Inside the Life of a New York City Chess Hustler

For 30 years, Washington Square Park has been his chess club, classroom, and stage. Meet Cheese, a chess hustler, street philosopher, and one of the park’s biggest personalities. Chess master Maddie Weber steps inside his world to learn how a teenager sneaking into Manhattan became a fixture of New York City’s street chess scene. He opens up about family, teaching himself the game, and why he keeps coming back. Then, they sit down for a match full of trash talk, unexpected moves, and an urgent call from the dosa man. This is life on the other side of the chessboard. Follow Cheese here:    / @streetchessnyc   VIDEO CREDITS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER Lee Ackerley CO-EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS Trevor Ristow Tim-Ryan O'Kane FEATURING Maddie Weber Anthony "Cheese" Kozikowski    / @streetchessnyc   DIRECTOR Dan Marcellus CAMERA OPERATOR Chris Scarafile EDITOR Anthony Ripoli Colin Reilly ADDITIONAL EDITORS Trevor Ristow, Anthony Ripoli, Charlie Montany 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?...