One of the world’s most popular board games has been brought to a northeast Minneapolis park. Two new outdoor chess tables were recently donated and installed at Logan Park, which is the site of a ribbon cutting at 11 am tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 16 to celebrate the game, the donation and the chess classes being offered this fall at the park.
The project is funded by People For Parks and the Logan Neighborhood Association, with installation of the tables provided by Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board crews.
"People for Parks seeks to serve all sorts of park users, whether active users such as runners and skiers or more passive like picnickers and chess players,” said Jeff Winter, president of People For Parks. “We were thrilled to receive a donation designated to chess sets and worked with local chess aficionado Roger Hale who helped us identify Logan Park as a park with a very active chess community, both with the nearby chess club ‘Chess Castle’ at the corner of Broadway and Central and with the residents of the surrounding area."
According to Winter, People For Parks approached the Logan Neighborhood about the project and they jumped on board immediately. The two groups jointly funded the tables, which cost a combined total of almost $3,000.
The chess tables are made of recycled plastic which is derived from post-consumer waste, resulting in a product that is over 90 percent recycled. Each table has an inlaid chess board and players can bring their own chess pieces or use those available at the nearby Logan Recreation Center. One of the tables has four seats to allow two players and two spectators, and the other table has three seats and is wheelchair accessible.
Logan Parks intends to offer instructional chess classes this fall. People For Parks hopes to continue the chess table project with the goal of installing chess tables at other parks within the Minneapolis park system.
