The 4 Coolest Places To Play Chess In The West
The Las Vegas Strip
Instead of gambling all your money away and leaving your odds to luck, play chess in Las Vegas. When you play chess in Las Vegas you can compete against some of the best talent from around the world. You will be confident that your winnings were earned through intelligence and hard work and not just the luck of the draw.
To find opponents, you can research chess conventions that are hosted in Las Vegas, such as the International Chess Festival which is held annually.
The Grand Canyon
There is not a more dramatic back drop to a chess game than the most beautiful canyon in the United States. Bring a portable chess board and take a Grand Canyon tour to play in this amazing, spectacular location. You can even sit on the edge of the canyon and look out into the mighty gorge as you ponder your next moves ahead.
The easiest Grand Canyon Destination to play chess in would be the South Rim of the canyon, as it has more infrastructure on which to play. There are plenty of seats, benches, and tables that you can use at the South Rim to host your game. After that, you will just need to find a worthy opponent to play against.
The Hoover Dam
Located just an hour away from Las Vegas, the Hoover Dam is an incredible sight to see. It is a bucket list destination for many people, and for good reason. The man-made wonder is larger than life, stretching 726 feet above the Colorado River. The dam also faces the impressive Pat Tillman- Mike O’Callaghan Memorial Bridge directly across from it. This bridge is a structure that will leave you speechless as it is the second tallest bridge in the United States.
All of this grandeur makes the Hoover Dam one of the coolest places in the western United States to play a game of chess. It is not recommended that you set up your board on the edge of the dam, as the winds often pick up and you could lose a chess piece. Still, there are plenty of locations at the dam that would make for a wonderful and relaxing chess background.
Perhaps the most intriguing part of playing a game of chess at the Hoover Dam is that you would be playing your game in two US states at one time. The Hoover Dam sits on the Colorado River, which also happens to be the border line between the states of Nevada and Arizona. Therefore, playing on the Hoover Dam means you are straddling this border line and playing in two places at once.
Route 66
The most iconic road in America’s history, Route 66 makes for a historic and picturesque chess location. While Route 66 is not just one location, that simply makes it easier to choose you where your chess game will take place. Imagine playing your game of chess right next to the original road to the Wild West. You cannot get much cooler than that.
How To Play At All Four Locations In One Trip
If you want to travel along Route 66, many Grand Canyon tours take this route on the way to the canyon from Las Vegas. Taking a tour like this would allow you to hit not one, but all four of these impressive chess playing locations in one single day trip. Now that is a day full of adventure, chess, and travel.