A king without a castle: Quincy chess instructor seeks home for club

QUINCY − He's asked for space in city offices, libraries, community centers, businesses, at least a dozen churches. No luck.

"I've been trying for years," said Quincy chess instructor Mike Yezukevich, whose mission is to spread the camaraderie that results when minds meet over checkered boards and ranks of pawns and knights.

"(It's about) what a chess club could contribute to a community," he said. "If people haven’t been to a chess club before, they can’t understand the strength of community. It’s all so good natured and positive, and people who join chess clubs, once they’re in, they’re in. They stay consistently for years in the same group."

Yezukevich said that about 20 years ago, he ran a large club with about 20 members in the basement of a Quincy church. More recently, a conference room above the former Roche Bros. supermarket on Falls Boulevard hosted a smaller club.

When Roche Bros. closed in April 2022, the chess club dissolved and hasn't reconstituted since. Yezukevich said the closest towns with active chess clubs are Plymouth and Plainville.

But that's not checkmate.

Starting last June, Yezukevich has brought his boards, timers, pieces and knowledge to the streets of Quincy, setting up impromptu lessons and matches on the lawn of the Thomas Crane Library and near the fountain at the Hancock Adams Common.

"That's built sort of a following, where I have a number of people who want to know whenever I'm going to be out there," he said. "Friday (Sept. 1), I decided to bring more tables and more chairs and do sort of a pop-up chess club.

"People don’t understand how many competitive chess players there are all around," he said. "Once I started showing up, these players were coming from all over the place, and they were high-quality players. Some had never played across a real board before because everything’s online now."

Yezukevich said that includes the some of the homeless people near the library and city center.

"Some of the best chess players I’ve found have been part of the homeless community," he said.

Still, Yezukevich seeks the stability and comfort that an indoor club would provide. Recently, he said he's reached out to a Quincy church with a proposal. Because the church does a lot of positive work in the community, he said he's hopeful he'll receive a positive response.

In the end, Yezukevich said his goal is to foster community through chess − be it in Quincy or a neighboring community.

"The most gratifying thing has been the pedestrians coming up and just starting a conversations, and the smiles," he said.

"It's really community building … just to get out there and do something positive. People seem to love it."

To inquire about chess instruction for children or adults, or when to find Yezukevich at Quincy Center, email learnchessquickly@gmail.com.

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Reach Peter Blandino at pblandino@patriotledger.com.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Michael Yezukevich sets up chess matches outside in downtown Quincy