Chess – the most legendary board game of all time, the game of kings. My grandad taught me to play chess many years ago. About 20 years later, during the Covid lockdown in 2021/2022, my passion for the game was rekindled. At the time, I was attending the Academy of Art and Design in Munich. For my final project in becoming a “Designer in the skilled crafts”, I worked on a design for chess pieces. I was looking for a contemporary style and minimalist design combined with the main characteristic features of the six different pieces. I chose the Staunton design as my guideline, as it has been established as the norm in international tournament chess for over a century. The design process and its realisation ended up taking over two years. The most significant characteristic of these pieces is that they match the standard recommendations of international chess associations (FIDE, USCF) in size and proportions. Contemporary arts and crafts meets maximum functionality.
I have been making these chess sets in my woodturning workshop for 3 years with the highest standards of form and quality. Due to the high demand from all over the world, a small family business was created last year. My brother and I took the opportunity to have the design of the pieces produced in small series. I will also be presenting for the first time this year at Design Week Berlin my “Masterpieces” – a chess artwork crafted for use by generations.
