Chess Club

Went to Marrickville Road cafe where I sat for a while drinking coffee and using free internet, I made friends with the barista and she gave me free muffins.  Delicious apple strawberry coconut.   Then I came home for a bit and got dressed and ready for chess club.

Chess club is a big local event and I was here celebrating it's 2 year birthday. And as such a momentous occasion, it was a Black-Tie event.   Every month, "the Hutch" a local warehouse space, hosts the event, where a dozen chess boards are laid out, a DJ plays from the loft, and the bar has beer and raffle tickets to win amazing prizes.

Between 50 and 100 people come out and dance and drink the night away... and play chess.

I got there fairly early in the evening with a few beers from the local bottle shop.  I ran into some friends and got a tour of the space, as I'd never been to The Hutch before. The DJ booth towered above the bar, playing classical music to the handful of people gathered around chess boards. There was great lighting rigged up, including ropelights, a giant disco ball, and a laser. Everyone had a drink and there was a faint whiff of ganja in the air. The Hutchies were all dressed to the 9s, suits and dresses; other attendants had a mix of formal and casual attire.

I sat down for a chess match with someone who had challanged me. I was still taking in the whole vibe, and sipping on a beer. He beat me after a long match but offered nice encouragement: "you're really good, everything you did was textbook moves and countermoves, you're a good player.."

"yeah, up till I missed your queen placement and it cost me a knight. it was all downhill after that one mistake."

He agreed and offered a rematch; I was more interested in taking a few pictures so I declined.

An influx of people shifted the vibe of the event to a party instead of mass chess matches as soon the people vastly outnumbered the gameboards. Booze flowed freely, the ganja was thick and the DJs had switched to playing more modern rock. All the free space was filled with undulating youth, Hulahoopers shook it and someone pulled out the fire toys and headed out to the alley.

I joined the firedancers and twirlled a staff for a bit and gave a quick go with the poi. Its always a little weird using someone elses toys, but we all had a good time before running out of fuel and returning to the party.

The DJs were playing electronic stuff by now, as it was getting early in the morning. My beer was long gone and the night was waring on, so I headed with a friend back to the Figure Eight warehouse for the night hit the hay.