[lawnguy]

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.

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.

[ml/nj]

I would actually add tables to the area, and encourage all the chess players I could.

I don't play much now. But when I was younger I used to play down in Washington Square (NYC) sometimes. My recollection is that there were the usual pushcart vendors and some of us bought from them. I think if I knew that there was a reasonable chance that some decent chess was being played at a mall near me I would at least go and have a look, and I certainly would not bring my own food.

ML/NJ