
............. that's Black History in the flesh right there.
Maurice Ashley?!?!?......thats the 1st black Chess Grandmaster. That's why the French black guy was like

at the end
When I was a kid playing in tournaments (rated no higher than 1400, but skill wise probably a lil higher), US Chess Federation had a magazine called
Chess Life, showing rated tournament games and pictures from the top players in the world. Somewhere, I have a magazine cover and article when they showed Maurice Ashley earning the GM label, which is around a 2500 and above rating. He had glasses and a small box haircut at the time. After that his games were noted alongside Kasparov and all the other big names ...... it's not a game

.
Washington Square Park, where they were at I think, in NY, is definitely the epicenter of outdoor chess playing in the U.S., but Dupont Circle in DC is not to far behind. When I was in DC I use to go out there and put in work on the tables