So there was no hesitation to begin a game on the new - slightly less giant - board when Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery handed over the keys to the chess-piece storage cupboard on Tuesday morning.

Keyholder Osman Murtzin, who has been playing chess in the mall for about 40 years, said he and many of the other regulars were relieved to be returning to the giant board - one of the first items scrapped when the mall renovations started in early 2013.

"It's been very bad, and we lost lots of chess players from here, but they'll come back now because they like this place," he said.

"I'm happy, and a lot of the boys are happy."

During the renovations, the men were relegated to using small boards on the tables and chairs in Globe Lane - a practice Mr Murtzin shunned as not worth the trip from his home in West Dapto.

But mall visitors could expect to see the spectacle of the once-regular tournaments returning to the Crown and Church Street intersection, he said.

Mr Murtzin was noncommittal when asked if he was pleased with the design of the new board, saying it was "OK" but that players wanted the council to provide some slightly smaller chess pieces to match the board's size.

He also said the card players, who play near the chess group, were miffed about the small sizes of the chairs and tables.

"The chairs are just a little bit small, because we are not small," he laughed.

Handing over the keys, Cr Bradbery welcomed the players back to the mall - saying their games would add vibrancy to the city centre.

He said they were part of the mall and the life of the city.