323 Player's Cigarette Photos & High Res Pictures - Getty Images

Monday March 23, 2009 By 6p.m Leslie Lakos had played 20 games on one of the four cement chess tables in front of the Metropolitan United Church at Queen and Church Street. Armed with a pretty good game, Lakos won about 15 of the contests. After a quick and almost embarrassing defeat to an opponent wearing a bicycle helmet, Lakos reluctantly resigned himself to another cigarette as he watched a match between Joe and Mel. Lakos has been playing outdoor chess in Toronto for the past 20 years after emigrating from Budapest in the 80's. About five years ago the epicenter of Toronto's urban chess scene moved from Yonge and Gould, beside Sam the Record Man, to its present arena. There were more tables up north, "about ten", remembers Lakos. "The atmosphere was a lot cleaner. Look what we have to put up with now." Lakos turns to a picnic table filled with transient men and women listening to Pink Floyd on a battery operated stereo as the smell of pot smoke wafted through the air. Lakos, however, remains committed to playing here and has made friends and acquaitances with a diverse array of people in the park who all Get premium, high resolution news photos at getty

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323 Player's Cigarette Photos & High Res Pictures - Getty Images