He Found This Chess Table at His Lowest Point… and Never Left

New York City is one of the greatest chess battlegrounds in the world. In the series “Over the Board,” Women’s Chess Master Maddie Weber meets the unforgettable players who make up NYC’s street chess scene, steps inside their lives, and then sits across the board to find out just how good they really are. Johnny Chess isn’t the strongest player in Washington Square Park, and he has no problem admitting it. His mastery lies somewhere beyond rankings, titles and wins. At 18, Johnny learned that his younger brother had been killed. Alone, angry and trying to survive, he began roaming New York City searching for the person responsible. Then he stumbled upon the historic chess tables of Washington Square Park, where an older player taught him the game, and changed the direction of his life. Nearly 30 years later, Johnny still returns to the same park and the same table he proudly claims as his own. He doesn’t consider himself a hustler. For him, chess is about the challenge, the conversations and the people he can positively impact along the way. Johnny may not be a grandmaster of chess, but he has become a grandmaster of its social game. Now, Maddie gets to know the man behind the board before challenging him at the table he calls home. CREDITS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Lee Ackerley CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Trevor Ristow Tim-Ryan O'Kane FEATURING Maddie Weber Owen Benson DIRECTOR Dan Marcellus CAMERA OPERATOR Chris Scarafile EDITOR AJ Serrano ADDITIONAL EDITORS Trevor Ristow, Anthony Ripoli, and Gloria Vela ASSISTANT EDITORS Michael Trainor and Kaylyn Yew EIC Fergal O'Gorman LINE PRODUCER Reina Nishida-Lee CASTING PRODUCER Anthony Rodriguez OPEN: DIRECTOR Tim-Ryan O'Kane OPEN: CAMERA OPERATOR Storr Todd OPEN: EDITOR Charles Montany MUSIC BY HAUS Music ABOUT ACKERLEY: Ackerley is a media company and creative studio for the deeply curious. We create work for humans who can feel when something is real. Inspired by an era when culture was discovered rather than optimized, we deliver people first stories that prioritize human connection over algorithmic trends. Call it chaos with a PhD. We’re here to earn your attention through craft and curiosity. People over platforms. SUBSCRIBE & FOLLOW! Check out our website: AckerleyCreative.com On Instagram: www.instagram.com/ackerleycreative/ On TikTok:   / ackerleycreative   On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?...