Turn your back to the National Theatre Ivan Vazov and start walking towards the little park, on the left side of the fountain. You will come across a few marble chessboard tables, around which players and an audience gather. The tables are a relatively new element of the scenery in front of the theatre (they were installed by one of Bulgaria’s mobile phone operators – MTel, which every year organises the MTel Masters Championship), but chess players have been gathering here for at least the last 30 years. Among them, there are amateurs, but also erstwhile national champions, and one of the most active participants in competitions is Petar Zhotev, who served as Minister of Economy between 1999 and 2001. The tables also attract regular gawkers and a few crazies, who get some spare coins in exchange for buying coffee for some of the participants.



The opponents often bet money on their games. The settling of the conditions and the sum of the bet consists of a peculiar ritual, which can sometimes last up to half an hour. During negotiations, the amount of on-lookers increases dramatically, as the verbal fights are usually very colourful. For that reason, the tables where the game is free of bets don’t enjoy very much popularity. They, however, offer players the chance for some relative solitude, and passers-by often sit by to look through the paper and have a coffee. A different sight is that of a lonely player, who stands – looking in all directions, over a table with all of the chess pieces lines up on the board. That means he is searching for an opponent. But don’t think that you could simply sit across from him and start playing. First you will have to take out a 5 or 10 leva note (around 2.50 and 5 euro), which to place as a bet. If you’re in for some serious matches, you should insist on a series of games (for example, the winner of three out of five games played takes it all) for the same sum. That is the practice here, anyway.



Even this unusual chess club, which is open to everyone, has its rules.

* This story is part of the Alternative Cultural Guide to Sofia. The guide was created by students from Sofia University St Kliment Ohridski. Initiated by associate professor Alexander Kiossev, it was supported by the Sofia University’s Academic Research Fund. The texts, published in Bulgarian by the student magazine Piron, were edited by Lyuboslava Ruseva, and translated into English by BalkanTravellers.com.