The mall is renting space to people who hope to sell things. My guess is that at least some of the chessplayers occasionally need something that is for sale at that mall or elsewhere. Chasing them elsewhere is foolish.
The mall nearest where I live did something similar. A "Park and Ride" had been established there. Except at the height of the Christmas season, no shopper ever would come remotely close to the "Park and Ride" area. But now (after 20 years or so) they have severely limited the number of spots commuters can use all year long. Now showing up there around 8 AM is a crap shoot. And just as bad they don't allow the busses in at all after 11:30 PM. So I don't go to that mall anymore as a reaction to their stupidity. (And I'm not even a commuter, but I did have to walk through the snow one night a mile or more to retrieve my car when I had to take a later bus back from the City.) And just like all those commuters who might have stopped in to buy something on their way home, I buy nothing there.
ML/NJ
"The mall is renting space to people who hope to sell things. My guess is that at least some of the chessplayers occasionally need something that is for sale at that mall or elsewhere. Chasing them elsewhere is foolish."
And sadly, you too are living in a dream land.
I guess in your vision, it would be ok for the chess players to set up some tables in the middle of a home depot store, because some day they'd eventually buy something.
Sheesh.
Agreed; I would actually add tables to the area, and encourage all the chess players I could. Would be a better class of customer than the usual teen rats that hang out.
In our neck of the woods, malls are struggling for traffic, and the empty stores out number the occupied. Let em play chess.