When I first came to America, I saw a kid with a bunch of He-Man action figures.
I grew up in Vietnam. I knew about 50 origami models in my head. Those were my toys.
I dig up clay in the backyard and make my own toys.
The kid in America has to buy a toy made and owned by somebody else. It was strange to me.
I did not envy him. I feel sorry for him. He is not free to make up his own toys.
I think the world chess championship should be played with bottle caps.
I coin that idea.
Of course I cannot own that idea.
Everything has to back to the beginning. (Paraphrasing Rocky III).
Rising up back in the street
Just a man and will to survive. - Eye of the Tiger.
That's it.
Just a man and will to survive.
Nothing else.
Either that or they play with a chess set that they made with their own hands.
They can carve it out of carrots just like in the movie Shatranj Ke Khilari.
Ice molds, like ice cubes, and play outside in the winter.
We should slap all brands off, and go back to the beginning, and I mean beginning, from day one.
I think the world chess championship should be played with bottle caps.
I coin that idea.
Of course I cannot own that idea.
Everything has to back to the beginning. (Paraphrasing Rocky III).
Rising up back in the street
Just a man and will to survive. - Eye of the Tiger.
That's it.
Just a man and will to survive.
Nothing else.
Either that or they play with a chess set that they made with their own hands.
They can carve it out of carrots just like in the movie Shatranj Ke Khilari.
Ice molds, like ice cubes, and play outside in the winter.
We should slap all brands off, and go back to the beginning, and I mean beginning, from day one.
Chess, unlike poker (unlike gambling which is played for money) is played for pride, for nothing.
Chess is played for nothing.
Chess should be played with nothing.
This will elevate chess to a religion as it is and should be.
Just like the original Olympics, which is a religious ceremony, is played naked. Nothing. The prize, a wreath made of leaves.
No Nike, No Air Jordan, no Adidas, Reebok, etc . . .
I got banned from this thread. What's new?
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/the-most-beautiful-chess-set-of-modern-times-to-date-is#comment-128436496
One thing leads to another. In that thread I learned that FIDE has an official chess set.
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/official-fide-chess-set#comment-28266184
How did this happened?
How were historically chess sets chosen.
I bet Fide get some $$$ for putting it's sticker on the so called "new" chess set.
First, history.
Can you spot the difference?
Chess
Poker
Candy Land®
Monopoly®
Sorry®
Battleship®
Ludo®
The answer is the ®.
No one owns chess.
But that is now changing.
First on the list.
Chess.com
Chess.com wants to own chess. Bad idea in my opinion. (For you who ride the short bus, that's bad for chess and bad for Chess.com.)
As I know, and I don't know much, as I guessed, in the past the best chess sets rise to the top, French Lardy off the top of my head. Chavet, Jacques of London.
Now they slap names on. Ala, Air Jordans. Magnus chess set. And now FIDE official chess set.
I made my first Chinese chess set out of bottle caps and a brown paper bag in Vietnam circa 1979. I have the materials, someday when I have time, I will re-create it.
That is the best chess set in the world.