Anytime you make a trip to New York City or other major cities around the country, you’ll likely come across everyday people playing chess. And a young woman named Anna Cramling is doing her best to take “street chess” to the next level.
Chess tables have been around in New York City public parks for decades. The popularity in NYC grew after a man named Bobby Hayward set up a chess board n top of a garbage can located at 43rd Street and 8th Avenue. What was once known as “Chess in the Park” grew in popularity and is known today as “Street Chess.”
Street Chess is gaining attention nationwide, and one reason is Anna Cramling, a Spanish-Swedish chess player, Twitch live-streamer, and YouTuber. Born into a chess family, mother Pia is a Chess Grandmaster. Anna is an accomplished player, too. Now in her twenties, she holds the FIDE title of Woman FIDE Master (WFM) and represented Sweden in the 2016 and 2022 Chess Olympiad and two European Team Chess Championships. She also competed in the European Youth, World Cadets, World Youth, and World Junior Chess championships.
These days, Anna goes to parks and plays with locals, taping competitions for viewing on her YouTube page. Many do not know who she is; sometimes, Anna tells them she is a beginner. They are in for a surprise! Here’s Anna competing recently.
Cramling’s nearly 500 chess videos have been viewed more than a million times, and her YouTube channel has attracted half a million subscribers. Anna looks like she’s loving life and finding peace in chess.
