Any ideas of public places to play chess at? I'm thinking about seeing if members of the club I occasionally go to would like to meet up and play on the days the club doesn't meet for those who have other obligations on that day and looking for ideas of where to play, especially now that the colder weather is coming.
A chesscafe can be nice to meet up for chess, and if there's none, you can try to start one.
In Amsterdam there used to be the chesscafe Schaakhuis Gambit. (I played there in a tourney once). At some point they had to leave that location and then eventually found a new place.
This page has a nice photo of the old one : jordaanweb.nl/HTML/blmgr2gambit.htm
The new one is in Jordan area : http://laurierboom.cafe/
They even have their own chess team in the national league.
I seem to remember that IM Albert Blees is playing in their team.
In the city of Utrecht there used to be chesscafe Ledig Erf. When the owner moved to France to start some business, the cafe got a new owner who wasn't too keen on having a few old chess players being there the whole day playing chess, reading papers, and not ordering many drinks.
After that the chess players found a new place there as well :)
And I guess you could use a meet-up website to gather for chess in your area ?
Have fun!
In Amsterdam there used to be the chesscafe Schaakhuis Gambit. (I played there in a tourney once). At some point they had to leave that location and then eventually found a new place.
This page has a nice photo of the old one : jordaanweb.nl/HTML/blmgr2gambit.htm
The new one is in Jordan area : http://laurierboom.cafe/
They even have their own chess team in the national league.
I seem to remember that IM Albert Blees is playing in their team.
In the city of Utrecht there used to be chesscafe Ledig Erf. When the owner moved to France to start some business, the cafe got a new owner who wasn't too keen on having a few old chess players being there the whole day playing chess, reading papers, and not ordering many drinks.
After that the chess players found a new place there as well :)
And I guess you could use a meet-up website to gather for chess in your area ?
Have fun!
Chess is a game that can be played almost anywhere. Get creative!
From my experiences of starting a gathering place and possibly a club;
Borders Books was always receptive in giving space and hours.
Starbucks is another choice. But that is dependent on the manager and space available. I started a few "clubs" there, but if it becomes too popular with players not paying for beverages, it's becomes problematic.
Look for establishments that have plenty of seating capacity that are left unused on a given night. A good sales job can often seal a trial period. Keep in mind the manager's primary concern is attracting new customers, will the chess players possibly turn away other customers, and will the new crowd be a revenue maker.
Otherwise libraries, community centers, colleges etc. for a simple playing facility.
Borders Books was always receptive in giving space and hours.
Starbucks is another choice. But that is dependent on the manager and space available. I started a few "clubs" there, but if it becomes too popular with players not paying for beverages, it's becomes problematic.
Look for establishments that have plenty of seating capacity that are left unused on a given night. A good sales job can often seal a trial period. Keep in mind the manager's primary concern is attracting new customers, will the chess players possibly turn away other customers, and will the new crowd be a revenue maker.
Otherwise libraries, community centers, colleges etc. for a simple playing facility.
The best selling point is to offer free lessons for the casual customer. Have a large demonstration board available. Advertise free chess lessons (they only need be 20 minutes). This will often put yourself in good standing with the manager of a business establishment; such as a book store that sells chess books.
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