Richmond chess club RVA Pieces will celebrate its second anniversary with drink specials at the bar, free food donated by Christian’s Pizza, DJ D-FX and raffle giveaways sponsored by Bamboo Cafe, World of Mirth, Stoplight Gelato Cafe and the Village Cafe.
The anniversary event will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 26 at arts nonprofit Gallery5 — located at 200 W. Marshall Street — from 5 p.m. until midnight. The club meets every Wednesday from 5 p.m. until midnight at Gallery5 for all-skill-levels-welcome free chess play, as well as other board games.
“It’s very relaxed and social,” said chess player Eugene Gateley.
“I come here for the wide variety of people and types of conversations you get into and the personal challenge of not knowing who you’re going to play next.”
RVA Pieces was founded two years ago by Gallery5 operations staff member Dave Murray. Modeled after Gallery5, Murray said he founded RVA Pieces with the intention of the club becoming a nonprofit and affiliated with the Virginia Chess Federation so the venue could host small tournaments.
“There’s a lot of community drawn to it,” Murray said. “It helps you dodge the fear of failure and embrace learning. Too often we’re taught not to attempt something if we know we’re going to lose.”
Find RVA Pieces on Facebook.
Jesse Adcock, Spectrum Editor
Jesse is a junior print journalism major and Arabic and Middle Eastern culture minor. He has walked in the valley with no water and bitten the heads off of snakes.
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