They come here daily for the game's limitless possibilities, the satisfying touch of the weighted pieces and the spectacle of deep focus amid sirens, shouts, horns and downtown laughter in San Francisco. These are the jobless and the homeless.
Probably not that much different from those in Hyde Park or anywhere else. Continue reading . . .
1 comment:
Turns out this Market chess article was as recent as last year! Just a few weeks after we stopped by. Our destination was actually the Mechanics Chess Club but we kept on hearing about Market street, so off we went. There we saw some Fil-Ams and were directed to this guy named "Maximus King," said to be the strongest among the regulars. So my son played him, but lost on time. King gave him one year to beat him. Challenged, my son begged me come back the next day. I obliged, and there, as the crowd milled and cheered him, my son beat the legendary King. "Not often somebody beats him," they quipped (my son was 11 at that time).
Thanks for making me recall this happy day in my son's chess life. And I also become a bit nostalgic when you mentioned Hyde Park (in Sydney, isn't it?). So, there was chess in Hyde Park? I walked the beautiful park in 2002 but did not take notice as my son hasn't been introduced to chess yet at that time.
Makes me think. Chess and parks go together. Marc also got to play a game at Washington Square Park in New York (also won). But probably one of the best, if not the best, park to play is the Quezon City Chess Plaza. It is housed under a giant tree and has seats for players. The husband-and-wife "managers," Manong Cris and Manang Lita, are very friendly and quite knowledgeable, too (all their children finished college as chess scholars). Will take a photo and send to you. (Btw, am going through your previous blogs.)
Cheers!
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