‘No mansplaining’ and bisexual lighting: New York’s new chess clubs make it hip to be square
The game has a long history in the city. Now it’s part of nightlife for a new generationIn the depths of Bushwick, at Purgatory Bar, a crop of Brooklynites gathers at outside tables to play chess. Lit by pink, blue and purple “bisexual lighting”, underneath fake vines, many wear “chessy looks”: pants fashioned from checkerboard fabric, black and white prints, plentiful mesh. The mood is celebratory: players tease one another (“I’m gonna bonk your knight so hard!”) and take frequent breaks to chat, giggle and sip vodka and vermouth spritzes.This is Queers’ Gambit, a chess night which partially came about in response to its organizers’ experiences in the broader chess scene. “Most players are cis men, and they are often visibly afraid of or disturbed by me and won’t play,” explains Niki Cross, a long-term player and genderqueer environmental justice attorney who founded the event earlier this year. At Queers’ Gambit, however, chess is inclusive, with a dedicated learners’ table, a general willingness to share knowledge and the potential for “enthusiastically consensual” flirting and cruising. The club’s Instagram tagline is “pawns r trans” and a percentage of the bar’s profits for the night is being donated to the community organization Black Trans Liberation. Continue reading…
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