Chess in Washington Square Park

[zacharycat]

Only job out there for black man is sweeping and mopping, unless you went to Harvard.

[eyeAMtwinkEE]

Headphones, cigars, and Snapple? This motherfucker is not homeless.

[NewVahan2011]

Warning: Addiction to chess can make you homeless!

[223mrawesome]

He's drinking Snapple. He's not poor.

[C0nman7]

I'd pay him in cigarettes to be my chess coach.

[BrotherOrmond]

why? no clock?

[lolatmine]

i wish him the best i have no idea what america is like as he said its apathetic city

just wait for god my friend he will come and wipe away this filth

[warblerab]

@lolatmine New York is not the only city with homeless people in it, nor is the USA the only country with homeless people.

[MrBluntNose]

I'd love to play against him too. He'd destroy me but i'd would still be fun

[AlternativeBT]

I don't care what choice ppl make in their life, I just being nice to nice ppl and not judge them.

[wrich1162]

I'd like to play this guy

[GpaulLoL]

anyone whos good at playing chess should get a job in my opinion

[maschinenmeister]

what's his estimated rating?

[asleepMS2]

@maschinenmeister two bags of flaming hot munchies. he's crazy good.

[SimpliztixX]

FUCK SIMON

[iDraw3G]

He is so fucking disgusting

[jgrab1]

Sound levels! Ambient too loud, on cam not loud enough.

[Rboysblaster]

So he had a decent job and then he ruined it by getting into drugs?

hmm, he still might be a good person but it yet seems to be his own fault then? :(

[v3n0mka]

is he lighting a blunt 0:55 or....?

[judsonnewyork]

Yep. I have seen this guy and others like him since the 80's and 90s and even 2000's. Very easy to get wrapped up the chess scene there. It has an intoxicating and alluring vibe but in a "low end" way. Still, Chess is a fascinating game....

[pacmandem]

if he plays like 12 hours a day etc he should enter a tourney and earn some bread!

[warblerab]

He needs to quit playing chess and get a job.

[robman8855]

@warblerab not if he is happy

[BenNCM]

I'm sorry to say Simon that nothing is going to come. You will probably die alone and cold. You have to make things happen yourself and I think you are afraid of setting the world alight if you ever did attempt to mobilise yourself out of your situation. You're afraid of shining too brightly. Don't be.

[bucketness]

why is it that homeless people are like genius in some way or have amazing stories and shit?

[FJRodriguezMD]

@bucketness Arrogance

[thecall2tawheed]

BARRY BEE barry used to be mad cock diesel rocking chinese rice farmer hats

i used to hang out with him back in 85

we need to have a serious old school reunion most of the old heads from washington square park either died - got murdered , deported or went crazy or are doing mad years in prison

[NYOLSKOOL]

@thecall2tawheed was there just about 24/7 in `85..knowledge is do for parole in a couple of years..he got 33 years for killing some kid, mesc J died in park back then, Fat Cliff is dead, Sonny B is dead, The Hecker twins , well they aint doing good, havent seen Professor in a long minute, saw Paulie Bugs there about 5 years ago, still doing his thing, ran into Goldie on eastside, had just got shot in arm with Roland who got killed same day..funny how i miss all that drama..

[NYCMH]

@NYOLSKOOL The SaNdMaN

[NYOLSKOOL]

@NYCMH yo take ur high tech phone and get vid of sandman and barry..tell em to give me a shout out..

[thecall2tawheed]

mescaline j was my roomate i remember when he got stabbed by mcdonalds

professor is dead ( abdullah bilal) c.o. is doing mad time upstate carlos od on smack , sandman dont know what happened , mescaline tony is in alaska

revenge dont know what happend dirty harry and slobba got murdered

dak like me accepted islam and is doing good livinh in brooklyn driving a range and got his own biz froggy and tyrone are chillin

what ever happend to timmy and sharon ?????????????????

[NYOLSKOOL]

@thecall2tawheed yo sandman was my man..brought me into the game...last time i saw timmy he came through park in is underwears..got stuck up by 2 girls on rivington back in 89ish..c.o. was down w/ me too..i remember when he first came thru park from NJ...mesc j was always by my side w/ his gerry curls..around 84-85..was the ladies man of wsp..hurt me when i heard they got him...he was hanging w/ patty at the time..sad to hear about professor..slobba was no friend of mine..but sad to see hes dead

[NYOLSKOOL]

@thecall2tawheed sad to say when i went thru park last week barry was locked up. and paulie bugs told me slobba aint dead. hes doing 15 years. sandman is also locked up. goldie died of aids 3 years ago. that hurt. and i was confused when i said roland got killed. hes doing mad time. it was terry who got killed on east side.

[zman3819]

I play chess and Ive played in in that park several times...I feel bad for Simon..God Bless You..I want to go there agian this summer

[sithXrebel]

what a fukin BUM.

[squathacker]

Nice doc. I think there's another version, bigger than this. There's another video on this guy but youtube removed the audio for copyright reasons...

btw, you guys need to drop your dogmas. No to have a home isn't necessarily a bad thing. If he prefer's to play chess than to work, so be it!

Wake up from the american dream.

[zman3819]

@squathacker ..ya true

[cookiecamp]

i wish they had these chess plazas in london :(

[RSleepy]

I played in WSP. The idea of "Chess Bums" seems peculiarly american - don't find in in Russia, nor UK. Chess Player does not equal bum.

[zman3819]

@RSleepy ..very..very true..there are alot of crazys that are masters

[udaysp]

I used to sit here for hours reading a book and watching them play chess and an occasional dosa from the NY Dosa man! Great place!

[mburch1974]

he seems pretty wise

[jhchouston]

Wow, very nice short docu. Good job jamayca. You got more? Really liked it.

One thing, even though Simon said he is waiting for something good to step his way, the man shows hope. He still has hope. I guess that is what is keeping him alive...

[svtcontour]

Dont know simon but I saw this video and I hope something good happens in his life. Its tough to be on the street. I dont know and never want to know but I can only imagine.

[Phyle9]

Dude, if you're waiting for "something"... and use 'god' in the same line...well.....

good luck man....

keep waiting.

i almost favorited this video. Until i heard the word 'god'

thank you for showing me not to make the mistake favoriting this...

cheers and enjoy the rest of your life waiting....

[teneight78]

would it be better if he said he was just waiting to die out there in the cold where nobody gives a crap? people sometimes don't mean what they say...if you haven't figured that out yet, you are in trouble.

[HuckaStone]

Dude your bringing me down, I to am like Simon. I'm waiting on god to hand deliver my winning lotto ticket. God has to see my sad eyes, and know i can't doing anything for myself, until he brings me my DAMN WINNING LOTTO TICKET.

[XXDoctorKnowXX]

@HuckaStone

good luck with that.

[zman3819]

@XXDoctorKnowXX ..very true

[thebreakinghands]

After raping an 11 year old girl, Simon tried to brainwash her into believing he is was God. He lived off of and abused gullible and unstable women between stints in jail, if he is truly homeless now, Simon deserves every bit of it. Simon molested an 11 year old girl as she slept.

[n3jikun]

I've played Simon three times in the recent chess tourney @ Washington Square Park. He's a cool guy and of course, I wish him the best.

[Flucas90210]

People kill me with the fascination of chess and homelessness. I think chess is a very dangerous art. I love it, but it can provide a form of escapism. I've played with cats who are homeless and play for 12 hours a day too.

But you have to understand when chess is used as an avoidance mechanism in order to avoid your real problems. Real talk I've been there.

[clockworkorange1986]

But isn't all forms of entertainment an escape? Video games, watching professional sports, watching movies, etc. It all seems be an escape to me. But I agree it can get dangerous when you're "in too deep."

[XXDoctorKnowXX]

you say 'escapism' like it's a bad thing. do you really think Simon's life is going to start improving if he stops playing chess? what if, instead, chess is the only thing that keeps him hanging on? what if his mind just won't shut up? i know chess brings me silence, sometimes.

life's messed up for a lot of people. i would not want to be in that man's shoes but saying that the game is a form of escapism for him is both obvious and a bit wide of the mark.

[Flucas90210]

Escapism can be bad. Everything is a form, but total dependence on chess when your life is going to shit isn't positive. I've been a "chess bum" have you? Given this guys skills, I'm sure his mind could be cultivated in another way besides some exotic interview about his intellectual muster despite being homeless.

[XXDoctorKnowXX]

@Flucas90210

I'm about 2100 on a good day. To get there, you know what it takes. I've never been a bum, though. In fact, I was playing too much this year so I've taken some time off.

It can suck you in, sure. Didn't argue against that. All I'm saying is hold off on determining for Simon why he is where he is. We just don't know.

[Flucas90210]

I can agree with that. That is fair. I think my beef is with the overall practice . . . I live in Atlanta, and our park has been subjected to the annoying Georgia State liberal students for pictures, projects, etc...

[zman3819]

@Flucas90210 excellent comment

[Fupper16]

I played this guy chess today at Washington Square! Mad cool dude. Really nice and intelligent. He beat me 2-1. I was lucky to win once; even though he plays all non-book lines, he was really good. Cheers Simon, hope I can come visit you again!

[pAbedaNSK]

this is fukin pathetic

[georgegrasser]

God Bless you Simon! I pray that someone rescues you!

[NYCman530]

Simon seems to be an intelligent guy, all he really needs is some ambition and drive to get out of that daily rut and get a roof over his head.

[efleischer]

ahhhh this dude.Smokes phat L's and chesses out all day.You wonder why you dont "make it" damn man dont front you know why!!!!!!

[yeahyeah1821]

you probably couldn't begin to imagine what this man's life is like. show some fucking respect. you can tell he's a normal guy that most likely has a higher level of intelligence than the average person. at least he's not the one sitting behind a keyboard judging people

[kingofdice66]

good point

[accord881]

Whats crackin a lackin nigga nigg! lol the dave chapel show!

[NYOLSKOOL]

Yo Barry (his 1st name,Simon is his last name) go back from 84.When he came thru the park I was a scrambler. He had a security job. He got in2 dust and scrambling when he lost his job due to a dusted night. Hes was (and is) mad cool. If any1 runs in 2 him Italian stallion says respect and will never 4get dusted nights at roxy w/ him and now im in fucking Costa rica

[zman3819]

@NYOLSKOOL ..is that true? it could be ..see people dont see the whole story...

[NYOLSKOOL]

@zman3819 very true. when i knew simon (barry) we were both around 19 or 20 years old. he was in terrific shape. he came through wsp when i was hustling there. at the time he had a security job. we took a liking to each other. the months that followed he began to hustle with me. it was good to have someone huge to back me up. unfortunatly i got him into dust. i got out of wsp around 89. i ran into him 10 years later at the chess tables. ater talkin w/ him he was still that kid i knew in early 80

[moviecritic6]

@NYOLSKOOL Wow

[jgrab1]

@NYOLSKOOL Ur knot kewel. Lurn 2 spel the —> way.

[cannedstring]

simon smokes spliffs and rats others out to the cops for doing the same. also a poser feeling sorry for himself.

[thebreakinghands]

Simon is also a child molestor. Simon molested an 11 year old girl.

[teneight78]

where did you hear that

[chipdouglas42]

lol last time I was in washington square I played this dude and kicked the shit out of him, he wouldn't even play me again. Funny to find him here on the youtube.

[xxxIronLeexxx]

Somebody hire that guy for any decent job, he seems like a smart guy.

[cannedstring]

he's a dickhead.

[SclafaniBagni]

@xxxIronLeexxx you cant train people to be ambitious unfortunately

[culturacolombia]

@xxxIronLeexxx What makes you think he wants a job ? 

[xxxIronLeexxx]

@culturacolombia Money?

[culturacolombia]

@xxxIronLeexxx Money means losing your freedom ... If I'm not wrong you have to pay them to play ...

have a good one!

[xxxIronLeexxx]

@culturacolombia Not always true, if fact you could say it gives you freedom. At the least it would give him money to perhaps get a laptop and really study and play some serious chess and enter some tournaments, to work at becoming a GM. But yeah you have to pay them to play, as in whoever wins gets the money. But it's obvious it's not enough...

[culturacolombia]

@xxxIronLeexxx I understand your point . The situation I see is that you are judging under the rules of a materialistic society ,

to make this short : in which face do you see for tranquility and peacefulness , My main man "the chess player" , stockbroker , priest or your mirror?

Ps. He meditates ...

[xxxIronLeexxx]

@culturacolombia Whatever makes you happy, it's just sort of a waste of talent if he doesn't go further than hanging in the park playing chess for petty cash, in my opinion. I meditate as well, believe it or not. Helps mental focus. But I do need money so I do my thing for that and having it is much better than not. I'm sure he'll do whatever he wants regardless.

[canefan17]

@xxxIronLeexxx

He's lazy and doesn't want to work

[RedUnbannable]

@canefan17

it is almost impossible for people who are homeless to get a job. they look and smell like shit. often have mental health or drug problems, and if you have a criminal record you are pretty much fucked. he could probablymake more money playing chess for 2$ a game then working a minimum wage job, and its still not enough to get a house,car, bus pass etc, especially if you have health problems. so think twice about calling poor people lazy while you are sitting in your nice house

[canefan17]

@RedUnbannable

Oh I see. So his "drug problem" or "health problem" is MY problem and I need to watch MY words.

We all have problems (whether big or small) - we all have obstacles to overcome. You want me to feel sorry for "the poor" because of decisions THEY made? I have health problems. I'm not rich. I get up every morning facing the same problems the rest of you face. But I fight for my dreams.

Family keeps me going. Maybe this country should get back to family and church more

[BiggerThinking1]

@canefan17 maybe he has no family man - that can be tough

[oldboyiz4life]

@RedUnbannable i agree with you man. its hard out here bro. been homeless myself,well i was livin in my van but i guess thats the same. got lucky with a job an got my self a place etc...thank god i idnt have a record or id NEVER be able to get a job.

[DryhedUryne]

@RedUnbannable Not true my cousins been convicted of 3 felonies including a weapons possession and he makes $30 an hour as a dental hygeinist he just needs to save his income for a while and go to community college the books are like $350 so if he saves some and doesnt pay rent or anything then he could do it. unless he has to pay for medical bills, weed, pills, etc. then thats his choice to not change his life

[infraredna]

@DryhedUryne yeah because at 42 the world is his oyster when you go to community college

[warblerab]

@RedUnbannable "and if you have a criminal record you are pretty much fucked" if you can't do the time, don't commit the crime.

[RedUnbannable]

@warblerab yea, because you know, smoking a joint should limit your job prospects for the next 75 years. unless you become president of course

[warblerab]

@RedUnbannable is that all that Simon did? I find it difficult to believe that that, and that alone is resonsible for him being homeless. I think one could still find a job, with smoking joint being on one's record. But lets say it doesn't. Simon is a smart guy(you have to be to play chess that well). I think he is smart enough to know the consequences of getting caught doing illegal drugs. Yet, he did it anyway. Perhaps maybe it wasn't a good idea to smoke that joint?

[infraredna]

@warblerab Yes your right lets ruin a persons life and boycott them economically because they wanted to smoke a joint. perfect logic. 

[warblerab]

@infraredna Its seems to me that he ruined his own life. I also seems to me that he has boycotted life, and not the other way around. His life could have been better if he really applied himself. For his life right now, there are all sorts of places he turn to for help. Its not like no homeless person has been able to get back on his feet again. He just doesn't try. and again, I find it difficult to believe that smoking a joint is solely responsible for him being homeless.

[warblerab]

@infraredna btw, it might interest you to know that I give what I can to charities and I help transport food from my church to our local food bank that gives the food to those that need it. I am not totally heartless.

[ChesterDoraemon]

if he was playing 12 hours a day he should be pretty good at chess, enough to make a profession out of it. There are prizes at competitions, win a few get noticed and move to the big leagues. He needs to step up and stop being a street hustler.

[alefromitaly]

Good luck & much respect.

[RandomVariabull]

Really interesting video. Good subject.

[mburch1974]

guy seems pretty intelligent for a homeless person. odd.

[tigerwoods89]

thats a great video

[HalcyonRain321]

Studies have shown that super high IQs and mental illness like to hold hands, sometimes.

[ChessChat]

Washington Square looks pretty run down, I had always imagined a more interesting place.

[spaniard1895]

its winter in this vid. cold. no one outside and no sun.

i jsut got back last week (summer 08) and it was beautiful. people everywhere. chess all around.

[RapidGeneralX]

these type of people are what bring wisdom 2 the world due 2 their life i n the hard times

[Jahjahssonjamie]

Respect to my brother simon !!!!! he know who i am when he see me..... GIVE SIMON A CHANCE BECAUSE SIMON DESERVE IT.... SIMON IS A RICHEOUSE MAN, IN A WIKED CITY....SIMONE IS GONA MAKE IT

[patzarchess]

wow!! the hell with you fools that have no clue wtf your talking about when it comes to chess.just anouther patzar in the park trying to make a buck off a victam.like your self chump!!

[gonymets]

simon is so well spoken.he sounds smater than me(or is it I?) ive never played him or spoke to him. what is his deal?

[minotaurusrex]

it's I

[Panbaccha]

Simon ... as interesting as the game itself. Battles and struggles ensue in the course of a game. However with Simon, he continues the reality when all else has gone home. Simon, the king, or perhaps the pawn, remains.