Cafés and bars where people play chess 11

Café chess is the easiest way in: no membership, a drink on the table and someone across the board. Many of these cafés and bars are in the old town and the Eixample, with others in Gràcia, Sarrià-Sant Gervasi and Nou Barris. Some keep boards for customers; others host a group that meets on a set evening, often run by a meet-up organiser rather than by the bar.

The evenings range from a Sunday-morning meet-up for all levels to chess nights at a tapas bar or on a rooftop terrace, and a cocktail bar built around the game. Some chess nights charge an entry that includes a drink. Café chess also changes fast: a bar changes hands, a group moves to another venue, a weekly evening pauses for the summer, so ask the organiser before you set off.