When I was little, my grandfather taught me checkers. And, after a short while, I beat him at every game. But, when it comes to chess, I had convinced myself that it was a game for those with gifts in logical thinking and that it was too complicated for my abilities.
It was a great surprise to me to discover that I am not so hopeless at the game after all. And for that, I have to say huge thanks to @lemony-cricket, who patiently guided me through my first steps in chess! Not everyone is cut out for teaching things to people, and I could not have been luckier. I never once felt dumb, regardless of many silly mistakes and the inability to see what was right in front of me at times.
That said, I have a long way to go before I can truly claim that I know how to play chess. I need to get good and learn a bunch of tricks, which I shall collect up my sleeve. Not only that, I hope to dive deeper into the achievements of grandmasters and all. In other words, I have been bitten by the chess bug for a while now!
And so, when we were traveling to the Ghost concert in Oslo, I looked up some fun and interesting places to visit. One of them was The Good Knight! Alt i sjakk. Alltid sjakk. A chess-themed bar! I was so excited to go see it!
For me to enjoy bar settings, I have certain criteria I look for. I love being at places that have a cozy, relaxed, not too stiff atmosphere, bartenders who are warm and friendly, and somewhat bubbly personalities or at least know how to crack a joke or two. I don’t like to be rushed or to be made feel like I have to transact constantly just to be at the place.
The Good Knight met all those criteria and then some. As soon as I set my foot there, I felt at home. It was nighttime, weekend, and, oh my, it was filled close to the brim with chess-crazed people. Every table at The Good Knight is embedded with chess boards. Most of them were taken. It was a pretty sight to observe people using their brain powers at the game everywhere I looked! I could not help myself but smile ear to ear.
There was only one downside which wasn’t the Good Knight’s fault either. It is more like Norway's fault in general. The drinks were expensive! Everything is expensive in Oslo (especially) and Norway. Of course, people in Norway also have different salaries to be able to afford such prices. I sure hope so! If not, that must be pretty tragic.
As we started our game, a guy stopped by and looked at our board. I quickly revealed my inexperience at chess in hopes to repel the viewer, and luckily he left not long after that. I lost the game despite starting okayish for a clueless person. We kept wondering if the person who stopped by was some grandmaster or simply someone curious. I read somewhere that Norway’s grandmaster Magnus Carlsen often visits the bar but who knows? The Good Knight also hosts a lot of chess tournaments, competitions, and seminars. It seems it has become a gathering place for all those interested in the art of the game.
We enjoyed our time at the Good Knight so much that we went back there twice after. One of the times was around their opening time, and I managed to take more photos without interrupting people's privacy.
My favorite parts of the bar were all the photos on the walls of grandmasters lost in deep thought while playing, the warm and cozy lighting, and the classy design all around. Everything matched with the spirits of the game.
You collect a bag of chess pieces at the bar and order a drink from their menu, which has quite a selection of various types of beers and ciders from all around the globe. The giant black knight chess piece in the photo above was a custom tap for a beer as well! So cool!
He regretted it later because after finishing his drink, I was able to beat him after he made a few grave errors. I had managed to take out all of his pieces except for pawns. It was my first victory over him which was a little shadowed by the fact that he had his poison. Then again, I had mine too. I still do not consider this a real win, though. But I am getting ready!
I highly recommend visiting the Good Knight for all chess players who happen to be in Oslo. It is a special place with good vibes, and while pricey, the drink selection is amazing! They do not offer food apart from really expensive nuts or chips to snack on, but the bartender let us know that everyone can bring their food with them. They are so chill about it there that they even said that people order pizza at their place all the time.
I hope you enjoyed this a tad bit of a chaotic review of the Good Knight! Thank you for stopping by, and see you around soon!
Song of the day: Kx5, deadmau5, Kaskade, John Summit, Hayla - Escape - John Summit Remix
I like this place, and my son would be delighted, I will show him your post. 😊 He is only 5 years old but he loves to play chess and could do it for hours. I also always thought that I was not smart enough for chess, but I am slowly learning with my son. 😊 He motivates me.😊
That is the right age to start playing no doubt! The other day I saw a video where a kid was playing against adult and won too! He might need to wait a few years before he could go there? Even though during the day it is more like a café.
You have a great teacher then! Good luck on your chess journey! :)
Thank you so much! 😊 I wanted to enroll my son in a chess school, they told us to wait a little longer. But I don't think we will wait much longer because he plays really well and often beats my husband. 😀
Such a cool place and great experience! Chess is mental exercise but at the end of the day you can enjoy it in different ways either profesional or just for relaxing. You don't have to be a Grand Master to get the benefits that chess can offer. By the way, the current World Chess championship is from Norway
Glad you enjoyed it! :) It is quite intense mental exercise indeed and unless I am really tired I enjoy it. And even at the bar while drinking beer I was surprised that my abilities to focus did not suffer as much as I thought they would. Perhaps, I need to test my limit there a little too, haha.
I am happy I began playing and to know that I was wrong about my mind and what it can do.
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Thank you! So cool to see that there are chess-loving people here on Hive as well!
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That is a really good name for a bar and a chess place. I hope to be able to swing by if I ever visit Oslo again. =)
Yep! I am sure you will be able to visit it. The place does not seem like going anywhere any time soon. It was so packed in the evenings. People seem to enjoy it a lot! :)
That is great news. So many of these gaming / board game cafe things seem like a great idea in theory. But up in the north (I live in Sweden) we are just not that many people. So they tend to struggle some with finding enough customers.
Song of the Grey:
- "Koń na białym rycerzu", Nocny KochanekCheckmate ;-)
Ahaha! What a tale! I cracked up at the illustrations in that video! So many movie references and just pure cheesiness, mixed with cringe and random this is a bit too far, no? I did not expect that twist there xD Hilarious!
I love chess, it would be very interesting to visit!
!discovery 45
It is such a cool place. I am definitely going back if I'm in Oslo again.
Thank you for your support! Much appreciated! :)
It's been a while since I last played chess but that bar definitely looks like the perfect place where to enjoy some rounds. :)
Oh for sure! The first time I was there place was so packed, and everyone seemed to have amazing time, and just the sight at every table people battling each other on the board. And must say the music there was really cool too. Forgot to mention that in the post. I love places like this one.
That's such a cool concept. I really like the idea. I've been to a lot of game room cafes but never one that was specifically all about chess. Very cool!
Yep, right? I was so happy I found it and no so soon after I began playing chess myself. And this bar made me think of all kind of bar ideas as well xD Like the kinds that I would make and run! Is that silly? But I love a good bar with cool atmosphere and always had a naughty idea that I could run one.
Thanks for the share. Never been to Oslo but if ever, I've taken notes 😎
I am glad it reached you! Oslo is really cool city. So many places to see, amazing food, modern architecture mixed with old, great infrastructure, surrounded by the beauty of nature - mountains and fjords! And, yep, many fun places to be as well. Such as the Good Knight :)
Take all the wins you can get!
This is pretty cool. In Australia, it used to be that you could take your own drinks to a restaurant, because the liquor license was so expensive.
Looks like you are both having fun :)
Oh I try! I recently won a game against my brother too. With his guidance and a few pointers, and a few mistakes of his own. He is a much better chess player than me. But I hope to surprise my tutors soon! ^^
Travels to Oslo were indeed a lot of fun. Very expensive, I don't remember everything being this expensive 11ish years ago which is when I was there before. Also the city was so different since the last time I saw it too.
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