Derek Hsu

Avid chess players gathered at Cove Lounge on the evening of January 19 for the bar’s second chess night, following the original chess night in November. Twenty-five chess boards and timers adorned the Cove’s wooden picnic tables, transforming the bar into a destination for chess enthusiasts. Some people brought their own, including a custom four-player chess board. With nearly every board occupied, a potpourri of Cove regulars, UChicago students, and chess meetup attendees played throughout the night.

Organized by fourth-years and roommates Ross Shapiro and Dylan Sunjic, this event marked the second chess night hosted by the Cove. Both events served as a celebration of the Cove’s well-respected late bartender and gifted chess player Diego Damis, who was tragically killed during a robbery on February 25, 2022. Rife with chess matches and shared memories, the January 19 event brought together chess aficionados and those commemorating Damis.

A Strategy for Success

Sunjic, who is studying economics and statistics, learned how to play chess at the age of five from his grandfather, who sparked in him a lifelong drive to win. He attended tournaments in elementary, middle, and high school. His competitive career is decorated with achievements such as four Florida Junior State championships (2011, 2013, 2014, 2018) and two runner-up placements in the Junior National State Championship in his age group (2013, 2017).

Sunjic appreciated the game’s skyrocketing popularity over the pandemic but was worried about the lack of in-person interaction fostered by online chess platforms like Chess.com. “People felt more alone because they’d be sitting in their rooms between classes and not seeing who they were playing against.”

Wanting to find a solution local to the University, Sunjic worked with his roommate, Ross Shapiro, to find an in-person venue to serve students and community members enthusiastic about chess.

Shapiro, a philosophy and statistics double major, helps produce comedy shows in his hometown, New York City. Both Sunjic and Shapiro are active on campus, pursuing their interests in chess and event production respectively. Sunjic competes on the University’s chess team, and Shapiro hosts the Night of Ideas, a forum for students to express ideas such as “Sports Are Theatre” and “Storytelling Is Rhetoric Is Storytelling.”

They began reaching out to local bars last fall to propose the idea, and the owner of Cove Lounge, Sonnie Kireta, quickly responded. In preparation, Sunjic and Shapiro posted the event on the UChicago Chess Club, Chicago Area Chess, and UChicago Class of 2024 Facebook pages. Shapiro also attended several chess meet-ups to advertise the event, and Kireta publicized it to the Cove’s patrons.

Diego Damis: Always One Move Ahead

Kireta worked with Damis and understood his unbridled love for chess. Prior to working there, Damis was a staple at the Cove Lounge. A couple chess sets were always sprawled along the edge of the bar, and regulars would look forward to playing against Damis as a litmus test of their own skill. One regular recalled that during his single game with Damis, Damis had less than a minute left on his timer but was unfazed, outmatching his competitor and cruising to a win.

Damis’s influence on the culture of chess at Cove Lounge was absolute. One Chess Night attendee who learned from Damis brought the set that Damis had gifted him. However, those closest to him knew that Damis’s passion continued off the board as well.

Temi Bankole, a close friend of Damis, reminisced on how instrumental chess was to the start of the friendship. Damis later helped Bankole land a job and supported him through hardship. “He would invite me over to his place. He would make homemade ravioli, play the saxophone, and, of course, play chess.”

When Damis first passed, Bankole was part of a collective that would play chess in memoriam at least once a week.

Evan Beverly, another close friend of Damis, described him as “a passionate person, period.”

“If he met you once, he had a plan for you, like a mode of attack for whatever ails you,” said Beverly. “He respected you at your position in life and gave advice on what people should be. He was a master of the board in that sense.”

As this marked Beverly’s first time at the Cove’s chess night, seeing the turnout was to him a testament to Damis’s influence on his community. “If he were here, he would absolutely love this… because it’s an idea he would’ve had. It’s something that he would have loved to participate in, and it keeps him fresh here.”

Similarly, Sunjic expresses the strength of community that is built from these events. “The fact that once you finish a game and shake hands with a person—even afterwards, you analyze the game and talk with them about it. You learn where both of you went right and wrong because, at the end of the day, you’re both trying to solve this puzzle.” For Sunjic, Shapiro, and Cove Lounge, the pieces fit perfectly together.