Rooks, Files And Ranks

An evening spent uncovering the raw and DIY warmth that is the Aliwal Chess Club.

- Jonathan Fong

Chess. You know it as the game of kings, which evolved from India over 1,500 years ago. It’s a fascinating game that looks deceptively simple and yet plays out in extraordinarily complex ways—the progression of every game is different and the opportunity to learn or improve always presents itself.

Chess is also haunted by the stereotype of it being a stuffy, staid-looking Caucasians’ game. It looked as fun as a watch party of drying paint. But recently, the game revived in popularity due (in large part) to the 2020 Netflix TV series The Queen’s Gambit.

Fun facts for sure, but the only real statements concerning chess that matters come from its reverence and endorsement by the greatest hip-hop collective of all time: Wu-Tang Clan. Chess has long had an important role in the aesthetic and material of Wu-Tang Clan, both song and philosophy. RZA, its de-facto leader, wrote in The Wu-Tang Manual (which chronicles the supergroup’s journey) that chess is part of their essence “because it’s a game of war; it’s about battle. Wu-Tang was formed in battles, from challenging each other.” RZA also mentions in the same book that he learned the game when he was 11, from a girl who took his virginity too. #facts And so I move briskly as I start my Friday evening somewhat lost, searching for the obscure location of the January meetup of Aliwal Chess Club (ACC). Treading through the grunge and grime of Geylang and Guillemard Roads, I find myself at Grandlink Square, hunting for Ethos Beverages, the venue hosting the gathering this evening.