Chess on the Camino Finisterre | A Pilgrim Story

CHESS ON THE CAMINO?

As the Galician rain lashed the stone albergue somewhere between Santiago and Finisterra, he looked up from the board and met my gaze.

“I think it’s a draw,” he said and shook my hand.

This was Dirk, a tall and incredibly friendly German man I’d just spent two hours playing chess with, either side of a stirring communal dinner.

We’d known each other for half an afternoon, but managed to establish chess was a common thread between us. That game capped off another remarkable day on the Camino, and Dirk and I still play chess online with each other to this day.

Let me back up a few hours.

Dad and I were on our way down to the so called ‘End of the Earth’ after spending a few days celebrating in Santiago de Compostela.

We had a spare week up our sleeve so opted for the additional 80-odd kilometres on foot that would take us to Spain’s stunning north-west coastline - a popular option for pilgrims who aren’t quite ready to stop walking.

This was day two, and we were hit by a classic Galician rainstorm - glazed in sunshine one minute, frantically fumbling around the bottom of our packs for rain jackets the next.

It delivered a deep soaking and we just had to embrace it. Ten minutes later it had blown over. Ten minutes after that, we arrived at our accommodation looking as if we’d just swum across the Atlantic to be there.

They’d seen it all before. We hung up our rain coats, then stuffed old newspapers in our hiking shoes to dry them out overnight.

As we settled in, so too did the rain.

After drying off, I spotted a chessboard in the communal area. Hobbies and passions always seem to find you on the Camino, when you don’t expect them.

I challenged Dad to a game and that’s when Dirk came over and introduced himself, watching our battle before asking if I wanted to play him.

He was strong, and we settled in for a lengthy struggle. When we were asked to move away from the table so the hospitalera could serve dinner, we carefully carried the board to the coffee table so we could resume the battle later.

Dinner was typically satisfying, three courses, some red wine and plenty of Camino conversation with pilgrims we’d mostly not seen before. The gloomy Galician weather only added to the experience.

Once we’d finished, Dirk was quick to say:

“Now don’t rush, take your time and don’t make a mistake now,” given it was my move when our game adjourned.

He had the better position, but somehow I managed to survive.

In the morning, the sun had returned and our faces were met by a cool Galician mist as we resumed the Camino. We’d weathered the latest storm, had reset and were dry once again ready to head further west.

That night we saw Dirk again, and spoke about all things chess and Camino. Those hobbies and interests just keep finding you when you let them in.