Mating the Tuna in Deep Water At the Flea House of the August Moon

The Flea House designated the Chess and Checker Club of New York, which was located on 42nd Street near Times Square. It was  a place where players could come and play chess, checkers, Russian checkers, Spanish checkers, dominoes, go, backgammon, scrabble, gin rummy, and bridge. The strength of the chess players ran the gamut from unrated to grandmaster. The range of customers was wide whether from the perspective of social (or antisocial) class or nationality. At times there were organized tournaments, simuls, and team matches. However, the place was best known for unrated chess played with or without stakes. The terms for these were sociable or hustling.

The following game was of the latter type. I was playing a session with an ex-wrestler, who was a retail store owner, giving him odds of eight minutes to one. The day went into night passing through the August Moon into September as I took Charlie the Tuna into deep waters.