COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Getting out and exploring Colorado Springs and the surrounding area doesn't need to break the bank.
We're highlighting businesses, organizations, and happenings that you can engage with for under $40; the focus for this article (and outing) is the Balanced Rook Chess Club.
Founded in 2024 at Library 21c near the Chapel Hills Mall in Colorado Springs, before moving to Wackadoo Brewing (also in Colorado Springs) in October of 2025, the Balanced Rook Chess Club is a social group dedicated to providing accessibility to the game of chess while also acting as a catalyst for community.
"You come in, you can watch a game being played," commented Lloyd Gauthier, chief chess officer and organizer for the club, "you can challenge someone who's free to a game. If I see two people that are looking for a game, I'll introduce them to each other, turn them loose, and you play."
The club is free, open to the public, and has undergone a pretty significant increase in participation at the beginning of 2025.
According to Gauthier, the group was averaging around 9 visitors a week at the library; however, following the move to Wackadoo, that average jumped up to about 19 visitors each week and then jumped again to the high 30s in early 2026, an increase Gauthier attributes to a recent article from the Gazette.
"The Gazette article got a ton of attention. So that was people that they know how to play chess, they want to play chess, they didn't know where to go to do it. Now all of a sudden, they've got that outlet."
The club's current home base, Wackadoo Brewing, is a space that comes at no charge to the club or its participants; Steven Fuller, Wackadoo's founder and head brewer, explains that the business was always intended to act as a gathering place.
"Most of our nights we're not that busy compared to most breweries," stated Fuller, "so we opened it up to more clubs and organizations, like this, to offer them that space. Everybody else he went to wanted to charge him for the space. And I always wanted this to be a community center, a hub, a place where people could come and socialize and come together."
Beyond acting as an outlet for those wanting to play more chess, Gauthier says that the Balanced Rook Chess Club also helps to foster new friendships and conversations.
"You meet a lot of different people, and you make some new friends. I've seen, you know, some people come in, and they just met somebody a few weeks ago, and all of a sudden they know their name. They recognize them. They're happy to play against them again.
The Balanced Rook Chess Club meets every Thursday from 6:00 - 9:00 pm at Wackadoo Brewing. Visiting and participating are fully free; for additional information, visit the group's Facebook page.
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