Why stay home and curse the weather when you can sit at a cafe and play a challenging board game, a competitive game of chess or a round of Jenga with beer? Don’t worry if you don’t have any games, some cafes in the city keep their own stash.
Here a look at where you can get your game on in Delft.
Speldorado
This game shop in the city centre used to host game nights. At the moment they’re redecorating and waiting to get new tables, then plan to host tournaments. “As we sell all kinds of games, our events will feature all sorts of games including those that don’t have text and can be played by people by who don’t necessarily have a common language as well,” said Roeland Prins, the owner. Games that are currently popular include Pandemic and Dixit. “Another really popular game with Dutch students is Dominion. It’s language independent and one game lasts about 30 minutes.”
Hippolytusbuurt 21-25
015 364 9190
Kobus Kuch
Dig into the city’s most famous apple pie as you and your friends play. The cafe has a number of games and a cosy corner where a big group can gather. “We’re usually busy on weekends, but on other nights people are welcome to come and relax over a game,” said Randy Keijzer who works at the cafe. Though the Scrabble they have has Dutch scoring on the letters, it might be interesting to play a version of the game where the letter Z is only worth 4 points.
Beestenmarkt 1
015 212 4280
Bierhuis De Klomp
This cafe has had board games on the premises for years. They’re so popular that the management tries to update their collection often. “It’s fun for people to come and play together. It’s real life, outside of their mobile phones, with real people,” says
Heleen Huis, the owner. “At one point people played chess…in the 60s card games were really popular. But there was some criticism also, because people got so involved and so intense that they made a lot of noise. Jenga and Cranium are popular now.” De Klomp also hosts gaming clubs and people are welcome to bring their own games.
Binnenwatersloot 5
015 212 3810
Biercafe Doerak
Popular with internationals and locals alike, Biercafé Doerak has a collection of games in-house, including multiple poker sets. According to Jasper Van Schie, the owner, their most popular games are Kolonisten, Risk, Monopoly and Mastermind. They also have a fair selection for internationals. “Stapelwoord is German, Nametrain is English, Rummikub, poker and chess and checkers don’t use language,” he said. The cafe also hosts a tournament for Klaverjassen, a typical Dutch card game.
Vrouwjuttenland 17
015 234 5678
The Best Game of the Year
Every year, people in the Netherlands vote for the best game of the year (Speelgoed Van Het Jaar), a competition hosted in partnership with TV channel Telekids and retailers such as Bart Smith and Blokker. Votes are cast for games in different age categories and the first shortlist is made by a jury panel of journalists, buyers and toy experts. The shortlisted games are then voted on by the public. The winner of the 12+ game of 2016 is Escape Room The Game, a 60 minute game where players are “locked” in a room and have to solves mysteries and codes in order to get out.
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