Chess Real Estate

With a name like that, you'd think he might actually play the game...

When Stephen Chess sells the last commercial condo in Union City's Chess Commerce Center, his legacy will remain in the abstract form of a king, queen and pawn splayed across a chess board.

Although he says it was a "dog-and-pony show" to meet Union City's requirements for public art, Mr. Chess has become quite attached to the 6-foot-tall display visible to all who drive down Kohoutek Way. Even if the 19 new owners decide to change the name of the three-acre development, he's pleased to note that those three chess pieces that mark the entrance aren't going anywhere.

"This leaves my name here forever," said Mr. Chess...

Read "Chess pieces helped make him a player in commercial condos" from the San Jose Business Journal.