Chess for Walls

The idea of wall-hung chess boards has been around for decades, starting with felt and pocket boards where 2-dimensional pieces (out of cardboard, wood, or whatever) were tucked into the pockets of the squares, to felt and velcro that eliminated the need for pockets, to today's versions that are magnetized plastic with magnetized pieces. Short of an electronic board that can be projected on a wall that instantly transmits and shows the moves, chess for walls is what folks continue use to teach and demonstrate chess to groups. Straight Up Chess takes this idea many steps further, and turns a wall-hung chess board into a work of art. I came across this advertisement for "chess for walls" in an article for a home improvement show in The Denver Post! This is the time of year when home improvement shows are going on across the country. This weekend at our Wisconsin State Fair Grounds our own version of the Home Improvement Show is taking place. I've never seen anything like this at the Wisconsin home improvement show. What I really like about this concept is that it's not only art, you can actually use it to play a game! Checkmate "Playing with fine art" is the motto behind Straight Up Chess, an artful, wall-mounted chess set. This Colorado product alleviates the problem of having a chess board take up valuable table-top space, and provides a casual, ongoing game that's also easy on the eyes. Boards start at $200; pieces start at $20. straightupchess.com