Public Chess Tables Get a Second Life as Community Hubs

City parks are refurbishing old outdoor chess tables, turning forgotten corners into regular meetup spots.Neighborhood groups have taken on informal stewardship of the tables, organizing weekend tournaments and pairing newcomers with regulars willing to teach. Parks departments say the low-cost upgrades — fresh paint, better seating, sometimes simple shade structures — have measurably increased foot traffic in areas that previously saw little use. Several cities are now adding new tables in neighborhoods that never had them.