Every day, groups of men begin to gather around 10 a.m. to watch, play and sometimes bet on games. As the sun moves overhead, the men lift the tables to the shade of the mulberry trees. When too many pigeons congregate on the branches, the men nervously move the tables back into the open. At sundown, the players reluctantly go home. During the blackout last summer, they stayed through the night and played by candlelight.

The New York Times über Xiangqi im Columbus Park. Tauben und Sonnenfinsternisse scheinen die größten Ärgernisse beim chinesischen Freiluft-Schach zu sein.