Julia Gale is one of the co-founders of Beers by the Bay Chess Social, a social club started with co-founders Mark Laturno and Aidan Ryan in 2024. It works just like the name says—they meet up each week at a bar to play chess, drink some beers, and socialize. Gale loves it, but when she invites h er girlfriends to join the fun, they’re hesitant. “Chess is something that (women) can do, as well…it’s notoriously known to be more of a male-dominated game, so were like, ‘You know what? Let’s start incorporating a safe space for women to kind of learn how to play chess.’ Even with my friends, I’ll be like, ‘Hey, come to my chess club for a night,’ and they’re like, ‘I don’t know how to play,’” she says. “Here’s a place where you can now learn. Then, when I invite you to come hang out with me on Thursday nights, you won’t say you don’t know how to play chess. I think it’s that barrier of not knowing how to play at all that’s kind of what holds back a lot of women from even trying.” She’s talking about their group’s new beginner classes for women 21 and older, in partnership with Let’s Go Girls—San Diego, starting at noon Sunday at Tavern at the Beach in Pacific Beach. This initial session will be hosted by Gale, followed by rotating instructors for subsequent classes, and cover information on identifying the chess pieces, learning how each piece moves on the board, basic concepts of how to play, and being partnered up to practice what’s being taught in a light-hearted environment. (Space is limited, advance registration is required, and tickets are $30 per class.) “When we learned how underrepresented women are in chess, it felt important to be intentional about creating a space that actually feels welcoming,” Amanda Abruzzo, founder of Let’s Go Girls—San Diego, said in a released statement. While the number of women in the game has grown, only 14% of the membership in the US Chess Federation is female, according to the governing body and nonprofit representing the United States in the World Chess Federation. “This partnership is about community first, a social, fun environment where women can come together, meet new people, and try something new without pressure.” Gale, who works in marketing and communications, helps with the marketing and social media in her role with the club. She took some time to talk about joining in the broader work in the chess world to make safe and welcoming spaces for women to learn and participate in the game. Q: When and how did you learn and begin playing chess? A: I actually learned when I was a kid, but it was one of those things where I learned and never played again. It was just knowledge I had in the back of my brain, so I knew how the chess pieces moved, but I didn’t necessarily know any technique or any real strategy within the game. It wasn’t until Aidan invited me to hang out with him and Mark at a bar and play chess. I’ve been going every Thursday to play chess, so my game has increased since starting about a year and a  half ago. Q: Tell us about Beers by the Bay Chess Social. A: We originally started at Bayside Landing in Pacific Beach (before outgrowing the space), and it was just a super casual game. It was me, Mark, and Aidan hanging out, drinking beers, playing chess. When a bunch of people at the bar saw that we were playing chess, they came over and were like, “Hey, can we get it around in with you guys?” and we had so much fun we did it the next week. Those same people came back and were looking for us to play chess again, and it kept happening. That’s when Aidan started an Instagram, and we just kept posting that we were going to be at the bar at the same time, same place, and more and more people just kept coming. We realized that this was more than just chess; this was a social event that people really enjoyed coming to. It’s just been growing to an incredible amount of people that show up for us. We just saw how happy it made people, so instead of just keeping it at the same level, we wanted more people to know about it, so we keep trying to do more outreach. They want to be there, they just don’t know it exists. We have also been trying to incorporate more social events that would bring out a different energy than our regular events that happen at Tavern. We have an event at SeaWorld that’ll be really cool. (The group has organized a game night featuring chess, Uno, Jenga and other games, along with a DJ and full bar, from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at SeaWorld’s Turtle Reef for anyone 21 and older. Tickets are $25 for social club members and $40 general admission.) Q: What prompted the launch of this women’s only beginner class? A: I think a big part of it was me getting into this club. There were a lot more men at our events. I’ve always felt like there was more of a male-dominated sense to chess. I think a lot of people that are seeing our club now are women who might not think that their beginner level is good enough to walk into a chess club. I think that could be kind of an intimidating thing. Whenever I tell people like I’m part of a chess club, they’re like, “Oh my God, you’re a genius.” I’m like, “No, not really. It’s actually just a fun thing to do on weeknights and there’s such a good community out here for it.” Our buddies who also run chess clubs don’t have as many women (in their clubs), either. We want to help build confidence and show women that this is also something that they can do. We’re offering a safe space for everyone to come out in person and learn, which I think is so special, and I’m really excited to see how it turns out. Q: What has participating in chess done for you? A: It’s become something that is just second nature to me, or just a third space to be in. I work a lot, I have two full-time jobs, so this is kind of my escape from work. Even though it seems like an intimidating and mentally exhausting game, it’s really not once you learn how to move all of the pieces. The way we set up this environment is more for people to come out, hang out, socialize, and then there’s chess, as well. The chess games almost feel like a fun thing to do. It doesn’t feel like anything other than just another place to socialize, which is my favorite excuse to go socialize now because I’m going to bar to play chess. I feel good about myself after. Q: What do you hope the women who go to your course get from the experience? A: I would love to have it be something where more women get the confidence to play chess. Personally, I’m somebody that, when I’m in any kind of environment that’s male-dominated, I get this feeling of excitement that I am breaking the barrier by being there, in a way. Like I’m changing the narrative, and I want other women to help change the narrative. ...read more read less