When Worlds Collide (Curious Circumstances)

What is the oddest place you've played chess or the most curious circumstances surrounding a game?

When I used to play chess on the bus, I found it slightly disconcerting to receive advice from the driver - especially as she had to turn round, and take her eyes of the road to study the board.

I suppose it was fair to call it a draw after a collision - with (chess) pieces scattered everywhere - even if one player was significantly in front at the time?  ARTREF:CHESS ON THE COACH

H ha -Peculiarly funny !!

Both should be jailed? :))

The playing environment on the bus anticipated chess.com by about 20 years. We faced the same challenges that chess.com had to solve: how to keep track of your games, your opponents, your moves. Plus a few more: keeping track of the physical boards and pieces.

Some Examples:

1. On Nov. 19, 1965, I was caught in the street in New York when a regional power failure began. I was near the Marshall Chess Club and was a member then. I went there and we played blindfold chess with no lights.

2. I used to play postal (correspondence) chess blindfold. I would respond to moves without using a board.

3. I was playing blindfold chess against another Life Master until he decided to "castle" himself to sleep. The next day he announced his next move. He quit when my answer showed that I remembered the position. 

4. I used to play chess in the Flea House. When I would establish a win against one particular customer, the place would break out in song - performing "Singing In the Rain."

You call her that, no doubt, because of her impact on your credit card.

I usually take a chessboard along when I'm travelling by plane. It's difficult to see the pieces when the cabin lights are dimmed during take-off and landing. When playing a passenger across the ailse, we have to keep a sharp look out for the drinks trolley.

I once made a chess board out of a ceral box to entertain me at work. Sadly my artistic skills limited me to a 2-d set and not the 3-d one I dreamt of.

When I worked as a pizza delivery driver we would sometimes play games in the back office when coming in and out from our runs.  Was some odd brand of turn based chess/team chess.  Often when a driver was sent home early another driver would step in to finish a game.  Likewise if the game was not finished by closing time the opening shift the next day would take over the game.

There's a somewhat similar arrangement in hospitals over here. Each day, you order the full menu of meals for the FOLLOWING day. The day you arrive in hospital, you get the previous patient's choices. Which means, if you are certain you are going to be discharged, you can order all the wierd stuff - and keep your fingers crossed you don't get kept in.

When I was young we did a 24hr marathon chess night in a shop window to raise funds. 

Thanks artfizz for showing me the link YO!

YoungER, surely! How did you manage to keep the pieces on the boards while you were running? What happened if your opponent ran faster or slower than you; did one of you have to sprint to catch up?

When I was a teenager, like 10 years ago, I used to replay games on my plastic chess set from a chess book that was given to me as a gift by my uncle...everyday, numurous hours a day, so one day my mother got angry why I spent so many hours on that at home and not go out and have some other activities...so she took the board from me, and left me with the pieces only! then a genious thought came to me: on the other room we had a striped carpet with blank squares on it, so I set the pieces on it in the middle and you can imagine, no limits for that "board", I had hard times moving the pieces within limit and especially the bishops, no light or dark squares...

and when she suddenly saw me in that miserable condition, some half hour later, there was a bit of surprise...silence...some meaningful looks...then all turned into a laugh and she returned the board to me!

I once started a travelling chess club. We played on commuter trains for years.

This brings being 'carpeted' by a parent into a new light.

Maybe it's still running somewhere out there. How long did you allow before games 'timed out'?

We could usually work it out but I once missed getting off at the right station because an opponent refused to resign.  I wasn't going to let him get away with that!

LOL you have a way with words Artfizz !

I now vision myself with the chess set in one hand trying to catch my move :)

Years ago, I used to play chess in tompkins square park in NYC fairly regularly with a "bad" but very friendly policeman named Victor (he's retired by now surely ) ... He'd play although on duty and in full uniform sitting at a park table, his knee bouncing nervously, while he'd look around like the criminal he'd once been and saying every now and then, "you don't see any cops do ya? tell me if ya see a cop! ... jeezis, 18 years on da force and I still think of 'em as da enemy!"

lol @ Viktor the cop!