User:Heliophilous/sandbox/Gariahat Chess Club

Gariahat Chess Club is a kolkata based Street Chess club. In mid 80s a group of young chess enthusiasts, hawkers start playing chess in evening time in mid 80's and eventually established this street chess club under the Gariahat flyover.

After commissioned of Gariahat flyover, the pavement near Golpark was the address of this club. Advancement of Kolkata does not change the surroundings of the club. And it deliberately trying to looks as it was. Although in 2018, beautification have made by Kolkata Police.

Besides the chess club, Bengali adda for many Resident of South Kolkata took place. In the evening many people come here after work and chat for hours over cups of tea over politics sports and verious topic with their friends, sometimes with strangers.

History
Newly modeled Gariahat chess club (Kolkata) The pawn parade started in the early 1980s from a pavement in Golpark with one Checkerboard and a handful of enthusiasts. Although till 2006, it was not registered. In 2006 registered as the Gariahat Chess Club. Their makeshift premises have been given a facelift with an initiative from Kolkata Police, PC Chandra and the architects from Anjan Ukil Square Consortium as part of its project to develop the area.

In early 80's some JU students formed this club to developed an interest in chess. Priya Ranjan Das, a 65-year-old member, is one of them; while studying English literature at Jadavpur University in the Seventies, he and his friends took initiative and since then he is regular member. That time he and the rest of the group would sit on the iron railing with the board in between.

Beautification
In August 2018 Gariahat Chess Club was officially inaugurated by the Kolkata Police as part of its project to develop the area with a budget of around ₹2 million. And it attained the look of a legitimate club with 13 tables bearing laminated boards, arched lamp posts and 26 stools laid out for anyone who likes an endgame. Newly modeled Gariahat chess club was inaugurated 8 August 2018, evening in the presence of Commissioner of Kolkata Police Rajeev Kumar, Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Kalyan Mukhopadhyay and Hooghly River Bridge Commission Chairman Kalyan Bandopadhyay.

Club members
The number of members started growing after establishment and now the club have around 120 regulars. Regulars at the Gariahat Chess Club range from government officials to hawkers, all with a shared love of the game and a capacity to concentrate in the all-day around one of Calcutta's busier intersections.