PACIFIC BEACH – Two strangers walked into a bar… and now they’re in a chess club together.

The co-founders met on Reddit a year ago looking for chess partners. They started meeting weekly at local bars. Soon, others joined in.

The group, now known as Beers by the Bay Chess Club, was co-founded by Mark Laturno, Aidan Ryan, and Julia Gale. Its purpose was to create a casual, friendly space for people to connect through games and conversation.

In its first year, the club held more than 40 weekly meetups and welcomed nearly 500 unique participants.

Over the past year, Beers by the Bay has become a “third place,” not home or work, but a welcoming, social environment where people gather to relax, connect, and unplug. The club just celebrated its first anniversary on Oct. 17 at Tavern at the

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