5 Best Spots For Chess Lovers In NYC
Whether you dream of unbeatable openings or don't know the difference between a pawn and a rook, there's a chess game that's right for you somewhere in New York City. At the venues listed below, you can talk shop, polish your pieces, or just hang out with souls utterly devoted to the ultimate game of strategy. By Jessica Allen.
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Originally a means of covering up a bare bland wall, the giant chess board at the corner of 48th and Third Avenue replays great games from the past. This New York institution is actually the world's largest chessboard. The two-and-a-half-foot pieces on the three-story board are moved once a week, so you have to keep coming back in order to see how the games played out. (The building's concierge can give you more info about the game currently on display.) The tables beneath the big board feature boards themselves, just in case you're so inspired.
This tiny chess shop in the Village won't turn you into a Carlsen (current world champ) or Karpov, but it will help you up your game via books, chess sets, software, tournament supplies, and other chess merchandise. In the back, you can play a game or seven on one of the tables, beneath chess-related portraits and memorabilia. The lively games (priced per hour) welcome players of all aptitude, from novice to grandmaster, and all ages are welcome.
Have you seen the terrific documentary Brooklyn Castle? If not, go watch it right now. We'll wait. OK, are you back? Wasn't it great? The movie follows five students at Brooklyn's I.S. 318, members of the school's champion chess team, one of the best in the entire US. Game schedules are posted on Chess NYC. And, if you're truly inspired, consider making a donation (the school has suffered budget cuts in recent years).
The Marshall Chess Club is the second oldest chess club in the United States, and recently celebrated its centennial anniversary. Here, you can play, observe, or simply wander near where a teenage Bobby Fischer beat Donald Byrne or where José Raúl Capablanca gave his final exhibition. You can also take a class, participate in a tournament, attend lectures and parties, and send the youth in your life to chess camp. Check out the calendar for info.
We can hear you wondering about this one. Washington Square Park? For chess? Oh, yes, most definitely yes. Games are held on permanent tables in the southwest corner, a bishop's throw away from Thompson Street, home to the aforementioned Chess Forum and other game shops. There are almost always folks sitting at the tables, waiting for a game (each costs around $5 or so, and some are played for money). Outdoor chess games also regularly take place in Union Square and Bryant Park.
