Chess Boards of Washington Square Park

Art & Culture | History

Watch Some Great Chess in One of New York City’s Best Parks

Washington Square Park Chess tables greenwich village

About Chess Boards of Washington Square Park

 & why it made the Carpe City list

  • The Washington Square Park chess tables are a legendary spot for chess in New York City.   
    • Bobby Fischer and many other world-famous players have played chess games at these tables.    
    • The tables appeared in the movie Searching for Bobby Fischer!   
  • Although a lot of the players have since moved up north to the tables at Union Square, you can still watch great matches at Washington Square Park.    
  • Not sure if you’re ready to strut your stuff at the park tables? Swing over to Chess Forum, New York City’s last surviving chess shop! It’s around the corner from the park at 219 Thompson Street. 
    • Chess Forum is a store and game parlor that welcomes everyone and carries everything you need for a game of chess. 
    • The store resides at the original site of Grandmaster Nicolas Rossolimo’s chess studio.Bobby Fischer was a frequent visitor to the studio, and so were famous villagers Marcel Duchamp and Stanley Kubrick. 
    • You can play at Chess Forum, watch matches, take lessons, or enroll your kids at chess summer camp. You can even stop in for coffee, tea, or hot chocolate! 
    • The store technically closes at midnight, but they’ll stay open much later if the games are still going strong!

By: Lucie Levine and Cyd Sacks

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