Never challenge an old Chilean man on the street to bottle cap checkers

Just straight up pros, it's in their blood. I'd like to think there is a professional circuit that pits all the various street vendors against each other. Market day isn't known to them as market day. It's known as the Tournament of Champions. Like the fruit vendors against fish vendors against vegetable vendors against flower vendors, etc, etc.. It's a March Madness of sorts. However, clearly the biggest rivaly is the vegetable vs. fruit vendor battle it's more than just love of the game, it's for health food supremacy.  

Behind these very market stands, are masters at their craft:

When two heavyweights come together it attracts a crowd. There is nothing like the drama of a pending triple jump to change the tide of a game.

(Did he just do that? Is that even legal?)

You know that they have to get superstitious and only play with their own bottle caps. Like each one has their own signature cap that everyone knows. "What are you doing bringing Fanta Zero caps to the table, you know Juan's been playing with that since '86." If your new to the circuit you have to wait for a new beverage to come out before you can get a real game. Sucks/is awesome to be the guy stuck playing with beer bottle caps because you know he is always playing drunk and has never won a game. And the guy who has Coke caps- Legend Status.

PS. Would this not make an awesome documentary?

PPS. Who learns chess here? I feel like it is for people who can't hack it on the checkers circuit where the real competition is. The inventor of chess probably was someone who sucked at checkers and invented his own game to compensate. "No, that one can move diagonal, but this one straight. Oh, and when I use this one I can move it in any L shape I want." "And if you are close to winning you have to say 'check' to let me know so I have a chance to escape."

The chess circuit in Santiago, a little more organized:

That being said this homeless guy is a legit baller. This is what I imagine would have happened to Will Hunting if Robin Williams didn't come into his life and get him to straighten the fuck up and away from that loser Ben Affleck. Just making business men cry and beg for mercy in chess and asking them how they like their apples.

Thank you Joe for the homeless man pics.