Play Chess on a NYC Playground & You'll Get Your Day In Court

We all love New York, right?  All the lights, colorful people, good food, entertainment, television shows that are set there, Central Park.  What isn't there to love about New York?  It's the big city at it's best!

However, if you are a resident of New York and live in the district of the 34th Precinct you better not let the police catch you playing chess on the Inwood Hill playground!  That's right, you better not play chess on the playground or you'll get a ticket, buddy, because we all know that it's purely criminal to check or mate in public!

A group of men were playing chess at tables on the Inwood Hill playground last month and were ticketed by a swarm of bullet-proof vest clad police officers.  It should be stated that it is against the law to be in the park if you are not accompanied by a child even if there is no one else in the park.

Laws are laws and should be followed and it's good that the police uphold all laws.  But, (and there is always a 'but', isn't there?) is playing chess really the worst thing that could happen in that park?  I seriously doubt that the truly hardened criminals that lurk in the Big Apple would be on Inwood Hill trying to grab a knight with the bishop.  And even if there were kids in the park at the time, would it truly be so bad that they be exposed to a chess game?  Granted, I'm no Bobby Fischer or Boris Spasskey, but a good game of chess isn't a bad thing every now and then.

Regardless, the group of baddies are due in court on December 28, 2010.  Let's just hope the judge doesn't lock them up and throw away the key without at least letting them take their chess boards and pieces into the joint with them.

Source:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40261971/ns/local_news-new_york_ny/