Random Thoughts Thursday part 20

What if every chess player had to make his own chess set in order to be able to play?

In my childhood, my brothers and I spent more time making things to play with than we did shopping for them. My time was spent exploring my imagination more than I think typical kids do today. I thought about this idea for poor families who may not be able to afford a chess set. It isn't that far-fetched. In one of my recent blog posts reviewing the movie "The Queen of Katwe," I wrote about a young girl's journey with chess. Because she was very poor, one of the scenes in the movie shows her playing chess with bottle caps. Whether that detail was true or not, I believe it is the reality in some of the poorer places in the world. So, what if you could not afford to purchase a chess set?

Would it be possible for you to make a set that was pleasing to the eye?

I believe that the chess figures themselves and the board they play on can be very beautiful. I am so fortunate to have the means to buy such wonderful sets to enjoy and share with my students. Something inside me as an artist still wants to make a set for myself as an art piece. I just like creating things, and the three-dimensional design of the set would provide a challenge.

Would you respect the game more if it were something you made with your own hands?

Certainly, handmade things are treated with more respect than store-bought, machine-made items. It is human nature to respect that which takes an investment of time. I have a theory that creating my own set might improve my chess game, and maybe it could do the same for you. Why do I think so? I think in the process of admiring your handmade work, more patterns of play will be noticed because it would be natural to slow down and really look at the board. This is just a thought, but one I would like to test out in real life.

What materials would you use to make a chess set?

Wood is the most natural choice for a chess set, but I am also interested in the less common materials used in crafting this game. I would love to hear from you in the comments about the most interesting chess set you have seen and what it was made out of. If I still had access to power tools and my carving materials, I would attempt to make a wooden set, but when I moved overseas, that hobby went by the wayside. If I made a set today, it would have to be from malleable materials I could mold by hand, like clay or paper.

Would your set reflect your personality?

If you seriously set out to craft some chess pieces, would you choose to create a non-standard-looking set? I am all for creativity, but I own some "very cool" sets that are nearly impossible to play because so much energy is spent trying to realize what the figures represent. For this reason, I would likely try to create something unique and artsy while sticking to the traditional shapes of the pieces.

I am not sure who is the audience of my blog, but perhaps there is an artist among us who might feel inspired to build a set. That would be awesome! I support you! For the rest of us, I think it would be great to slow down and appreciate the beauty of a hand-crafted board. Maybe it would slow us down enough to really think before moving.

Well, thanks for riding this train of really random thoughts. Best wishes on all your games: to win some and lose some, but learn every step of the way!
Cheers!