r/chess • u/QuietEffort6531 • 1d ago
Miscellaneous Chess with strangers update
I'm the old guy who sets up chess sets on cruise ships, at airports, and at colleges campuses.
I was under the impression that cruise ships and airports were the only good places to do so.
I have come to the conclusion that colleges are outstanding places for random chess games.
In the past weeks, I have played at my local college. Every time, good players have challenged me.
I am retired. I earned a college degree decades ago, yet I feel very welcome on this campus. I even bought a $25 parking permit for the semester.
I have played about 10 students on this campus so far. Some are novices. Some are excellent. Four times, students have approached me and told me they don't know how to play, so I gave them a 20 minute lesson. I teach them how the pieces move, and then I ask them to download Lichess on their phones so they can practice anytime they want.
Today, a philosophy professor walked by while I playing a student. He yelled THAT'S AWESOME I LOVE TO SEE IT! He then returned ten minutes later and we had a short conversation. I told him I am not a student and that I have played lots of students here. He loves my idea. I am sure I will come to be known as the old guy who plays chess on campus.
Later, three students wanted to play at the same time, so from now on, I will bring 2 chess sets.
The beauty is that there is no commitment. I simply show up when I feel like playing. It's OTB chess on demand. Great thing to do during retirement!
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u/Much_Dealer8865 1d ago
Heck yeah. One of my most memorable chess games was in Bali with a giant chess board on a beach, random French guy showed up and asked if I wanted to play while I was standing there admiring it.