San Francisco apparently faces a scourge of people playing chess in public parks,
Earlier this month, police confiscated chess gear, tables and chairs at the site [on San Francisco’s Market Street].
Police said the games had begun to attract illegal gambling and drug sales to the area adjacent to a cable car terminal, which is a popular tourist destination. Nearby merchants had also complained about an increase in illegal activity.
. . .
Police Capt. Michael Redmond told the San Francisco Chronicle last month that he agreed the chess players themselves weren’t the problem. But others used the games as a shield for illegal activities. Redmond said arrests and complaints from merchants increased in the area.
That’s cop logic for you: there are people selling drugs and engaging in gambling near people playing chess, so the obvious solution is to ban chess playing.