Posts Tagged ‘chess board’
Skeleton Key Chess Set
This week’s unique chess set has a Halloween theme…being that October is the spookiest of all the months. The Chess set above is the Skeleton Key Chess Set, and for good reason. All of the pieces are keys and there are slots in the board for them to be inserted into with every move.
I was not able to find the artists deeper meaning behind the board; but was able to come up with a quote for this chess set: “Unlock a new possibility with every move.” This super cool chess set was designed by Dave Pickett.
Finding the Perfect Chess Board to Play On
Having a good chess board is essential to enjoying a quality game of chess. Often times beginners are charmed by the looks of Wizard Chess Boards, Stone Chess Boards, Glass Chess Boards, and end up frustrated during the game. For a beginning chess player, it is very important to pick a chess set that will be easy on the eyes and have the player spend no time at all distinguishing between pieces and squares.
You want to buy a chess set with large squares that are both dark and light. Colors such as dark green, dark blue, and brown have been shown to help kids focus on the chess board. I would also suggest using a set with chess coordinates around the edges. This will help your child learn the coordinate system, which will help them a lot in life as well as in the chess world.
Lastly, make sure the pieces are large and distinguishable. You want to make sure you can tell the difference with ease and spend almost no time looking over what each piece is.
Good Places to Play Chess
There a lot I love about chess. For me, one of the coolest things is all the different places you can play chess. It is really the only game you can play anywhere and everywhere.
The most typical place you can play chess is at home. Whether you like to play chess in the dining room, play chess in the living room, or play chess outside on a patch of grass, the home is a great place to play chess.
That being said, there are a variety of places you can play chess outside of the home. You can play chess at a coffee shop, where you can grab a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter day.
You can play chess at the beach on a nice summer day and get a tan. You can play chess on an airplane to pass the time. You can play chess at the bookstore or play chess at the library in between finding your favorite books.
Creating a Passed Pawn in Chess
The most important rule about passed pawns to know is that two connected passed pawns, if you can get them to the sixth rank, are worth seven points. It’s as if suddenly an extra rook appeared on the board for you, if you can get them there. It can be worth a piece sacrifice to get them there, and you will suddenly find your opponent willing to do just about anything to get rid of them, including sacrificing his own pieces. If you have a pawn majority, meaning you have one more pawn than your opponent, then, so long as they are not doubled, you can create a passed pawn if they are pushed far enough up the board (ie. especially the sixth rank). Because then if you have to sacrifice a pawn to get your opponent’s pawn out of the way, you get to queen your pawn. And since you’re closer to the eighth rank, you queen first. So even if your opponent gets a passer, he won’t be able to queen it. For a very instructive game about pawns on the sixth, take a look at Grigory Serper vs Ioannis Nikolaidis 1993 St. Petersburg Open.
Playing Chess Without a Board
Chess has been around for over 1500 years in just about every place imaginable. There was even an Earth vs. Space Chess Match held between participants on a team from an elementary school in Washington playing chess against astronaut Greg Chamitoff.
One of the most interesting things about chess is that it can be played without a board. Most people have heard phrases such as e2 to e4 and Knight c3 to d5; this is something called chess notation. Chess players use this to write down their games and be able to look over then for review later. This also allows a player to play chess in their mind, using an incredible amount of visualization and memory skills. Chess players can play chess in their minds by letting their opponent know where they have moved, in chess notation, and visualizing a chess board. Some chess player can play multiple games in their head at the same time!
Teaching your child to play chess in their mind can be one of the most challenging and rewarding things to achieve. Children have the innate ability to visualize and have the potential to increase their memory skills to incredible heights. There are special technique that I teach students that want to learn to play chess in their minds. If you are interested in learning more please contact me.
Cool Urban Chess Board
Another cool chess board, this one is made from an old telephone booth! Becki Chan designed this work of art. I like how simple, yet functional it is. It looks like it is able to withstand the elements, and would encourage people in the community to play chess. Becki Chan has designed a lot more other cool things, both chess related and not. Check her work out here.
Chess Art (Cool Chess Boards)
I came across this article, thought I would share the super cool chess boards with you all.
http://hubpages.com/hub/How-to-Make-a-Solid-Steel-Chess-Set
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