Chess benches removed from Chicago shopping plaza

Boston Globe ^ | 7/25/02 | AP

[Sunsong]

CHICAGO - Their kings may be cornered, but the Harper Court chess men insist they aren't in check mate. In April, the board of directors for Harper Court, an outdoor shopping plaza in the city's Hyde Park neighborhood, removed the concrete chess benches some called their home away from home.

[thegreatbeast]

I would hope the chess players weren't obnoxious. We need to encourage intellectual activity wherever we find it.

[ArcLight]

This is my old neighborhood. The last time I was in town I dropped by to complain about the removal of the chess benches. A nice lady at the management office told me that there were indeed fights and other unpleasantness breaking out among the loiterers. They felt they had no choice. Still, it's quite sad. People of every level of education and income would drop by with their chess pieces and clocks and play against each other. It was one of the quiet glories of the neighborhood, now gone.

[ChicagoRepublican]

Sometimes I wonder if the whole damn city is being turned into homogenous islands of suburbia. For the whole damn decade things I've loved about Chicago have been yuppified or just plain dissapeared.

[Sunsong]

I agree -- chess is a great game and I'd rather have chess players have a good reputation.

Speaking of which :-) -- I'm asking for freeper help at a chess site:

pac-mall

The message board there is starting to be dominated by socialists and moral relativists -- even though a probable majority of players there are Christian Americans. Here's a look at the message board, (you have to scroll down to politics):

message board

Anyone who could help out with some debate and discussion would be most welcome and appreciated :-)

Sunsong

[Paul Atreides]

At least they weren't removed because some tender soul lost a game and had his/her precious self-esteem irreparably damaged.

[Sunsong]

I bet this is especially sad for you, then. I always like to come into a space where people are playing chess...

[Sunsong]

What do you think is causing it -- yuppies?, the gradual "politcal correctness" of society? -- local polticians?

[ChicagoRepublican]

I don't have enough time to collect my thoughts to answer that post. I wouldn't blame it on "yuppies." The recent influx of suburban middle-classers into the city has really turned around some formerly bad neighborhoods. Also in the last decade and a half there's been a boom in businesses. The politicians here are corrupt, as always, and Daley has been behind a lot of urban development projects that have created annoying shopping complexes but I can't blame it on him either.

I would have to blame it on society as a whole. The 90's were a decade of self centredness and conformity along with fake individuality. It was just a boring decade.

[TheBattman]

One has to wonder, knowing the typical personality of chess players, if it was indeed the chess players causing the problems, or other jerks....????

[yianni]

The "wholy" Qu'ran prohibits the playing of chess - you can look it up.

[RightWhale]

if it was indeed the chess players causing the problems, or other jerks....????

Chess players vary as to temperament just the same as the general population. Chess playing by itself does not produce intellectuals, nor does it produce good behavior, often enough the opposite. With concrete tables it is harder to dump the board and pieces in your opponents lap but there are other options when tempers flare. If it is getting bad in the chess park, well, it is getting bad everywhere.

[Sunsong]

"The 90's were a decade of self centredness and conformity along with fake individuality. It was just a boring decade."

That's an excellent analysis,imo. Lack of character, lack of vision, lack of courage, lack of dignity, lack of vitality -- pretty boring stuff alright.

Thanks for your thoughts.

[Sunsong]

Yeah, I hear ya, though some of the younger chess players on the net are pretty vulgar...

[Sunsong]

"The "wholy" Qu'ran prohibits the playing of chess - you can look it up."

Jeez, why am I not surprised :-)

[BlazingArizona]

If the chess players were such louts, I wonder what the checkers players must have been like!

[lizma]

spent little or no money in the plaza's stores
Sounds like a case of vindictive shopkeepers.

My son plays competitive chess and we go to opens often. The other players strike me as very decent people. Hard pressed to picture them oogling women when there's a game at stake! It tends to be a competitive lot.

[supercat]

Hard pressed to picture them oogling women when there's a game at stake!

I don't see you guys rating
the kind of mate I'm contemplating.
I'd let you watch; I would invite you,
but the queens we use would not excite you.
[I get my kicks above the waistline, Sunshine].

[lizma]

LOL!!

Tonight I was making dinner and sorta half (or less, well much less) listening to my 10 year old son when I realized he was talking about "mating". I sorta just dropped the spaghetti and did a major heads up only to find out he was talking about his rook!

[Sunsong]

Your son might be interested in this site:

pacific-mall.com/chess

He can play some pretty good players and have time to think about each move. I'm sure that the number one player there, "globalpac" would be willing to play with him and give him some pointers, too, once he sees that your son is serious about the game.

There are also some "team" boards where people discuss moves and talk about chess.

Anyway, it's an option :-)