Making chess come to life

This is a cute story - love the costumes! Photo from article, caption: MARK ARONOFF / The Press Democrat Chess player Raahul Shah, 10, moves a white knight (Tia Romo) during a performance of “Lords of the Board” on Sunday in Santa Rosa’s Courthouse Square. The event was sponsored by the Sonoma County Arts Council, Chess for Kids and 8-TrackMinds Productions. By STEVE HART THE PRESS DEMOCRAT Published: Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 3:00 a.m. Last Modified: Sunday, September 13, 2009 at 9:33 p.m. It wasn’t your typical Sunday afternoon chess match at Santa Rosa’s Old Courthouse Square. The “pieces” on a giant chess board were live actors dressed as Vikings, fairies, wizards, unicorns, Goths, Grim Reapers and bat-like gargoyles. Controlling the action were a pair of pint-sized chess players, Fred Marvel, 9 and Raahul Shah, 10. After the boys made their moves on a normal-size chess board, they shifted the living proxies. The human chess pieces taunted their opponents as they knocked them out of the game. “I think you’ll make a lovely slave,” said Shah’s queen, checking Marvel’s knight. It was all part “Lords of the Board,” a performance sponsored by Sonoma County Arts Council, Chess for Kids and 8-TrackMinds Productions. Onlookers said the live chess pieces added a new dimension to the game. “It makes chess exciting,” said Jim Ryan, a visitor to Santa Rosa from Dublin, Ireland. “It’s the first time I’ve seen this anywhere.” Marvel pushed Shah to the limit, but lost in the end. He had fun directing his live chess pieces, he said. “It was kind of crazy,” said Marvel, who attends Binkley Elementary School in Santa Rosa. “It was challenging,” said Shah, who goes to Strawberry School in Santa Rosa. He learned a lesson from Sunday’s match, Shah said. “Even though you might be losing, you can find a way to win,” he said. The human chess event will be repeated from noon to 4 p.m. Sept. 20 at Healdsburg Plaza and Sept. 27 at Cotati’s downtown square. It is free to the public. Chess for Kids also puts on a six-week after-school chess education program in Santa Rosa’s elementary schools. More than 50 kids took part in the first all-district chess tournament in January. More information about the nonprofit program is available at http://www.chessclubforkids.com/.

Historic Games Re-enacted by Human Chess Pieces

From time to time, certain historic chess games are re-enacted by using humans as "living chess pieces," bringing an entirely new dynamic to the game. I don't know if it is the oldest re-enactment but I think it must be right up there - the chess game at Marostica that dates back to the Middle Ages - and it's a romantic tale, too :) Here's a report from The Hindu Online about another historic game played with human pieces - a game between Alekhine and Lasker! Historic game between Grandmasters comes ‘alive’ T. Nandakumar December 11, 2007 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For once, the students of Abraham Memorial High School, Thirumala, proved that size does matter in the game of chess. Everything about the ‘live’ match organised by the Department of Sports and the Russian Cultural Centre here on Monday was of giant proportions. While the interior of the Jimmy George indoor stadium was converted into an oversize chessboard, the children positioned themselves as the pawns. The match was held as the re-enactment of a contest between Grandmasters Alexander Alekhine and Emanuel Lasker at Zurich in Switzerland 73 years ago. It was arranged to coincide with the 115th birth anniversary of Alekhine who prevailed over his rival. Dressed in black and white as chessmen, the students took position in each square in response to the moves made by C.S. Nair representing Alekhin and V.R. Pillai as Lasker. The soft music of Peter Tchaikovsky’s symphony and special light effects gave a theatrical effect to the live game. Lasker’s king finally admitted defeat after both sides had made about 30 moves. The event was organised by K.V.B. Menon, who was instrumental in promoting the game of chess in Kerala for over 60 years. Sports Director G. Kishore inaugurated the programme. Director of the Russian Cultural Centre Ratheesh C. Nair presided over the inaugural function. The winners of the chess tournament organised by the Russian Cultural Centre last week were chosen to represent the two Grandmasters. Students and chess enthusiasts turned up to witness the programme.