1. A game with the Great Carlini. When I arrived this day I immediately went to playing him some blitz games, but he is in high demand. His chess is really amazing and I thoroughly enjoyed playing him. He's a loud player and will let you know what he's thinking as he plays in a Russian accent. He called one of his opponents Loretta several times. I was lucky to beat him this game. I think because he saw I was taking pictures and not playing my best, he got aggressive. A couple moves away from my loss, I sacrificed a piece and swooped in with the queen for a win.

2. One amazing thing about playing chess on Market Street in San Francisco is that if you sit on the tables closest to the street, you're like 24 inches from the edge of the curb. The bus in this photo shows how close the players are to the street. I wish the city would give a proper space to the players.

3. The first day I played and took photos in Santa Monica, I took this shot. I asked the men before I photographed them if I could take some pictures. They said, as most people do, as long you don't work for someone like the FBI. He was a great subject.

4. On an overwhelmingly hot day in Santa Monica, most people sit at the benches which have shade. I purposefully sat in the sun and at an angle that would give me a good view of the carousel. Being a prepared player, this man offered a game and then wiped out an umbrella. The different of tones in the shade of the umbrella and the background is great. I also like the reflection in his glasses.

5. This man is often at the table on Market. He plays a great chess game, but I have never had the pleasure of playing him. I like the action in this shot and how it shows that the clock on the wrong side with a jacket is a little annoying.

6. Money money money! As the officers pass, the main man at the Market st. tables is arranging his funds. He is a homeless man that is deeply interested in the bible. He comes out every day and sets up the tables and asks for .50$ per game.

7. Thai Joe, a familiar face at the tables. He's a great player and is often able to pull out those earth shattering moves that you never saw coming. He's been at the SF tables since I started going - 5 years ago. I've been able to pull some wins against him and he usually doesn’t appreciate it.

8. A look at the beautiful House of Staunton pieces. These are found at the Mechanic's Institute and I'm sure chess clubs around the world. The detail in their pieces is amazing. And the mysterious Filipino player in the back is one of the best in the city.

9. Another hot day in Santa Monica. This army veteran was happy to let me take photos of him. The chess clock he's holding was having some serious trouble and the clock would not run unless he hit it real hard.

10. He's a game where my back is close to the street. I really like this angle because I often shot with the street in the back and it was nice to get another table in the frame. This man was a great player and took a while to move, so I got to get some a couple good pictures.

11. Not something you'll see a chess player do often is clean their pieces with wipes. He always has a box of wipes, because the tables and pieces end up as dirty as the sidewalk. He's also the man to see if you need to borrow a clock.

12. Ricardo, the homie. He's from South America and speaks fluent Spanish. He is really an outstanding player and with our 20 or so games, I've only gotten one or two. That's because he studies openings on videos. He has shown me a couple different tactics, from sacrificing the queen for a win to mating with 2 bishops and a king.