## Chess had a table, and it stayed full.

The Gallant Anime Accessories brought **Buea Otaku Connect** to WDC Aparthotel, Mile 16, on Sunday 12 July 2026 — a full day of anime, gaming, cosplay, painting and tabletop games. Chess sat in the tabletop line-up alongside cards and Jenga, and the boards did not go cold from the afternoon through to the evening watch party.

### How it played

The boards were open to anyone who sat down. Some players had not touched a piece since school; others arrived knowing exactly what they wanted to play. Games were casual and over the board, timed off a phone whenever a clock was not free, and the crowd around the tables grew as the day went on. By evening a small round-robin had formed, with each player meeting each of the others twice so the colours evened out.

Prizes and medals went out at the close, in front of a room that had spent the day watching.

### Why we were there

Most of the people who played that day are not in a club yet. That is exactly why the academy turns up at events like this one. The league runs through schools, but the players are everywhere — at a festival, in a kiosk, at a table under a tent. If you sat down at a board at Mile 16 and want a real game next, find your club and play for it.

Buea Otaku Connect was organised by The Gallant Anime Accessories — find them on Instagram at @ohthegallant and @buea.otakun.

> One day. Endless fun. One community.