By Matt Rivera
New York houses little-known pockets of businesses — the haberdasheries near Division Ave. in Brooklyn, the flower district on West 28th street. And just as often, wherever those pockets are, there are feuds to be found.
So it goes with two of the city’s chess stores, the Village Chess Shop and the Chess Forum, which sit just yards apart on Thompson Street in Greenwich Village. Since the Forum’s opening in 1995, the two stores have been at odds with each other — often in spectacular form.
The root of the rivalry between the stores is highly subjective. Before he opened the Chess Forum, Imad Khachan worked at the Village Chess Shop, then owned by George Frohlinde. Khachan says he was promised an ownership stake in the store in exchange for sweat equity. While keepers of the lore on either side tell their own versions of what happened next, the end result was a bitter split that lead Khachan to leave the Chess Shop and open his own store across the street.
The feud went on for years, sometimes involving the police (for reports of harassment), and allegations of espionage, in which customers from one store would go to the other to check on stock and pricing.
And so when an organization called Chess NYC took over the Village Chess Shop in December, it seemed like there might finally be an armistice in the ongoing chess feud.
Michael Propper, who runs the Village Chess Shop, looks at the store as a place to expand Chess NYC’s student clientele. Upon purchasing the store, he immediately began changing the façade and working to erase the perception that the store is a private social club. Among the changes of the new regime: longer hours, an expanded room for classes and a nearby mural to draw customers’ eyes.
As for the longtime rivalry, Propper says that the bad blood left with the prior owner. Khachan, too, says he’s willing to make peace with the new owners. Both he and Propper say they’ve tried to meet each other and shake hands — seemingly easy, as they spend their workdays only a few yards apart — but despite the men’s assurances, there are hints that neither owner is exactly ready to embrace the other.
When recently asked about his store’s odds for success, Propper sounds optimistic, and possibly out to get his neighbor’s goat.
“Who knows,” he said, “maybe one day we’ll end up owning the Forum, too.”
The Village Chess Shop has been home to many movie scenes, news stories, celebrity sightings, and much more… Most recently Woody Allen and Larry David, used the shop in the film ” Whatever Works”
Come by and visit us at 230 Thompson St, NY, NY, 10012
NEW YORK– It is a typical day in Midtown Manhattan; sirens are blaring as bright yellow taxis whizz past busy pedestrians on their Bluetooths. Shoppers bump into oblivious children engrossed in their game boys and ipods, while the subway rumbles beneath their feet like some caged beast. In the midst of all of the commotion, a father and his son sit in the middle of Greeley square playing a rousing game of chess.
In a world of cheap thrills and digital junkies, some find greater entertainment and excitement through playing the traditional game of chess.
Russell Makofsy, the director of Chess NYC, an organization whose sole purpose is to promote the game of chess and chess playing in New York, believes that competitive nature of chess and the mental challenge is what really draws people to the game.
“I’ve had people describe chess as a puzzle…people who like sudoku and other games that engage your mind, that’s the sort of person that chess attracts,” he said, “I’ve also heard people say that they become addicted to the thrill of checkmating someone.”
When many think of chess, a stereotypical situation comes to mind of two elderly men sitting in the park playing chess. While the game does remain popular with an older demographic, Russell says that more and more young people are becoming avid players through programs such as Chess-in-the-Schools Inc.
Zach Garner, a young chess enthusiast, claims that the competitive nature of chess is what really engages him. When asked why he would rather play chess than video games he laughed and said, “I’ve never really been into video games, chess is much more competitive.”
“I think that in this day and age, with all of the media and technology, to be able to engage someone in a game like chess doesn’t seem right or even possible.” said Makofsky, “It’s sort of an old, slow, traditional game…It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles.”
He believes that what really fosters interest in the game for kids is the thrill of winning, along with the anticipation of getting rewarded; It makes them want to play again and again.
For some, chess is more than just a form of entertainment, it defines their entire lifestyle.
Tyronne McNair, a daily chess player from the Bronx, claims that he not only has a passion for playing the game, but also makes his living by betting money on games.
“I like it because it’s a combination of things,” he said, “It’s a combination of art and science but it’s also a game…It’s fun.”
McNair is one of the notorious “chess hustlers” of Washington Square, people who lure unsuspecting players into a game then take them for all they’re worth. When money becomes involved, the games really heat up.
“Chess creates the most unusual interactions between people,” Makofsky said, “You see the weirdest people playing together; people who would never interact in any other situation except a game of chess.”
“That is the beauty of chess,” he said, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t always know someone’s culture or language; People can come from all over the world and unite over the chess board.”
The New York City chess community really prides itself on this idea that chess is the ultimate equalizer. Young, old, rich, and poor can all come and experience the excitement of a quality chess game in New York City.
