Chess Forum Chess Club in Greenwich Village: $5 an Hour

Chess Forum, at 219 Thompson Street in Greenwich Village, lets anyone sit down at a chess table for $5 an hour, with seniors paying $1 and children always playing free. The doors open at 12 noon and the lights stay on until midnight, seven days a week, and sometimes much later if the games keep going. Boards, pieces and clocks come with the table. You can call ahead on 212-475-2369, but nobody needs a membership, a rating or an invitation to walk in.

The shop sits on Thompson Street between Washington Square Park and the NYU campus, close enough to the park that its chess tables are practically an extension of the store. The owners describe Chess Forum as the last old style New York City chess store and game parlor that is open to the public, and the claim holds up in a neighborhood that once supported dozens of such rooms. Walking in feels like a short trip back to the twentieth century.

The address has real chess pedigree. According to the shop, it stands on the original site of Grandmaster Nicolas Rossolimo's Chess Studio, where Bobby Fischer was a frequent visitor and where artists and filmmakers such as Marcel Duchamp and Stanley Kubrick also dropped in to watch or play. You will not find a museum plaque, but the history explains why the room feels more like a salon than a store.

The pricing is posted plainly. Adults pay $5 per hour per person to play, senior citizens pay $1 an hour, and children always play free. Tables, pieces, boards and clocks are provided at no extra charge, so you can arrive with nothing but an opponent or the willingness to find one. The shop sells chess clocks, both analog and digital, if the ticking of a real clock gets you hooked.

Finding a game is part of the appeal. Players range from grandmasters to beginners, and the shop lists students, subway train engineers, policemen, firemen and celebrities among the people who call it their second home. If you arrive alone, ask at the counter whether anyone is looking for a game, and set up a board while you wait. The shop describes its crowd as grandmasters and beginners, seniors and kindergartners, so a newcomer is never the odd one out.

Chess Forum sells light refreshments at prices that look like they were set decades ago. Tea, coffee, hot chocolate and bottled water cost $1 each, and Snapple or Nantucket Nectar soft drinks cost $2 each. You are also allowed to bring your own food and drinks to the table, which makes a long afternoon of games cheaper than any cafe nearby.

The shop's own motto, repeated on its website, is Smart People Not Smart Phones, and the room follows it in spirit. Nobody is patrolling, but a table of people staring at screens would feel out of place among the wooden boards and the shelves of sets. Keep the phone in a pocket, play your clock honestly and respect the touch move rule that every regular here expects.

If you want to improve instead of just playing, Chess Forum offers private and group lessons in chess and backgammon. The shop says prices depend on the level of both student and teacher, with an average range from $40 for an expert-level tutor to $90 for a FIDE master. Private lessons are by appointment only, so call the shop on 212-475-2369 before you turn up expecting a coach.

Every Saturday from 2 pm to 4 pm the shop runs a free chess training session for children between the ages of 4 and 12. It is open to beginners and to kids preparing for school or national tournaments. In summer, from early July to late August, a day camp runs Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm, with lessons at the shop and in nearby Washington Square Park when the weather allows.

The front of the store is a proper chess shop. Complete sets start with an 11 inch classic folding walnut set at $39 and a 12 inch magnetic set at $30, and move up to a 12 inch golden rosewood magnetic folding set at $149. The catalog also covers backgammon, checkers, dominoes, Go, Chinese chess, mahjong, cribbage and mancala, plus chess books for every level from novice to grandmaster. Schools and clubs get special prices.

A magnetic folding set is the sensible choice for a New York apartment or a subway commute, because the pieces stay put when the board is jostled. If you are buying a gift, ask whoever is at the counter which set the regulars actually play with. Asking before you buy is free, and the shop sells sets in every size, material and price range.

Start or finish at Washington Square Park, two short blocks away, where the outdoor chess tables have long drawn players. The park costs nothing and is a good alternative if the shop's tables are full or the weather is perfect. The shop's own camp uses the park when it can, which tells you how closely the two places are connected.

The streets around Thompson Street are among the most walkable in Manhattan. Cafes, bookstores and NYU buildings line the blocks, and you can drift from the park to the shop in a few minutes without checking a map. A good plan is an hour of free games outdoors in the afternoon, then a paid hour indoors once the light fades and the shop stays open toward midnight.

Chess Forum is at 219 Thompson Street, New York, NY 10012, and is open 12 noon to midnight seven days a week. The phone number is 212-475-2369 and the email is info@chessforum.com. Playing costs $5 an hour, $1 for seniors, free for children. The shop accepts American Express, Apple Pay, Diners Club, Discover, Google Pay, Mastercard and Visa on its website.

My honest advice is to go on a weeknight if you want a serious game and on a Saturday afternoon if you are bringing a child, since the free training session runs from 2 pm to 4 pm. If the table you want is taken, ask politely and wait, or head two blocks to the park and play outdoors for free.