In the post-war years, in the Summer and Mikhailovsky Gardens, employees of the cultural and educational department began to introduce the game of chess as a form of relaxation in the gardens. Initially, this measure was forced. Gardens in the evening were filled with dominoes. The players reacted very emotionally to the course of the game, which frightened the rest of the audience. Therefore, in the Coffee House and the Rossi Pavilion, chess circles began to work. They taught the game of chess, arranged sessions for simultaneous games, and it was possible to rent a board and pieces.

Gradually, the number of people who wanted to fight on the chessboard no longer fit the indicated rooms, and the benches of the gardens were filled with players. Especially it became popular in the Mikhailovsky Garden. Even amateurs to play “for fun” began to appear. Back in the late 1980s, groups of chess players in the Mikhailovsky Garden were a common sight.

That is such a moment depicted by the artist Eduard the Good in his painting “Playing Chess in the Mikhailovsky Garden” in the 1950s.

#GardensoftheRussianMuseum #MikhailovskyGarden #summergarden #Russianmuseum #rusmuseum_gardens #igardens