She’d love to see more women play chess, and maybe join her for a game over a beer

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 her 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 ...