I’m all for board games, but I must admit… I absolutely LOATHE chess. My third grade teacher used to test us on our strategies, which I couldn’t master. Where to move the bishop? Don’t ask Camille. How to nab the white queen with the swipe of a trained hand? You’re screwed if you ask this chick… you’ll end up in a stalemate.

Although I don’t have an affinity for the world’s most popular game, I am on the other hand intrigued by a unique café located on St Laurent blvd, otherwise known as our beloved Main.

Café Pi is one of the city’s few chess café’s that holds tournaments on the first Sunday of every month. What started off as a coffee shop with four chessboards eventually turned into a breeding ground for hardcore chess enthusiasts.

As per usual, my curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to chat with manager Vanessa Kiss, who told me she opened Café Pi in 2001 with her father Arpad, who recently told the Gazette that chess, “C’est l’amour.” Melt.

“I always played chess with my father and grandfather,” she said. “It’s not as popular in Montreal as it is in Hungary, where my family’s from.”

Not only is the café chess–friendly, it also serves as a fabulous local art gallery, from which Kiss and her father garner zero commission!

She explained that she’s all for supporting local artists, which in my opinion, is pretty damn classy. Talk about extending a helping hand to Montreal’s most talented provocateurs.

If you don’t like art, chess or coffee, Café Pi is still well worth the visit—to witness the mostly older male clientele get heated over a close game is comic relief served on a silver platter.

CHECKMATE!

Location: 4127 St. Laurent Blvd

Pictures courtesy of cafepi.ca

For more information visit www.cafepi.ca