Owners have embraced the chess club as well. They are planning to incorporate a chess theme in an upcoming renovation later this year.


Knights of the McRoun
d Table
Want fries with that McCheck-mate?
Tuesday, Mar 29, 2011 | Updated 9:58 AM PDT
By Cary Berglund and Scott Weber

McDonald’s
is best known for their burgers and fries and is a popular after school gathering space for teens.

But a McDonald’s in Leimert Park has become as well known for something that is not on the menu for guys well beyond their teens. — chess.

The daily chess tournament takes place under the golden arches where guys from the neighborhood gather to outsmart and outwit each other. They spend their afternoons… capturing knights.

“Chess is very addiction,” says one McDonald’s player. “Some guys come in saying they’re going to play a game or two and it’s night before they leave. That happens a lot.”

The cheering section– which is more quiet observation than actual cheering– is made up of guys in line for the next game.

The tournament started out in a nearby park. Then one rainy winter, they moved into McDonalds, trash talk and all. And they never left.

“He’s a nice guy,” one player says of his opponent. “He just can’t play.”

Full article here.

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Chess Daily News from Susan Polgar
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