A New Park Table

I was taking my dog for a walk at a new park trail and came upon this chess table. It's rather secluded within a wooded area in the park. I thought that maybe one nice day, I would bring a chess set and hang out there to see if I get any takers. But, then, I looked closer ... and realized that someone didn't know how to play chess.

Upon some research .... Victor Stanley , might I suggest a chess consultant for future designs and installations.

They're special tables for the newest variant, "WrongChess".

@GrandPatzerDave Maybe that's what they meant by "Products may be patented."

What a disaster, City should force the company to fix that, tax payer money and all, reminds me of Seattle ordering and paying in advance for the new light-rail cars, and upon receiving them they realized they ordered the wrong wheel base width to fit the tracks, although chess tables don't compare to that blunder (pun intended)

chess players that play in the public need a bigger board i dont know why the city is buying the tiny boards other than a very low budget

what is the square size on this?

Not to make excuses for the manufacturer, but an ADA chess table like the one in the first post is tricky. Only 2 sides will have a correct playing field orientation. Either the two opposing seats. Or the single seat facing the open wheelchair spot. Either way, someone will be unhappy.

And hopefully the tabletop slabs in the second pic is attached with bolts from underneath and it can be rotated after installation without much trouble.

new patented 2025 design

Very interesting - my thought on seeing the first picture was … if that top rotates, it is a very clever design because it is accessible to a wheel chair, or at least looks accessible. Then I saw the following photos and thought nup, it’s a stuff up.

The other thing about the first photo is that I reckon those gaps in the table would be a pain in the proverbial because pieces would either drop through or get stuck in the cracks … all in all … the design seems to misfire but hopefully a cheap fix.

Without a ruler, and wondering which chess set might be suitable, I did make an effort to gauge the size of the squares, and concluded they were about 47mm, which I also felt was small-ish, but usable.

My first impression of the missing fourth seat was that it was intended to be left open for passers-by to spectate. Then after noticing the board's orientation, I wondered if the fourth seat may have broken away. But looking underneath, there were no signs of any damage, nor any option for a fourth seat. And inspecting the board, top and bottom, there was no option to rotate the board, nor the table itself.

The thought of wheelchair accessibility did cross my mind too. Being the lone chess table, on somewhat rough footing, and in a remote area of the park ... it simply appeared to be an oversight. Well, maybe as they say, it was the thought that counts.

My comment about rotating the board is only as a fix for the tables in Post #2. Not as a user function. That would be a nightmare for upkeep. And would probably break within a year. The tabletop slab is most likely fixed to the cemented center post with bolts.

The ADA chess table in Post #1 does not seem like an error to me. They had to choose a permanent orientation for the board during installation. Either for the 2 seated players. Or the seat facing the wheelchair spot. Any way they install it, "someone" will be upset by it. Oh well. Do it the old fashioned way and bring your own vinyl board.

https://www.victorstanley.com/product/crpr-3/

The link doesn't look exactly like the photo in the OP, but the dimensions should be correct.

The table is 3 feet square with 18 slats across, ~2 inches per slat. There are 5 slats on either side of the board and another 8 slats for the width of the board. That makes the board about 16x16 inches, or a bit smaller than 2 inch squares due to the margin, which agrees with the 47 mm above.

I think it is great that the community is providing chess boards built into parks.

FWIW, the table manufacturer site also has this model https://www.victorstanley.com/product/ip-36/ where their photo shows the board orientation correct for the non-wheel chair players.

OK, I'm a bit embarrassed for being ignorant of the deliberate ADA design. Thanks @Pawnerai for the education, and I now understand what you were saying. After seeing the second photo from the company's site, I thought that it had corroborated my thoughts of the table in the park. I now stand corrected. My apologies to anyone who I may have offended.

No need for embarrassment other than perhaps a misunderstanding of ADA legislation and design standards. The table in the OP’s original post is not accessible by design standards. Kudos to the builder for trying, if that was the intention. However first, to be ADA compliant, there must be an accessible route to the table. The table must be built on a firm stable surface. This table is located on loose gravel which does meet accessible design standards. I would suggest a very simple solution: build and install one additional table and, locate the table (with correct playing orientation) on the existing concrete pathway (assuming proper attention to running and cross slope). It can be extremely challenging for one in a wheel chair, if not impossible, to traverse a gravel pathway. Think of it this way: (and yes, I’ve encountered this very thing) a new, fully compliant ADA park restroom facility located on a gravel pathway at the top of hill with a running 15% slope. I said “kudos” previously because, failure or not, at the very least attempts are being made to provide accessible elements and features. We often learn through failure. Reminds me of my chess journey.

No apologies necessary. Although the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is federal law in the US, it's so commonplace nowadays it blends into the environment and many people just don't think much about it unless it affects them personally oneself or a close family member/aquaintance. Things like parking spots, public restrooms, ramps, wide aisles, corner cuts at the curb, inclusive children playgrounds, etc... My wife works in the medical field and my father was in a wheelchair for the last years of his life. It's top of mind for me. No biggie! Next time you're in that park, bring some pieces,, AND A STOOL. Hah.