Saturday
Jul222006
MANHATTAN DATE IDEA: Chess Lessons in Washington Square Park
July 22, 2006 at 12:28 PM
Have an experience right out of the movie
Searching for Bobby Fischer.
Go to Washington Square Park during the day. In the southwest corner you will find a bunch of chess tables with men in various levels of kemptness. Play chess with one of the local chess experts. Normally, the rules are like this: you give them $5 and play a game of chess. If you win they give you the $5 back; if you draw you play again; otherwise, they keep your money. The games are fast with chess clocks set to 2, 5 or 10 minutes. Unless you are some kind of chess genius, they will beat you. But if you give them an extra 5 or 10 bucks most of them will give you a lesson while they beat you. Some of them charge by the hour, some will just will teach you as part of the game fee.
How do you do this with a date? It doesn't matter her or your chess level. They will teach - if you are a total beginner and don't know the difference between the horse and king, make sure you find someone who is okay to play with a total beginner. Pay the fee for her (after all you are a gentleman and she got all dressed up to sit outside with a chess nerd). You can each get a lesson. The whole process will take 20-30 minutes. If you both are still game, you can head down McDougall Street to Cafe Reggio for great Italian coffee, panini and desserts. If you have low blood sugar: don't worry they keep about a pound of sugar on every table. If you are up for boozing, this area around NYU has more bars per square foot than any place in the City.
Searching for Bobby Fischer.
Go to Washington Square Park during the day. In the southwest corner you will find a bunch of chess tables with men in various levels of kemptness. Play chess with one of the local chess experts. Normally, the rules are like this: you give them $5 and play a game of chess. If you win they give you the $5 back; if you draw you play again; otherwise, they keep your money. The games are fast with chess clocks set to 2, 5 or 10 minutes. Unless you are some kind of chess genius, they will beat you. But if you give them an extra 5 or 10 bucks most of them will give you a lesson while they beat you. Some of them charge by the hour, some will just will teach you as part of the game fee.
How do you do this with a date? It doesn't matter her or your chess level. They will teach - if you are a total beginner and don't know the difference between the horse and king, make sure you find someone who is okay to play with a total beginner. Pay the fee for her (after all you are a gentleman and she got all dressed up to sit outside with a chess nerd). You can each get a lesson. The whole process will take 20-30 minutes. If you both are still game, you can head down McDougall Street to Cafe Reggio for great Italian coffee, panini and desserts. If you have low blood sugar: don't worry they keep about a pound of sugar on every table. If you are up for boozing, this area around NYU has more bars per square foot than any place in the City.
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