A cafe with over 1,000 board games? Game on.

As first reported by Eater Boston, the owner of Knight Moves, a board game cafe that opened in Brookline in December 2013, is planning to open a location in Somerville, according to documents filed with the city.

The cafe’s Brookline location houses a collection of over 1,000 board games, which patrons can play by either buying a $40 monthly membership or a daily cover charge of $5 Monday through Wednesday or $10 Thursday through Sunday. Though the Brookline location allows patrons to bring their own beverages, BYOB businesses are illegal in Somerville. The cafe sells a variety of refreshments, including coffee, tea, pastries, Nutella milkshakes, grilled cheeses, and cheese plates.


The cafe is hoping to move in to 1159 Broadway in Teele Square near Tufts University, which, as the document states, will “likely attract a younger college-age crowd that will arrive by foot or bicycle to play board games with their friends.’’

Knight Moves owner Devon Trevelyan says the cafe is hoping to open in mid-March, and will offer a more traditional cafe experience than the Brookline location.

“The whole move to Somerville is based on the need for a cafe and coffee shop in the community there,’’ Trevelyan said “We may see an older, neighborhood crowd, so we plan on opening a lot earlier in the day, perhaps around 11, to catch the morning coffee crowd.’’

Though the Teele Square location may differ from Knight Moves Brookline in some respects, Trevelyan says the board games and the fan base surrounding them will still be a big part of the cafe’s success.

“It will have more of the hangout vibe of a traditional cafe than exclusively games,’’ Trevelyan said. “But we’re hoping to build the same community we have in Brookline and make it a great place.’’

If the parameters in the proposal remain unchanged, Knight Moves Somerville will seat 17 and be open seven days a week.


UPDATE: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the Somerville location of Knight Moves would offer patrons a BYOB option. BYOB is illegal in the city of Somerville, and the proposed Teele Square cafe has no plans to offer that option. The article has also been updated to include comments from Devon Trevelyan, the owner of Knight Moves.