Kings, queens, bishops, knights, and pawns. These are the game pieces in action you’ll find late at night in the Gaslamp Quarter. The Moore Quincy Chess Club is a free midnight chess program that runs every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. outside the Museum of Illusions.
Players range from dedicated regulars to strangers stumbling out of a club or bar and taking a chance on the board. There’s a canopy for regulars and open tables for newbies, with half the group smoking. Old and young, locals and tourists, masters and novices — everyone is welcome to play with the Moore Quincy Chess Club.
Quincy Brown is the founder of the nonprofit group. He sees the project as a public service and preaches that meeting new people over chess can broaden horizons. He’s played public chess all over the country and has lived in the Gaslamp Quarter for the last decade.
“Chess instantly equalizes class, race, educational ability, physical or non-physical ability,” he said.
Initially, Brown did not attract stereotypical chess players. Many participants were unhoused, low-income or people struggling with addiction. The club gave them a community space and even changed lives, according to Brown.
He claimed he once taught a man to respect the women in his life after a brief conversation during a game of chess.
“Social engagement is one of those non-negotiable things,” Brown said. “Just because your life is giving you limits, doesn’t mean you still don’t need to be loved; need to be talked to.”
He refuses to monetize the project and is highly dedicated. After spending a full day participating in and celebrating Juneteenth, Brown spent the wee hours promoting the chess club, shouting “Free to play, free to join!” at passers-by.
The community around the club has broadened. It now boasts occasional visits from chess grandmasters and international masters.
City College Chess Club Vice President Sean Chris is an MQ Chess Club volunteer. He said he’s met a wide array of diverse people from all backgrounds over the past year. However, he still wishes more women would join. “[Chess is] rewarding for both genders,” he said.
An outdoor setup for an organized nighttime activity isn’t perfect. Some players have witnessed nearby fights or police activity that disrupted games.
MQ Chess club regular and Gaslamp Quarter resident Glenn Eugene recalled stories of police violence and fights spilling into the chess club area.
Brown said the club itself has remained nonviolent. He boasts a good relationship with police and local business, who appreciate the calming outlet set up amid partygoers and bar-hoppers.
“For some reason, they see those chess boards, they sober right up,” Brown said. “‘Maybe I don’t want to fight tonight. I’ll play some chess.’”
Eugene agreed. “You’re having differences in arguing,” he said. “Someone’s right and someone’s wrong. In the game of chess, the right player is gonna win. So there’s no argument.”
For some time, the chess club moved from location to location, primarily in the Gaslamp. Now, it has settled in outside the Museum of Illusions at Fifth Avenue and G Street. Brown dreams of someday being able to rent a building to house a permanent location.
But for now, the club continues to build community one match at a time. For example, in the middle of the night on June 19, an unlikely connection was forged between complete strangers. George Lewis, an elderly Mira Mesa resident and club regular, beat first-timer Siddharth Kini. Impressed by Lewis, Kini promised to return the next day for a rematch.
“You get a good chess player, then you want to play them all the time,” Lewis said. “It’s a good little gathering. Everybody’s cool here. You know what I mean? It’s nice to really meet people.” SDSun
