SUNDAY AT MARKET SQUARE
By John Barroso, PCC Secretary
Market Square is starting to change for the better. With plans to renovate the Square in 2009, turning it into a quiet plaza with no thru-traffic, the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, a non-profit organization, took the initiative and made the first move towards a brighter future. It brought to Market Square a number of booksellers in partnership with the Carnegie Mellon Library. It also brought to the Square something Pittsburghers had probably only seen on TV or heard of: to many a Simul was an unknown word. To others a blindfold game was something the eyes could not believe. Even others approached the game tables set on the Square by the Pittsburgh Chess Club and asked if they were allowed to play. That corner of the Square was busy all day, with players, curious, and a few with enough bravery to take on the Experts and Masters on the board.
The Pittsburgh Chess Club joined the event as invited guest by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership. The Club brought tables, clocks, boards, sets, and candies! Some kids got candies for playing a game or just hanging out near the tables. The game of joust was available for those who might want to play one knight against the other on the board (eventually one of the knights run out of legal moves, gets “stuck” and loses the game).
The day, June 1st, was sunny with the right temperature. The chairs were occupied all day by all types of players. Expert Federico Garcia, also Pittsburgh Chess Club Director gave a ten-board Simul with a score of 9-1. Interesting enough, the Simul started with four boards and grew to ten. Masters Bill Hughes and Master (technicalities left aside) Donald Meigs were on stand by to take on as many challengers as possible. Unfortunately, we did not have that opportunity as it was becoming late in the day. The high point of the day, at least before the eyes of the general public, was the blindfold game played by Master Bruce Leverett against a young chess player, Andy Fitzpatrick. People in bikes, drinking pop, or jogging in the area paid their stop to see the unbelievable feat. As a witness, the writer of this piece saw on their face expressions of owe as Bruce would make a move or interrupt his train of thought to chat or say something funny.
Two newspaper photographers were in the area taking pictures, one from the Trib Review and one from an Independent McKeeSports Media. Five o’clock approached, the colorful table skirts were removed, the tables taken away by the kind effort of Hal Medrano but chess games were far from interrupted. A board was set on the small round tables by the stage and new games started. Your writer played a few games against the McKeeSports photographer and then left. As I left I could see Clyde taking over the board and starting what I think were a series of games against an enthusiastic unknown who came in late but I bet had a tough opponent not willing to leave the board until darkness would envelope the Square, signaling the beginning of a twenty-eight day wait for the next Chess Sunday on June 29th. On that occasion to come, improvements will be made, more table will be brought in as we expect over 2,000 people showing up to play chess, eat cherries (Cherries Festival) and enjoy the large bike riding parade that will go around the Square. We’ll see you there!
John Barroso
PCC Secretary.