It's not easy. Numbers are down.

"On Wednesday night we are likely to get between two to six players," he said. "Ten years ago we would have had 15 to 20 players."

Monthly competitions are also in decline.

"Some of our members have died," Mr Wilkinson explained. "The kids these days also just can't sit still."

More members have been drawn away to the convenience of online chess tournaments, rather than local face-to-face competition.

The average age of Laurieton Chess Club members is well above 50 and Mr Wilkinson said he is "frustrated and saddened" by the decline of the game locally.

"It's such a good game, it is such a shame," he said. "It teaches you to think strategically, to think ahead."

Numerous studies have found that playing chess regularly strengthens both numerical and verbal aptitudes as well as strengthening a person's mind.

Brian Thew, a member of the Laurieton Chess Club, said chess suffers from a number of misconceptions.

"There is a view that it is an expensive game but this isn't true," he said. "You can get the equipment you need, a set, board and a clock for under $100."

Then there is the 'madness' factor.

"The general media have often focused on players like Bobby Fischer and stress the 'madness' aspect of top players," Mr Thew said.

"Again this is a huge exaggeration and the vast majority of the best players are surprisingly normal."

Mr Thew said Bobby Fischer, thought to be the greatest chess player of all time, didn't become 'mad' because of chess.

"In fact he was probably kept somewhat saner for longer because of it," Mr Thew retorted.

Port Macquarie's local chess club folded a couple of years ago.

"The bottom line was a decline in interested people who were available and wanted to play," lamented member Craig Ainsworth.

"In Port Macquarie there are so many options for people's recreation time."

Despite the closure of the local club Mr Ainsworth runs a highly successful chess program at Westport Public School.

"I've spent 18 years, most lunch times devoted to students who love the game but also play it to a state and national level," he said.

"I never had to chase anyone to play, learn and improve."

New South Wales Chess Association vice president Peter Abbott rejects suggestions chess is in decline.

"Chess has adapted to the online world extremely well and more chess games are played online now than face-to-face," he said.

"The online chess sites offer the opportunity to play people across the world without the travelling and time commitment that a regular chess club tournament might bring. The positive though is that more people are playing chess."

Mr Abbott acknowledges the online trend has led to "declines and closures in some of the smaller and regional clubs".

But he said a number of the larger metropolitan chess clubs have been able to "innovate and show solid growth".

"There is also a new breed of chess player emerging," he said. "Those who play regular chess online but who now want to test themselves against a live human being for the first time."

Chess with a live human, what a radical idea.

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