Vidyavihar, Mumbai · Free & open to all
A room in Mumbai where chess is the only thing on the agenda.
Hundreds of chess books, boards always set up, and a chair for anyone who walks in. There is no entry fee and never has been. The Temple of Chess runs on what people choose to give.
D-219, Neelkanth Business Park
Vidyavihar (West), Mumbai 400086
What happens here
Play
Boards and clocks are set up and waiting. Come alone and someone will play you, or bring a friend and take a corner.
Read
Pull any book off the shelf and read it here for as long as you like. No membership needed, no register to sign.
Learn
Sessions and meetups run through the year, from opening theory to critical thinking, announced on Instagram and the WhatsApp channel.
Welcoming all chess lovers to the new Temple of Chess space.
Where the books came from
One collector, a lifetime of reading
Deodatta Modak of Nashik spent decades gathering chess books. He learned Russian so he could read 64 and Shakhmaty v SSSR. He kept every issue of Chess Mate from the very first one. His wife Smita cleaned and stored them, year after year, which is why they are still in the condition they are.
After losing his sight, he decided the collection should go somewhere permanent rather than to individuals. Those thousands of books became the Temple of Chess.
Temple of Chess is the most appropriate and permanent use of these books.
Deodatta Modak