One of my local cafes has a chess club every Wednesday and even checkerboarded tables specifically for playing chess.
Outdoor Park Chess Boards And Equipment
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Jun 3, 2015
0
#3
HarioChess wrote:
Nice, I have some in my area, the question is though what type of pieces should I get for it? I want something nice but assume it would have to be somewhat durable so maybe like triple weighted tournament pieces? Or is wood ok? Would kinda hate to ding up my MoW.
Sure beats graffiti. Set depends on which way the wind is blowing.
I was very pleased to see that one of our local burgs (Cedarburg, WI) has just installed a GIANT chess set in commons area in front of their community center! The board looks to be about 9' on a side with plastic pieces 24" -30" tall. I'll grab some photos next time I'm over that way.
Yeah, first time I'd every seen one in the flesh.
Jun 4, 2015
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#6
Not long ago, Ifekali posted pictures of his park project in Llubjiana, Slovenia. Here are some of them.
Jun 4, 2015
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#7
loubalch wrote:
I was very pleased to see that one of our local burgs (Cedarburg, WI) has just installed a GIANT chess set in commons area in front of their community center! The board looks to be about 9' on a side with plastic pieces 24" -30" tall. I'll grab some photos next time I'm over that way.
Lou, we ran across one of these in Salzburg, Austria last summer...
One of my teammates saw one like that in Switzerland. He said the pieces are simply left on the ground, in a corner, to spend the night. If it was Spain they wouldn't survive the first night.
We have a bunch in Toronto parks but the only ones that ever get used regularly are in a bit of a sketchy park in front of an old church. The action ranges from non-existent to pretty heavy on the weekends. Sadly, it pales in comparison to the action that used to happen at the old location. There used to be about 8 tables set up just off of Yonge Street (in the heart of downtown) and the action was fairly lively from spring to fall. Lots of chess (and a little backgammon) and lots of traffic - you had hustlers, tourists, bums and business people all mixing together and playing. That sort of mix just doesn't happen down by the church.
But a lot of other parks in the city do have tables, including 8 in front of Nathan Phillips Square. They're just never used for anything other than eating lunch off of or reading a newspaper. Whenever I bike past Nathan Phillips, I hope to see someone playing but I never do.
Moriarty_697 wrote:
Whenever I bike past Nathan Phillips, I hope to see someone playing but I never do.
Yes, it was utterly stupid to eliminate what was a perfect location outside Sam's and put tables at Nathan Philips where nobody ever goes except for tourists, and some skaters in winter time...
I have fond memories of games at the old location. You'd always have a crowd of dozens of people watching games on summer days, and lots of players ranging from hustlers, to strong masters and IMs...
I was interested in putting in some chess tables at my local park but wasn't sure who made the equipment. I'm in London near Streatham Common if that helps.
Weirdly, I did once play on the Common on a giant set that just happened to be laid out for the day. I was with my very young son and we watched two guys having a game, they weren't particularly strong but my son said I could stay to perhaps play the winner. Unfortunately they both wanted to leave but a young woman with a pram who was also watching said she'd give me a game. I went for an all out attacking game as I figured it would make the game go quicker. Unfortunately she turned out to be a very good player and I was soon fighting to keep equality. Eventually she had to go as her baby was now starting to get a bit noisy. She suggested a draw though I'm fairly sure she would of easily won the end game. More as a question I said "You play very well..." She said thank you and mentioned she used to play on the Czech junior team!
The above tweet shows that sometimes a wish to come true!
mike_bike_kite wrote:
I was interested in putting in some chess tables at my local park but wasn't sure who made the equipment. I'm in London near Streatham Common if that helps.
Weirdly, I did once play on the Common on a giant set that just happened to be laid out for the day. I was with my very young son and we watched two guys having a game, they weren't particularly strong but my son said I could stay to perhaps play the winner. Unfortunately they both wanted to leave but a young woman with a pram who was also watching said she'd give me a game. I went for an all out attacking game as I figured it would make the game go quicker. Unfortunately she turned out to be a very good player and I was soon fighting to keep equality. Eventually she had to go as her baby was now starting to get a bit noisy. She suggested a draw though I'm fairly sure she would of easily won the end game. More as a question I said "You play very well..." She said thank you and mentioned she used to play on the Czech junior team!
Apr 21, 2024
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#13
Our Chess Club on Martha’s Vineyard worked with the HS and had these two picnic chess tables built with two chess boards engraved into each table. Thousands of tourists and islanders enjoyed them all summer and fall this past year …. 2023.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/W5doW91Q79SGbpJM6
What I'm currently gonna do in advance for the upcoming 2015 spring summer season is encourage our local and state politicians and authorities to consider putting outside chess boards and benches into some of our local parks. For those of you that have them, your very lucky, cause there is nothing like playing your set in the outdoor sunshine and not having to bring a board with you. The share presence of these type of boards and benches in the park also encourage more players to come down and enjoy the game and fresh air. If you have pics of your local park various boards and bench set ups, please post your pics here. For those that don't have park chess boards, benches, or equipment, I encourage you to contact the powers that be in your area...