Case Study: Morro Bay, California

The charming California coastal town of Morro Bay, midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, commissioned James Maul, a local architect, to design a city chess park in 1973. The result was a layout that was both functional and attractive.

The main giant chessboard is made of 2-foot squares for a chessboard 16 feet on a side. The chess pieces were carved from redwood, a local tree type, by a local artist. The chess set has a king 3-foot tall with pieces weighing from 10 to 25 lbs.

Part of the engaging design is an adjoining row of tables with regular sized chess boards laid into the top of each table. The giant chess set has the curb appeal to draw chess players, especially kids, and the regular chess tables are where serious chess players meet. As in the Harry Potter movie, the kids are drawn to the fun and imagination of giant chess pieces, and the tables are where they can continue.

Fronting Embarcadero, the town's main shoreline street, the chess park became a community meeting area for the harbor area. Chess clubs and chess play became part of Morro Bay's culture. By the 1990's, tourists traveling up and down the coast would stop to see Morro Bay's giant rock and their giant chess set.

In looking at what could have been done better, the first problem was the cost of the chess set, some $30,000. That high cost prevented the city's Recreation & Parks Department from allowing just anybody to use the chess set. It was a work of art, and not to be put in the hands of kids or anyone who might not give it back.

Better would be two giant chess sets; one the work of art, and one the cheap, indestructible plastic. The idea would be similar to household dishes. Fine company gets china, while the kids get plastic they can hurl across the room.

Adding to the problem, the city had no offices or other oversight near the giant chess set. Their policy to play the giant chess set requires chess players to drive downtown to get the key to the storage shed, leaving a deposit. When finished, the chess players have to go back downtown, and return with a city employee who would verify that all the chess pieces were back in the storage shed.

This tortuous process disrupts city employees and takes enough of their time that the city has to charge a hefty fee, $38 for tourists, to play a chess game.

Better would be a cheap giant plastic chess set with a usage fee under $5, and the key to its storage shed in the hands of a nearby merchant, like the bakery next door who would see opportunities to sell coffee and cakes to pensive chess players.

And the key to the expensive chess set would pass through trusted individuals, like the local chess club president for their regular meetings.

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