Two records of the same journey. Articles — what the world said about us. Blog posts — what we said while it was happening.
Journalists, universities, charities, safeguarding boards, unions and government bodies have written about 5asideCHESS since 2018. Every word here belongs to someone else — we've simply kept it.
ITV News reports on the high rate of suicide and mental-health difficulties within the construction industry, highlighting loneliness, isolation and pressures faced by tradespeople. The report features the Battling Suicide Bus at the NEC in Birmingham as part of efforts to tackle suicide within the industry.
The UK Government's Points of Light recognition for 5asideCHESS. The original page is no longer reliably accessible; the historical page is preserved by the UK Government Web Archive.
Photograph: Cambridge News / CambridgeshireLive
Feature on Ross Smith and 5asideCHESS using a simplified form of chess at Cambridge Market to tackle loneliness and disconnection, exploring the game's origins in Cambridge Market with Ian McKay in 2015 and its wider purpose of bringing people together.
Photograph: University of Winchester
University of Winchester feature on the 5asideCHESS Battling Suicide Bus visit, using chess to engage students in conversations around mental health, loneliness and social isolation. The visit led to plans for a regular 5asideCHESS peer-support group at the University.
“The ‘5aside CHESS Wingman’ programme, whereby prisoners taught their peers how to play a simplified version of chess, was a promising peer mentor initiative and was being used well to help more vulnerable prisoners, such as those supported by the ACCT process.”
Official reports mention 5asideCHESS in passages most people never reach. The wording below is reproduced exactly as published — the full original document is always one click away.
2024· Pages 10 and 23
The inspectorate listed the ‘5aside CHESS Wingman’ programme among the prison's examples of notable positive practice, and described it as a promising peer-mentor initiative supporting more vulnerable prisoners.
“The ‘5aside CHESS Wingman’ programme, whereby prisoners taught their peers how to play a simplified version of chess, was a promising peer mentor initiative and was being used well to help more vulnerable prisoners, such as those supported by the ACCT process.”
“There were a number of peer mentor roles, including the ‘5aside CHESS Wingman’ programme and mental health ambassador peer workers. Although not yet fully established across the prison, these were promising initiatives for prisoners to support one another. For example, the 5aside CHESS Wingman programme was being used well to help more vulnerable prisoners, such as those supported by the ACCT process. It involved prisoners (‘wingmen’) teaching their peers a simplified version of chess. Leaders had a set up a weekly group where a wingman met a group of more vulnerable prisoners at the prison café, where they could learn and play. This initiative was not just to encourage prisoners to engage in an activity, but also give them an opportunity to connect with others and share how they were feeling.”
2022/23· Page 58 as printed (page 60 of the PDF)
The board's annual report gives WingMAN its own named section, setting out the story that inspired the programme and how a wingman supports fellow prisoners.
“The Wing MAN programme is inspired by the real-life story of John Healy as told in his award-winning autobiography, Penguin Classic ‘The Grass Arena’ (also a film of the same name).”
“On his last trip into Pentonville a fellow prisoner, ‘Harry the Fox’, patiently taught John how to play the game, chess. John became a chess addict and champion, and to do this, he gave up drink. The point is that it took a trusted insider to get through to John before he could start his journey to unlocking his genius.”
“A 5asideCHESS Wingman will provide genuine peer support and mentoring to fellow prisoners using 5asideCHESS as a tool to play, teach, chat and signpost. A wingman is one of your own – someone you can trust and who, like ‘Harry the Fox’ for John, can potentially get through when others can’t.”
2024/25· Page 32
In its record of the Black Members Network's year, NAPO names 5asideCHESS among the external initiatives it partnered with.
“Collaborative Work: Partnered with the TUC, Women in Napo Network, and external initiatives like 5asideCHESS to promote wellbeing, mentorship, and cultural change.”
Autumn 2020· Page 47
One of the earliest published accounts of why 5asideCHESS exists, written while the project was still finding its national audience.
“5asideCHESS was set up as a social enterprise in 2015 by co-founders Ross Smith and Ian McKay as they were concerned about the levels of disconnection and inequality that they saw in society. The project has a huge mission – to tackle loneliness, social isolation and the mental ill health and depression that these issues can cause.”
“We have given thousands of 5asideCHESS sets to community spaces, libraries, cafes and bars. We work with prisons, universities, youth groups, community centres and individuals of all ages helping them to make new friends, build confidence and develop new ways of thinking.”
“‘The idea couldn’t be simpler and yet couldn’t be more important.’”
December 2022 / January 2023· Page 11
The village's own journal records the opening of the café — opened by John Healy, whose story inspired the WingMAN programme.
“Pop down for a coffee and cake or a game of chess at Cambridge’s first 5asideCHESS & Life café in Oakington. John Healy, award-winning author of The Grass Arena, opened the 5asideCHESS & Life café on Saturday 15th October.”
“It all started with the big ‘battling suicide bus’ which toured up and down the country visiting a range of locations including supermarkets and festivals. The bus travelled to 40 towns in 66 days bringing comfort and support, disguised through the beauty of a simple cuppa and a game of chess.”
“Through the opening of the volunteer-run café, we are delighted to now provide a stationary place that you can rely on. We’re waiting to welcome you to our warm setting that keeps you out the cold during what may be a difficult winter ahead.”
February / March 2023· Page 21
Records the café's first knockout tournament and its week-round role as a warm, open space in the village.
A report of the 12 January knockout tournament, followed by details of the 5asideCHESS & Life Café: open Monday to Saturday, a warm and safe space open to everyone, where people can visit without having to play chess.
“5asideCHESS was set up as a social enterprise in 2015 by co-founders Ross Smith and Ian McKay as they were concerned about the levels of disconnection and inequality that they saw in society. The project has a huge mission – to tackle loneliness, social isolation and the mental ill health and depression that these issues can cause.”
Follow-up to the Battling Suicide Bus visit to Ipswich, capturing what local people said about loneliness, isolation and their need for connection, alongside 5asideCHESS using chess and conversation to bring strangers together.
Feature on 5asideCHESS's planned return to Ipswich with the Battling Suicide Bus and giant chess set, exploring its mission to tackle loneliness and social isolation by creating opportunities for face-to-face connection.
Feature on the launch of a 30-day 5asideCHESS Challenge at Mount Pleasant Mail Centre, using chess puzzles to encourage connection, concentration and mental wellbeing among staff.
Everton in the Community documents a special visit from the 5asideCHESS Battling Suicide Bus to its Girls on Side and Veterans programmes, raising awareness of suicide and promoting positive mental health. The original post carries photographs of the bus and its personal messages from people affected by suicide.
Feature on 5asideCHESS bringing the Battling Suicide Bus and ‘A Hero's Journey’ to Morecambe, using chess, characters and a treasure hunt to help children develop social skills, connection and mental wellbeing.
The Battling Suicide Bus tour, 2021.
An Ipswich-focused Suffolk News article covering a suicide-prevention bus visiting the town centre and offering outdoor activities.
Emmaus Suffolk announces the Battling Suicide Bus visiting Ipswich Town Centre on 24 June, with giant 5asideCHESS, conversation and community activities — describing the bus as part of a social enterprise created to tackle disconnection and inequality in society.
Feature on the collaboration between 5asideCHESS and ChessMaze UK, exploring how 5asideCHESS uses its simplified game, the Battling Suicide Bus and its Cambridge community café to tackle loneliness, encourage social inclusion and create opportunities for connection.
A listing for the 5asideCHESS & Life Cafe in Oakington, Cambridge, describing a relaxed café where visitors can have a coffee and play chess.
A woman teaching a young girl to play 5asideCHESS in a library.
Photograph: Donegal Daily
The Battling Suicide Bus Tour stops at Harbour Car Park in Donegal Town, with the team there to talk about the effects of loneliness and social isolation and to give away free 5asideCHESS sets to people and groups wanting to use the game to help others connect. The article carries the line “Your 1st Move is Hello”.
Photograph: Emmaus Cambridge
Emmaus Cambridge announces a visit from the Heart Movement Bus and the 5asideCHESS Battling Suicide Bus on 26 August 2021, describing 5asideCHESS using its quick version of chess as an icebreaker to get people talking, under the message “Connect and Check on your Mates.”
How's My Driving? highlights the Battling Suicide Bus Tour as one of the projects it supports, having backed the Driving Better Mental Health Campaign in Logistics for 24 months — a nationwide tour encouraging people to play 5asideCHESS as a way of combating loneliness and isolation among professional drivers.
Fleet News reports on the launch of the Driving Better Mental Health campaign at the 2019 Commercial Vehicle Show, aimed at tackling loneliness and social isolation among commercial vehicle drivers. The article describes 5asideCHESS as a social enterprise reconnecting people through a short-form game of chess and records the team undertaking a year-long UK tour aboard the Battling Suicide Bus.
An official Anglia Ruskin Students' Union page created for 5asideCHESS, evidence of the project's presence within the university community. The page remains live and titled “5asideCHESS”, although its original descriptive content is no longer visible.
Photograph: Braintree & Witham Times
Coverage of 5asideCHESS visiting Braintree Foyer as part of a UK tour, using the game to bring people together and encourage face-to-face connection.
A 2018 5asideCHESS video page hosted on photographer Ruth Jenkinson's website — one of the earliest pieces of filmed material about the project.
The historic photograph labelled “5aside chess” from the Crossways gallery.
Photograph: Oakington & Westwick Community Association
We know these pieces exist and roughly what they said, but the original material isn't safely archived yet. They're listed honestly rather than presented as complete.
The original video is not yet archived on this site. Known context: the presentation covered the WingMAN programme's work against loneliness, social isolation and mental-health challenges, and the distribution of chess sets to youth groups, libraries and prisons.
Where it lives nowThe original article is not currently accessible on the Inside Time website. Known context: paid prisoner ‘wingmen’ play, teach, chat, listen and help peers learn new skills; the programme takes inspiration from John Healy's The Grass Arena; Inside Time coverage reportedly generated 450+ letters from prisoners requesting chess sets.
Where it lives nowRaw journal entries from the road, the bus, the cafés and the prisons — unedited and kept exactly as they were first published.
67 entries · 11 December 2017 — 28 June 2023
Blog post · 10 April 2023 · Diane Waldron
In March 2023 5asideCHESS were invited by Lemuel Laroche, Tedx speaker of ‘The Power of a Single Hour’ (watch it if you haven’t already) and founder of Chess & Community to attend the 10th annual conference in Athens, Georgia. We have been following the journey of Chess & Community for some time and were keen …
Read the full postBlog post · 28 June 2023 · Diane Waldron
5asideCHESS is proud to partner with ChessMazeUK. https://www.chessmaze.co.uk/ Chessmaze UK is a well-established online retailer that specializes in high-quality chess sets, pieces, and boards. With a wide range of products available, Chessmaze UK caters to chess enthusiasts of all levels, from beginners to advanced players. At Chessmaze UK, we take pride in our extensive selection …
Blog post · 22 August 2021 · Diane Waldron
Sunshine today which is welcome as it has been in short supply over the last few days.We parked the Battling Suicide Bus up on the seafront in Paignton and enjoyed the gorgeous view. Simon and his wife Bridget made a special trip down to see us and she had a go at playing chess for …
Blog post · 21 August 2021 · Diane Waldron
Today the Battling Suicide Bus was in Plymouth. We had debated whether it was appropriate to go so soon after the recent shootings and subsequent suicide and yet people seemed genuinely appreciative that we had done so. We had so many encounters that it’s hard to know where to begin. The day started with Graham …
Blog post · 18 August 2021 · Diane Waldron
Today we spent much of the day in Bideford’s Morrison’s car park courtesy of community champion Claire. We have found after visiting universities, police headquarters, work places etc. that the best place to get real engagement is in a supermarket car park. Linzi and Marie who we met on Saturday came down to see us …
Blog post · 16 August 2021 · Diane Waldron
Today we met Jenny in Lidl car park. Jenny very bravely shared with us a photo of her daughter, Tamsin Rose, who took her own life a couple of years ago. You can’t look at the photo and not think that Tamsin Rose had everything to live for – she was beautiful, she had a …
Blog post · 14 August 2021 · Diane Waldron
Blog post · 27 November 2019 · Diane Waldron
Blog post · 20 November 2019 · Diane Waldron
Blog post · 14 November 2019 · Diane Waldron
Blog post · 7 November 2019 · Diane Waldron
5asideCHESS at Independence Day by Alex Waldron Zambia got it’s independence from Britain only 55 years ago, so as a British person at their celebrations I felt like a bit of an unwanted outsider. However undeterred, I got out one of the 5asideCHESS sets and suddenly some of the children started to watch me set …
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Blog post · 27 June 2019 · Diane Waldron
LET’S TALK …WE’RE HANDING THE KEYS OVER TO YOU Today 5asideCHESS Battling Suicide Bus Tour and TALENT IN LOGISTICS are throwing out a challenge to businesses and organisations. Show you genuinely care about Driving Better Mental Health in the logistics industry through driving real action and the bus to events and …
Blog post · 6 May 2019 · Ryan
Ryan speaks with Mike Brice, a 40 something business owner who shares his own mental health journey, from physical peak to an all time low. These Connections and the Battling Suicide Tour were made possible by Bright Hygiene. Follow 5asideCHESS and help us make a difference on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter !
Blog post · 29 April 2019 · Ryan
Improving the mental health of haulage drivers is one of the most pressing and yet widely ignored issues in Britain today. The United Kingdom relies on no other group of workers as much to provide us with the lives we want. They deliver 98 percent of all food and agricultural products in the UK, according …
Blog post · 24 April 2019 · Ryan
5asideCHESS is proud to be getting behind two new mental health initiatives. Between April 30th and May 2nd, 5asideCHESS and the Battling Suicide Bus will be on stand 3F10 at the Commercial Vehicle Show for the launch of the Driving Better Mental Health campaign. Why are we Supporting Mental Health in Logistics? At least 30% …
Blog post · 6 March 2019 · Ryan
Each week 5asideCHESS introduces you to a likeminded project. Connection is everything to us, and bringing a group of Game Changing projects together is one of our big goals for 2019. If you know of someone doing something great your first move is Hello@5asidechess.com We met Matt Panesh at the Edinburgh Fringe. “Come to Morecambe on …
Blog post · 27 February 2019 · Ryan
Blog post · 21 February 2019 · Ryan
Blog post · 13 February 2019 · Ryan
Blog post · 6 February 2019 · Ryan
Blog post · 1 February 2019 · Ryan
It all started with a short breakfast radio interview at BBC Radio Solent last week. By the end of the day the Battling Suicide Tour visit to Southampton University was being beamed across the country.
Read the full postBlog post · 19 November 2018 · Ryan
In this great example of how 5asideCHESS can be used, a group of young people come together with the game to talk about and grieve for a lost friend. A big thank you to Bright Hygiene for their continued support. Follow 5asideCHESS and help us make a difference on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter !
Blog post · 10 November 2018 · Ryan
As the Military Tattoo fireworks crashed up into the sky, Tracy threw the last chair out of the window. She hadn’t taken the diagnoses well. And, while Edinburgh cheered and flashed colour, she sat drunk and crying. Her landlord kicked her out. “That was the last straw,” she said, still boozy in the morning. “I …
Blog post · 10 November 2018 · Ryan
The fog had blanketed Edinburgh’s tightly knitted old buildings. They leaned in just a bit more than usual, looked a bit more gothic and disappeared if you looked up. People in suits filed wearily but neatly around the tourists, all lost google-mapping themselves the wrong way down stairs. A few comedians were already sulking into …
Blog post · 9 November 2018 · Ryan
The Battling Suicide Bus was crowded. A group of students from Manchester University were playing 5asideChess. Alain, a computer engineer from Holland, had just left to buy a few coffees. This was his third day dropping by for a game. Lucy played her music along the cobbled street, sullen and unmoved as usual. Walking past …
Blog post · 8 November 2018 · Ryan
A 5asideCHESS Master is a Community Champion, connecting with people from all differant backgrounds. If you would like to enter the course just contact us today. Or buy a set today here. View this post on Instagram @manhoodacademy today what a celebration of our future leaders ????????????☝????☝????✊????. . . #ritesofpassage #josephcampbell #wakanda #chess …
Blog post · 6 November 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 1 November 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 31 October 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 24 October 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 23 October 2018 · Ryan
Let’s use Social Media to help not hinder each other. The Battling Suicide Tour has come to an end after 40 towns and cities, and more than 65 days on the road! Let’s keep the conversation going. Please Join our Closed Facebook Group today, so we can talk openly about Mental Health, Suicide …
Read the full postBlog post · 8 September 2018 · Ryan
Follow the Battling Suicide Tour and help us make a difference on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter ! We met Matt Panesh at the Edinburgh Fringe. “Come to Morecombe on your way down.” So we did. The Morecambe Fringe is Matt’s baby. He’s coddled it up into his Alt Space shop on Yorkshire road. “We are just planting the acorns,” he …
Blog post · 5 September 2018 · Ryan
Glasgow is extra strong Ribena. We only spent one day there but met a concentration of people from all walks of life. Divya and her little dog harris spent a good amount of the day with us. She turned into a 5asidechess team member pretty quickly, inviting people to chat, connect and have a cup …
Blog post · 3 September 2018 · Ryan
Buy Tickets Here The Battling Suicide Tour is coming to an end after two months on the road. The Wrap Night on September 20th will be hosted by the lovely people at Boston Tea Party, Alfred Street, Bath. You’re invited to read the hundreds of memorials on the Battling Suicide Bus, and discuss how we …
Blog post · 1 September 2018 · Ryan
We left the Grassmarket in Edinburgh this Thursday. Swapping it for the Tesco car park in Colinton just down the road. Ross and Diane were heading down from Inverness after a week away from the bus. The maintenance guy at Tesco introduced himself as Duncan but had William written on his lanyard. He talked about …
Blog post · 30 August 2018 · Ryan
The 5asideCHESS team set out on the Battling Suicide Tour on July 19th, raising awareness of suicide prevention and promoting good mental health. All through building connections and chatting. Starting in Glasgow – Finishing in Bath Close to 6,000 people in the UK take their own lives every year. The actual number of people effected …
Blog post · 14 August 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 7 August 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 7 August 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 29 July 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 24 July 2018 · Ryan
Follow the Battling Suicide Tour and help us make a difference on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter ! After five days on the road there is a recurring theme. People are killing themselves after being failed by the state. I think it’s important to say that it’s not always the fault of the people involved, although …
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Blog post · 22 July 2018 · Ryan
Follow the Battling Suicide Tour and help us make a difference on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter ! I’m standing in the sun crying. I don’t do this often. It’s not something I regularly take part in. Usually I like to gently smirk in these conditions. “Look,” I smirk. “It’s sunny again in England.” But today …
Blog post · 21 July 2018 · Ryan
Follow the Battling Suicide Tour and help us make a difference on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter ! She started crying as she walked up to the big white space on the side of our bus. It’s a memorial to the people that have died. “We are asking people to write the names of loved ones …
Blog post · 16 July 2018 · Ryan
The first leg of the Battling Suicide Tour is all set up, with the 5asideCHESS team starting their journey in Cambridge on July 19th and ending up in Edinburgh on August 1st. You can contact the team directly today. Click the link. So where are they in between? July 19th: 10am -11am Meadows Community Center Cambridge …
Blog post · 4 July 2018 · Ryan
The 5asideCHESS team set out on the Battling Suicide Tour on July 19th, raising awareness of suicide prevention and promoting good mental health. All through building connections and chatting. And after two weeks are happy to confirm a residency at the: Edinburgh Fringe Festival, at the GrassMarket from August 6th to the 31st Close to …
Blog post · 19 June 2018 · Ryan
On Saturday we cracked on with the first ever 5asideCHESS ‘takeover’ of the Urban Food Fest in Shoreditch, London. The idea of ‘Connection’ is already pretty strong at this brilliant event, and next time we want even more people to come along and help us fight loneliness and social isolation. We are also, like, really …
Blog post · 10 June 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 7 June 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 23 May 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 16 May 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 25 April 2018 · Ryan
We are all submerged, even now the clocks have turned, in the liquid ideas of after-dark. Away from anything solid or true, blowing hot air at ourselves. Rushing on worries about our social media lives and the jobs we do to make other people rich. Am I doing well enough? Moving fast enough? Is it …
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Blog post · 18 April 2018 · Ryan
What is 5asideCHESS? Do you need 5 players? No, wait, you need 10 players, right? Hold on, is this something to do with football? Thankyou generic person in generic cafe, they are all great questions, but sadly you are generically wrong on all generic accounts. The questions are valid, though, so let me explain what …
Blog post · 16 April 2018 · Ryan
Words By: Alex Tomlin Anxiety, is a p****. There’s no two ways about it, the seemingly perpetual dread that feels like it’s never going to end until you spontaneously combust or pass out. I spent a long time trying to make the latter happen through various different methods, mainly alcohol. However, my first point of …
Blog post · 12 April 2018 · Ryan
Words By: Sam Vickery Anxiety is a p****. It’s something I’ve dealt with on and off since my early 20’s. It would usually just be the pit feeling in my stomach, yet sometimes this would crescendo with a top notch panic attack. However, through time I have learnt to control it as best I could. …
Blog post · 8 April 2018 · Ryan
At 5asideCHESS we believe strongly in the art of conversation as a prevention and cure, short or long term, to poor mental health in all of its capacities. As part of our Handling Headspace Series, we asked three people to offer their best tips on dealing with Anxiety. Here is the first by a young …
Blog post · 3 April 2018 · Ryan
Ally looks into the beginnings of social media and how it’s turned us all into self serving what-ya-call-its, devoid of emotional attachment and unable to shake an obsession with creating new personalities and lives online. And, of course, with that problem we are offering our solution, the very excellent 5asideCHESS Pack ! Buy one and …
Blog post · 29 March 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 27 March 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 16 March 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 16 March 2018 · Ryan
Blog post · 15 March 2018 · Ryan
Here are the times and dates for 5asideCHESS Connecting next week. Come over and talk with our Hello People, enjoy a conversation and a spot of chess. Monday – Boston Tea Party Clifton 3pm-5pm Tuesday – Boston Tea Party Clifton 3pm-5pm Wednesday – Bristol Hippodrome 12pm-2pm Thursday – Boston Tea Party, Bath, Alfred Street – …
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Blog post · 2 March 2018 · Ryan
I woke up this morning feeling as low as I have for a long time. Twisted up on some knot I couldn’t find. The feeling made no sense. My bed was nice. The hotel had free chocolate. The night before had been brilliant. In fact, I had a million reasons to feel good. The free chocolate was …
Blog post · 12 February 2018 · Ryan
This week you can find our HELLO PEOPLE in Four Locations in the South West. Bristol Monday 12th 3pm to 5pm Clifton – Boston Tea Party Tuesday 13th 9AM to 11AM Bath- Alfred Street – Boston Tea Party Wednesday 14th TBA Bristol Hippodrome Friday 16th 12PM – 2PM Bath University – Edge Cafe
Blog post · 1 February 2018 · Ryan
Ahhh, 1982. Morrisey brought us The Smiths, Vauxhall brought us the Nova, and Delorean was brought to its knees. It wasn’t all depressing, though, as the first Millennials also came into the world, arriving pre-ordained with rolled up jeans, poorly grown beards and unrealistic expectations of the workplace. At 35 years old, you’d think some …
Blog post · 15 January 2018 · Ryan
In places across the UK, our HELLO PEOPLE sit and talk with members of the public. They are hosted by PARTNER VENUES that offer them tea and coffee for a few hours. 5asideCHESS has connected with the most diverse and incredible people over the past 6 months as we push to fight loneliness and promote social …
Blog post · 19 December 2017 · Ryan
Most of us have heard about the health benefits of Chess, particularly regarding Alzheimer’s and the stimulation of the creative, right side of our brains. However, a new study goes even deeper into how the social interaction promoted by Bristol-based 5asideCHESS can improve and maintain your health. Teaching Johanna from @kohvikmustpuudel to #play #5aside #chess …
