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About Us

Welcome to Chess Forum!

Chess Forum is located at 219 Thompson Street in the heart of Greenwich Village, in downtown Manhattan by Washington Square Park and the NYU Campus.

We are open from 12 Noon until Midnight EST, seven days a week.

Chess Forum is a few steps away from historical Washington Square Park and two blocks away form the NYU Campus. Chess Forum is the last old style New York City chess store and game parlor open to the public. We are located at the original site of Grandmaster Nicolas Rossolimo's Chess Studio. Bobby Fischer was a frequent visitor to the studio and so was art and film greats Marcel Duchamp and Stanley Kubrick. 

You might have traveled back to the future' however, Chess Forum transports you forward to the past where you can visit the 20th Century while still in the 21st. Century. Visit us for a trip down memory lane to see how things were done in the last century. You are welcome to walk in any time during business hours whether to look around and feel nostalgic or to play a pick-up game of chess, backgammon, Go, dominoes, scrabble and many other classic board games or even to buy a beautiful chess set to enjoy and to keep for generations to come. 

Chess Forum: Smart people not smart phones.

If you are shopping for a unique chess or backgammon set, we carry a large variety of sets from all over the world to choose from and in all sizes, materials and price ranges. Both analog and digital chess clocks are also available and in a wide range of material, size, color and price.

Other games are also available for purchase like Checkers, Dominoes, Go, Chinese Chess, Chinese Checkers, Mahjong, Cribbage, Mancala, Poker chips and Playing Cards. We also carry a selection of Chess Books for all levels from novice to grandmaster.

Special prices and volume discounts are offered to schools and clubs.

Chess Forum is open seven days a week from 12 Noon until midnight (or much later if the games continue).

We charge five dollars per hour per person to play. Senior citizens pay one dollar an hour and children always play Free!!

We offer some light refreshments like tea, coffee, hot chocolate and bottled water for $1 each and soft drinks like Snapple and Nantucket Nectar ($2 each).
You are welcome to bring with you food or beverages to enjoy while playing chess or backgammon or any other game you choose. 
Tables and chess equipment  including pieces, boards and clocks are provided to the players at no additional cost.

Chess Forum offers private and group chess and backgammon lessons. Prices range according to the level of both student and teacher. The average range is from $40 for an expert level chess tutor to $90 for a FIDE master. Private lessons are by appointment only. 

We also run a yearly summer camp for children from the time schools are out until the back to school week (Early July- Late August). Children, four years old to around 12 years old, can sign up for a week or more of the camp. They can also sign up for a day or half a day. Classes are from Monday to Friday between 9 AM and 4 PM. Classes take place at Chess Forum and, weather permitting, in nearby Washington Square Park. Lunch breaks and sports are part of the daily camp activities. Also included daily is a free half hour lesson in the French language based upon interest by the children and their parents.Please contact us for the exact dates and pricing for the camp.

Every Saturday from 2-4 PM, Chess Forum offers a FREE chess training session for children between the ages of 4 and 12. It is a great way for kids to learn and to practice as well as prepare for a tournament, whether it's a local school tournament or for the nationals. And the best part is that it's totally FREE!

Whether you are looking to buy a chess or a backgammon set, to play a game of chess, to take a lesson or to have a cup of coffee and watch the masters play, you are always welcome at Chess Forum, the heart of New York! 

Chess Forum: Cool in the summer, warm in the winter and fuzzy all yearlong.

Chess Forum: An experience not a transaction.

At Chess Forum you are always at home and amongst family and friends. 

We look forward to seeing you soon! 

Chess Forum
219 Thompson St
New York, NY, 10012

We are open from 12 Noon until Midnight EST, seven days a week.

SHOP BY PHONE, OR EMAIL Or order directly form our website.

To Phone in your order call 1-212-475-2369 between 12 Noon and Midnight- Eastern Standard Time.

To order online please visit our website: http://www.chessforum.com

To place an order through email, just email us at info@chessforum.com with the information.