Knight Moves : The competition is fierce yet friendly at Chess After Dark, a monthly session in the wee hours at Atlas Coffee House.

LAKEWOOD — Perhaps a handful of hard-core chess players were spiritually done in by IBM’s Deep Blue recently, when the high-tech machine knocked the stuffings out of world chess champion Garry Kasparov to win their highly publicized match. But for most of the rest of us, the struggle simply served to pique our interest in the game.

This could be the perfect weekend, then, to stop by Atlas Coffee House, where a Chess After Dark session is known to convene one late Saturday evening each month. The ambience is friendly, the competition is polite and the coffee is hot in this 2-year-old establishment. Cafe owner Ken Botts started the event as a way to attract chess players who might then become members of the Lakewood Youth Center, where Botts also plays chess.

The sight of 10 green and white plastic chess boards comes as a bit of a surprise at 1 a.m., especially when the players are primarily high-school students and young adults who would look more at home on a disco floor at this hour. But there they are, furrowed brows and all, poring over chess positions in utter seriousness, locked in thought.

Hmmm. Maybe the human race has a brighter future than some have predicted.

Central to the proceedings is chess master Don George, a hale fellow with a fishnet beret, a white beard and a most professorial demeanor. George is easily the best player at Chess After Dark, and he takes on all comers, from the novice to the expert.

George gives everyone he plays an extra chance to win. “As soon as I have an advantage,” he says, “I switch sides.”

Others watch as George ponders a position, while Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony (the ultimate think music) plays on the sound system. Suddenly . . . wham! He lowers the boom.

Unless you are a tournament expert, you should be able to find an opponent here who is at or near your level, from beginner on up. If not, there are still delicious biscotti, foamy cappuccinos and good whole-bean coffees to prevent you from falling asleep. Games are sanctioned by the U.S. Chess Federation, and it is possible to achieve a federation rating through play here.

The coffeehouse itself is rather simply appointed, decorated with abstract impressionistic paintings by local artist William Armas and a cloth banner depicting Sigmund Freud that hangs over the front counter. There is also a library of chess books, including Kasparov’s autobiography, “Ultimate Challenge,” and a variety of self-teaching books, most notable among them Bruce Pandolfini’s “Power Moves.”

BE THERE

Chess After Dark is held the last Saturday of every month at Atlas Coffee House, 5545 Woodruff Ave., Lakewood. 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Admission, and all the house-blend coffee you can drink, is free. (562) 804-9933.