Where to find a game in Mexico City and around it 60
Clubs 35
Tournaments 12
Outdoor spots 4
Cafés and bars 3
Other entries 2
Informal groups 1
Libraries and cultural centres 1
Schools and academies 1
Shops 1
A game in Mexico City is easiest to find through the clubs, and most of them show themselves through tournaments rather than published opening hours. The borough clubs play in halls, parks and cultural centres: the official club of Gustavo A. Madero in the chess room of the Centro Cultural Futurama, those of Coyoacán and Cuauhtémoc, Club Iztacalco and the Tláhuac club, all with events on record this season. Independent clubs fill the evenings: El Peón Molesto with blitz around Roma Norte, Jaque Descubierto in Azcapotzalco, Mercenarios on Avenida División del Norte.
Away from the clubs, the open-air spots are the Alameda Central, where some players bring boards on Sundays, the Jardín del Arte on Sullivan and the Jardín Centenario in Coyoacán. Cafés host evening events: blitz at Sabores del Valle on Thursdays and at the Calavera Time Café in Granjas México, rapid opens at a café in Plaza Millenium in Tlalnepantla. The Biblioteca de México keeps a chess workshop, and in the State of Mexico the Sayavedra Racquet Club and the university clubs of Naucalpan and Huixquilucan hold tournaments. Few pages say whether a stranger can simply sit down, so a message first is wise.