Jesse Sheehan

Members and supporters of Berkeley’s “chess club” gathered at the city council meeting Tuesday in defense of the community space on Telegraph Avenue.

On Friday morning, the “chess club,” a well-known community space on Telegraph Avenue, was cleared by the block’s property owner, with BPD on standby, following numerous trespassing allegations.

The city filed a notice of violation against Berkeley’s ‘so-called’ chess club — an arrangement of tables and chairs that meets daily at the corner of Telegraph Avenue and Haste Street.

Berkeley’s “so-called chess club” has quickly become an essential community pillar, where people from all walks of life, socioeconomic status, race and age, can come together and bond over a game of chess.