The Perfect Chess Set Up

A while ago I wrote about the perfect chess table. At the time I was fired up over the idea of the perfect chess nook, which all stemmed from a photo I found on the internet of a castle window, flanked by two stone, nubs where two people could sit opposite each other, in intimate reflection. It was all very romantic and seemed like a great place to have a quiet game of chess. One thing led to another and I went through an imaginative, phase of ‘Star Trek’ doors and pneumatically controlled table heights, only to be brought back down to Earth with the stark reality of my actual circumstances. I lived in a very small house with three people and a dog – a dedicated spot for chess was not really practical. The eventual, compromise is the photo above, the key being the sturdy little trestle table that I can easily set up and or knock down and store. I had a local company make the table for me using the FIDE recommendations for competition tables as per the photo below;

At the end of the process, I would have to say FIDE got it right, the table is a perfect size, and for me there is enough room for all my bits and pieces. The FIDE rule book is fairly lenient when it comes to equipment specifications, because they want to be inclusive; their motto ; “Gens una sumus” translates to “we are one family.” Although I’m not a competitive chess player I like the table and I like the FIDE chess set and through this process I have refined my criteria, for a chess nook, albeit a temporary version;

1. a nice chess set
2. adjustable lighting
3. comfortable seats
4. internet and power

As for the rest of my set up for those that are interested its just a Raspberry Pi 4B set up as a PC. The Debian OS came loaded with several chess apps which I use to play against, moving the pieces manually. I like the feel of a real chess board, I also find it easier to think things through. If I only play part of a game the games boot up again exactly where I left off which is also handy.

Overall I have enjoyed the process of creating the perfect nook and even now I collect photos of other peoples set ups with great interest. There are some great chess set ups out there, especially for people interested in chess computers, some of which automates chess notation and online play. In my case that’s cost prohibitive but I enjoy observing what people come up with next, and quite possibly within my lifetime the economies of scale will make it a possibility for me too.

How cool would it be to play chess against a life sized replica of the ‘Terminator’!

A Chessnut Of An Idea

In a perfect world I would like to have a floating table dedicated to chess. The above dimensions would leave enough room for each player to rest their elbows on the table (500mm x 500mm board). Plus there would be enough room for a chess clock and a laptop. A power outlet and internet connection would then have to be accessible as would overhead lighting, dimmable of course. Add to this day dream a pair of comfortable office chairs with wheels and tilt adjustment and I would be in chess nirvana.

The floating concept would allow you to roll in and out easily and facilitate cleaning. A possible engineering solution would be to have another smaller table on the other side of the wall concealing a pair of gussets. This would provide the necessary strength for both tables to enable the illusion. If the gusset table was used as a computer table then both sides could be fed power and internet facilities.