Chess players have been a mainstay of Crown Street Mall for 30 years, but in recent times they have moved their games away from the spotlight and into Globe Lane.
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But – after years of disruption during the multi-million dollar mall refurbishment and a board built too small for the old chess pieces drove players away – Wollongong City Council is hoping to entice them back.
On Friday, players made their first moves with a new set of pieces which match the size of the smaller board.
While some players grumbled about the “kindergarten” sized set, chess piece keyholder Oscar Murtezan said he hoped it would encourage stalwart players – mostly older, migrant men who have played against each other in the mall for years – as well as a new generation of enthusiasts.
“We want everyone to play – the young generation should come along,” he said.
The council’s acting infrastructure and works director Mark Roebuck said chess had long been an important part of the mall.
“Chess started in Wollongong in MacCabe park in 1979 and moved up into the mall in 1986 – and the piece we’ve just replaced were the ones from 1986,” he said. “They were suited to a bigger chess configuration, but – based on the design of the new mall, where the trees and seats are – we had to reduce the size of the board and the old pieces were too big to allow players to move around.”
Councillor Leigh Colacino encouraged players of all backgrounds to play in the mall.
“Chess is for everyone, it doesn’t matter how old you are, what sex you are, what language you speak,” he said. “You just come along and wait your turn, it’s really good to play with these people and this happens all around the world.”
Giant chess is now also available in Wollongong library, after a board was laid into the building’s new carpet.
Central library manager Mark Norman said this was part of the library’s efforts to cater to different groups.
“Libraries are increasingly about more than just borrowing books, and we’re looking at making the library a community meeting place where people can interact and talk about their hobbies and interests,” he said.
The library chess pieces are available on the ground floor reading area.