Chess match pits politicians against prisoners

When I heard that the Parliamentary Chess Club were going to visit HMP Wormwood Scrubs to play chess against the men in the prison, I was keen to join them. Such an imaginative idea. So, when the Governor contacted me and told me I could join them, I was delighted. It was even better than I anticipated. 

It was a hot Tuesday morning when we walked up to the iconic prison entrance, with the red bricks and white stone details, then entered the prison chapel where Governor Amy Frost was waiting to welcome everyone to what she rightly described as a historic occasion. 

The chapel took my breath away. It has a large hall with arched wooden beams; the walls painted with religious images. Around the altar are portraits of the Apostles, and Governor Frost told me the legend related to these. She said that they are different from the style typically used in religious work of the Victorian era as, it is said, instead of copying those, the prisoners from Pentonville who constructed the Scrubs depicted each other in these paintings. So, there they stay, for future generations to admire. She says she believes it is true, or if not that it really ought to be. I agree.

At the end of the chapel furthest from the altar were tables laid out with chess boards, and there, waiting for the Parliamentarians to arrive, were the inside players. The officers told me that chess is so popular that keen players set up boards on pool and table tennis tables during association, then just stand up and play, often competing with officers.

He also told me that there is a regular and popular chess group in the Incentivised Substance-Free Living unit on D-wing. Some of the men told me how they teach beginners the game. According to one: “It is a hell of a lot better than wandering around during association.” I asked what he enjoyed about chess and told me: “It is like life as you start holding all the pieces to succeed, then find obstacles in the way, and have to think your way through to victory.” That could be true, because I am hopeless at chess, and meander pointlessly through life. I know all the pieces, and how they move, but lose so quickly. You may wonder how I can write about chess if I know so little about it, but if I only wrote about what I know I would never write much at all.

The Parliament v Scrubs session was scheduled to run from 11am through to 1pm, and I assumed the normal regime had been changed for this one day. I was wrong. The regime is flexible enough to enable this type of gathering on a regular basis, showing how a positive governor with supportive staff can create space for purposeful activities.

Down one side of the chess area sat the prisoners. The Parliamentarians sat opposite. The parliamentary team consisted of former Justice Secretary Alex Chalk (pictured left); Warinder Juss MP; Baroness Miller; Lord Carter; Lord Wigley; Jamie Njoku-Goodwin, former Director of Strategy at No. 10; Daniella Stuhlmann, House of Lords Librarian; researcher Charley Allan; and team captain Peter Hornsby, Chief of Staff to Lord Bailey.

Those men who were not playing against the Parliamentary team found spare boards where they challenged officers, so it was a hive of competitive activity. I saw the Governor taking part in matches too. In the spirit of the World Cup, and to reflect the heat, there were hydration breaks in each match.

I had anticipated a loud buzz of conversation as people chatted, but instead there was a silence indicative of concentrated focus because the matches were intense, gripping, and competitive. One moment summed up the respect between the players when a Parliamentarian moved his knight, then moved it back. He paused, and asked his opponent: “I can’t really change my mind like that, can I?” The inmate chuckled and answered: “That’s OK. I am sure you didn’t really let go of the piece. Carry on.”

I was transfixed by the contest as Lord Wigley played Daniel. Their match went on for a long time, as they both studied the board and anticipated their opponent’s plans. It was tactical, thoughtful, and gripping. Finally, Daniel lay his King down, and the Lord had triumphed. As they shook hands, Daniel told me that he had been playing for 10 years but lost out to Lord Wigley’s 78 years of experience. Lord Wigley suggested that, had they played with a clock restricting time for moves, the result may have been different. So, of course, they played a second match.

Time was passing, and so this time they did not have the time for long contemplation and moves were speeded up. This time, Daniel won. The game went into extra time, a third leg, and again it was Daniel who succeeded. He tells me he is going to find chess clubs to join when he gets out, but I think he will always remember this time with Lord Wigley, Plaid Cymru’s leader in the first Welsh Senedd who paved the way for his party to take control of that Assembly today.

So much praise must go to Chess in Schools and the Community, and to their prisons coordinator Peter Sullivan for his hard work, and to the many volunteers from there who all attend the jail regularly. Talking with the men, it showed just how important chess is to their progress. There is also the shorter game, 5asideCHESS, with fewer pieces and quicker matches which encourages socialisation and conversation, and there is no reason why jails cannot host both. It is great value for money as part of purposeful activities, and gets people together.

There were moments that I particularly enjoyed. During the morning, one of the Parliamentary players said to an officer “You all look so happy here today” and got the reply “They pay us to smile.” It made me laugh but reflected the atmosphere of mutual respect between officers and men, which is without doubt created by the positive actions of the Governor. Idris made a short speech of thanks on behalf of the prisoners, and passed on an invitation for a return match. Then we left. I shall, however, leave the final thought to Mr Chalk. After we left, he commented: “There we have it. Rehabilitation, one move at a time.”