Chess @ Happy Village

Will, Chris and I headed over to Happy Village to play some chess. Normally, Will and I attend the Wicker Park Chess Club at Myopic, but tonight we opted to try out the fabled “lawn chess” set at Happy Village.

Initially, we were told that there was a party scheduled for out back, and so we couldn’t use the set. Instead, we were playing speed chess using Louie’s board and clock.

Oh, and yes. I know the knights are in the wrong spots. I took this shot early on, as we were setting up the pieces for our first game.

It’s been ages since I’ve played speed. Lots of fun, and there’s just something immensely satisfying to smacking a clock, after making a move. Although, thre three of us didn’t really play speedily – we were quick at first, but then the pace would eventually slow down as we contemplated our moves more and more.

After about six games (10 minutes each), Will went inside and inquired again about the lawn set. Instead of allowing us to move a table and set it up on the concrete (which is how it’s normally done, I guess), they gave us permission to set it up on the lawn.

Freaking. Sweet.

This was quite the fun variation on a regular chess board. Although, given how dark it was, it made playing black a bit more difficult because you couldn’t see the pieces all that well.

To top things off, the tamale guy swung by as though on cue, and that really hit the spot.

Next time we do this? Lawn Speed Chess.