space for young people to socialise and play chess in a relaxed caf\u00e9 setting.<\/p>\n

Image credit: WMT \/ Shaun Fellows \/ Shine Pix Ltd<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>West Midlands Railway (WMR) has today (18 July) hosted the UK\u2019s first chess tournament on board a moving train ahead of International Chess Day, which takes place this weekend. Passengers boarding the 10:36 service from Birmingham New Street to Lichfield Trent Valley were greeted by the contest held on one of WMR\u2019s Class 730 electric [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16013,47,913,85],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-254542","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest","category-rail-news","category-travel","category-uk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t