Some Lewis Chess Pieces Being Returned to Scotland

Chessmen Pieces to be Returned to Scotland

Source : Celtic League

Porte parole:

Publié le 15/06/12 12:10

MANX —News from Celtic Press

A number of pieces of an historic chess set are planned to be returned to their home in Scotland from the British Museum in London.

Six pieces of the Lewis Chessmen will be repatriated to Scotland on permanent loan to the Museum and Archive at Lews Castle when it opens in 2014 after a £13.5m revamp. Previously the British Museum has refused to agree for the Chessmen to be returned, despite long term campaigns run by the Celtic League and individual Scottish politicians such as Scottish National Party (SNP) Western Isles MP Angus MacNeil.

Previously Scottish culture minister Linda Fabiani was sent to London to make the case for the return of all 82 pieces of the Lewis Chessmen that are currently held by the British Museum, but the Museum refused arguing that the return of the pieces would lead to further demands to return many other artefacts to Scotland that are being held at the Museum. In 2010 the British Museum agreed for 29 of the pieces to tour Scotland, which saw huge numbers of people visiting the priceless artefacts. Mr MacNeil has argued that the Chessmen, if put on display in the Isles of Lewis of Scotland near where the pieces were originally found in Uig, would give a massive boost to the local economy. Minister Linda Fabiani said:

"I am delighted that six of the Lewis Chessmen will be making a return, a Homecoming, to the Isle of Lewis where they were first discovered. It is particularly appropriate that this is happening in 2014 our second Year of Homecoming.

"The Chessmen are a significant part of our culture and an important symbol of European civilisation."

In 2011 the Celtic League wrote to the Scottish Government urging it to keep up the pressure on the British Museum to return the artefacts after the Government expressed a desire for all 93 pieces to be reunited again in Scotland. Perhaps Scotland's success in getting some of the Lewis Chessmen pieces returned will spur on the Governments and authorities in the other Celtic countries to campaign for the return of their stolen national treasures that are bing held elsewhere.

2012 FIDE Women's Grand Prix - Kazan

Results R8:

SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
12	GM	Anna Muzychuk	2598	1-0	IM	Alisa Galliamova	2484	10
11	GM	Hou Yifan	2623	1-0	GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2457	9
1	GM	Elina Danielian	2484	1-0	GM	Keteryna Lahno	2546	8
2	GM	Humpy Koneru	2589	1-0	GM	Antoaneta Stefanova	2518	7
3	WGM	Betul Cemre Yildiz	2333	½-½	GM	Nadezhda Kosintseva	2528	6
4	GM	Tatiana Kosintseva	2532	½-½	GM	Viktorija Cmilyte	2508	5

The cross-table for R8 isn't available yet.  Here is the summary from the official website:

Four games in the eighth round in FIDE Women Grand Prix in Kazan were decisive today but in fact all of them could be scored if Betul Yildiz and Viktorija Cmilyte, who had big advantage, would defeat their opponents - sisters Nadezhda and Tatiana Kosintsevas. The central game of the match between the leader Elina Danielian and chaser Katerina Lahno finished in favor of Armenian player. Anna Muzychuk got a better position after the opening in the game against Alisa Galliamova but later on didn’t play precisely and allowed black to equalize. In the deep endgame Slovenian player managed to find winning chances and beat her opponent. World Champion Hou Yifan, who played white against Alexandra Kosteniuk, sacrificed the second knight on g7 square in this tournament as it also happened in the game with Antoaneta Stefanova in the sixth round. The attack of Chinese player was decisive and Alexandra could not defend her position. Humpy Koneru created strong initiative in the middle game and defeated Antoaneta Stefanova. After the 8th round Elina Danielian is on the top with 6th points. Anna Muzychuk is on the second place half a point behind. Viktorija Cmilyte and Humpy Koneru share the third place with 5 points. Hou Yifan increased her tournament situation and share the fifth place with Katerina Lahno with 4,5 points

2012 FIDE Women's Grand Prix - Kazan

June 14th was a free day.  Official website.  Here are results for Rounds 5, 6 and 7:

Round 5 on 2012/06/15 at 15:00
SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
3	WGM	Betul Cemre Yildiz	2333	0-1	GM	Anna Muzychuk	2598	12
4	GM	Tatiana Kosintseva	2532	½-½	GM	Humpy Koneru	2589	2
5	GM	Viktorija Cmilyte	2508	½-½	GM	Elina Danielian	2484	1
6	GM	Nadezhda Kosintseva	2528	½-½	GM	Hou Yifan	2623	11
7	GM	Antoaneta Stefanova	2518	½-½	IM	Alisa Galliamova	2484	10
8	GM	Keteryna Lahno	2546	1-0	GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2457	9
Round 6 on 2012/06/16 at 15:00
SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
12	GM	Anna Muzychuk	2598	½-½	GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2457	9
10	IM	Alisa Galliamova	2484	0-1	GM	Keteryna Lahno	2546	8
11	GM	Hou Yifan	2623	1-0	GM	Antoaneta Stefanova	2518	7
1	GM	Elina Danielian	2484	1-0	GM	Nadezhda Kosintseva	2528	6
2	GM	Humpy Koneru	2589	½-½	GM	Viktorija Cmilyte	2508	5
3	WGM	Betul Cemre Yildiz	2333	0-1	GM	Tatiana Kosintseva	2532	4
Round 7 on 2012/06/17 at 15:00
SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
4	GM	Tatiana Kosintseva	2532	½-½	GM	Anna Muzychuk	2598	12
5	GM	Viktorija Cmilyte	2508	1-0	WGM	Betul Cemre Yildiz	2333	3
6	GM	Nadezhda Kosintseva	2528	½-½	GM	Humpy Koneru	2589	2
7	GM	Antoaneta Stefanova	2518	½-½	GM	Elina Danielian	2484	1
8	GM	Keteryna Lahno	2546	½-½	GM	Hou Yifan	2623	11
9	GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2457	1-0	IM	Alisa Galliamova	2484	10

Current Standings:

Ranking crosstable after Round 7
Rank	SNo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	1	GM	Elina Danielian	2484	ARM	*		½	½	½	1			½	1		1	5	0	15.5	0
2	8	GM	Keteryana Lahno	2546	UKR		*	½	½		½	½	1	½		1		4.5	1	15	0
3	12	GM	Anna Muzychuk	2598	SLO	½	½	*		½			½	1	½		1	4.5	0.5	14	0
4	5	GM	Viktorija Cmilyte	2508	LTU	½	½		*	½		1	0			1	1	4.5	0.5	13.25	0
5	2	GM	Humpy Koneru	2589	IND	½		½	½	*	½	½			½		1	4	0	13	0
6	6	GM	Nadezhda Kosintseva	2528	RUS	0	½			½	*	½	1	0		1		3.5	1.5	11.5	0
7	11	GM	Hou Yifan	2623	CHN		½		0	½	½	*		1	1		0	3.5	0.5	12	0
8	9	GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2457	RUS		0	½	1		0		*	½	½	1		3.5	0	11.75	0
9	7	GM	Antoaneta Stefanova	2518	BUL	½	½	0			1	0	½	*		½		3	0	11	0
10	4	GM	Tatiana Kosintseva	2532	RUS	0		½		½		0	½		*	½	1	3	0	8	0
11	10	IM	Alisa Galliamova	2484	RUS		0		0		0		0	½	½	*	1	2	0	4	0
12	3	WGM	Betul Cemre Yildiz	2333	TUR	0		0	0	0		1			0	0	*	1	0	3.5	0

Bulgarian "Vampires" Back in the News

I intentionally did not report this 'news' when I first read about these 'vampires.'  Ha!  Vampires, my foot!

But now, one of the 'vampire' skeletons, poor soul, is going on display in a museum.  And, get this, some people in Bulgaria are reportedly suffering "bad dreams" ever since the news first surfaced about the discovery of these 'vampires.'  Maybe they need to go visit the reputed relics of St. John the Baptist (see my earlier post today), and make confession.  Tsk, tsk. 

Reported at Fox News.  Well, what else would you expect?  Real news?  Bwwaaaahaaahhaaaa!

'Vampire' skeleton going on display in Bulgaria

Published June 14, 2012

Associated Press

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Ever since archaeologists announced last week that they have found two ancient skeletons in Bulgaria with iron rods thrust through their chests [too cheap to use silver bullets], the media have been reporting how Bulgarians once did that to prevent the dead from emerging from the grave as vampires.

On Saturday, one of those 700-year-old skeletons will be put on display at the National History Museum in Sofia, and its director, Bozhidar Dimitrov, says he expects there to be a big turnout.

Dimitrov said Thursday that some people who were believed to have led evil lives were treated that way when they were buried in parts of Bulgaria as recently as the beginning of the last century.

The media have reported that because vampire tales remain popular in Balkan countries such as Bulgaria some people in the Black Sea resort of Sozopol, where the skeletons were found in a graveyard, are having trouble sleeping at night.

According to Dimitrov, over 100 corpses stabbed to prevent them from becoming vampires have been discovered across Bulgaria over the years.

"I do not know why an ordinary discovery like that [has] became so popular. Perhaps because of the mysteriousness of the word "vampire," he said. [Yeah, right.  As Dimitrov rubs his hands together in glee.]

Ireland's 'Stone of Destiny' Intentionally Damaged

From Independent.ie

Hammer vandals damage 5,500-year-old 'Stone of Destiny'

By Louise Hogan
Thursday June 14 2012

The Lia Fail or Stone of Destiny, Tara, Ireland. Image from Wikipedia.

GARDAI are hunting vandals who attacked a 5,500-year-old standing stone at the Hill of Tara in Co Meath with a hammer.

Damage has been caused in 11 places on all four faces of the Lia Fail Standing Stone -- also know as the 'Stone of Destiny' -- which is mentioned in ancient texts about the High Kings of Ireland.

Minister for Arts and Heritage Jimmy Deenihan last night said his department was examining the possibility of increasing surveillance at such monuments.

An archaeologist from the National Monuments Service carried out a detailed examination of the monument after the Office of Public Works (OPW) discovered the damage at the weekend.

Archaeologist Tom Condit said the damage was visible on the stone's surface but a search of the area did not reveal any of the fragments, which may indicate that they were taken away.

Mr Condit said such "obviously wanton" damage was rare.  "It is disturbing that someone would select a site as well known and as vulnerable as that," he said.

But Mr Condit warned that "short of closing sites off" it was difficult to protect them.  He urged anyone with information to inform the gardai.

Under the National Monuments acts, anyone convicted of interfering with a national monument can face a fine of up to €10m or five years' imprisonment.

Dr Conor Newman, chairman of the Heritage Council, said: "So many of our items are out in the open and it is a terrible breach of the trust that we rely on to protect and guard such monuments. It wouldn't be the right thing or possible to police all monuments. We rely on trust, public vigilance.''

- Louise Hogan

Irish Independent

Will DNA Analysis Prove that John the Baptist had Twelve Hands and Six Heads?

From Reuters.com

DNA bolsters Bulgaria's John the Baptist bones claim

By Estelle Shirbon

LONDON | Fri Jun 15, 2012 10:05am EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - Bulgaria's claim to have unearthed six bones belonging to John the Baptist has received a boost from scientists who have concluded after dating them and analyzing their genetic code that they could indeed be relics of the man who baptized Jesus.

A Bulgarian East-Orthodox priest holds up a box containing bones, believed to be the relics of John the Baptist, in front golden-domed ''Alexander Nevski'' cathedral in Sofia, November 12, 2010. The bones, discovered earlier this year in excavation works in the town of Sozopol on the Black Sea coast, will be displayed in ''Alexander Nevski'' cathedral for several days.

Credit: Reuters/Oleg Popov

[Note re caption: Reuters needs to fire the proofreader of this article.  Obviously if the bones had not been discovered until "earlier this year," they could not possibly have been displayed in November 12, 2010!]

The remains, which include a molar and a piece of cranium, were found in July 2010 in a marble sarcophagus in the ruins of a medieval church on the island of Sveti Ivan, or Saint John, off Bulgaria's Black Sea coast near the resort of Sozopol. They are on display in a church in Sozopol where thousands of worshippers have flocked to view them, untroubled by questions about their authenticity.

"When I first heard this story in 2010 I thought it was a bit of a joke, to be honest," said Tom Higham of the University of Oxford's Radiocarbon Accelerator Unit, one of the world's top laboratories for carbon dating of archaeological material.

Higham's team dated a knuckle-bone to the first century AD, when John the Baptist would have lived, while geneticist colleagues from the University of Copenhagen established the full DNA code of three of the bones.

The genetic analysis showed that the bones were from the same person, a man who most probably came from the Middle East. Higham, who is an atheist, said that it was obviously impossible to say with any certainty that the remains belonged to John the Baptist. But it could not be ruled out.

"I'm much less skeptical than I was at the beginning. I think there's possibly more to it. But I'd like to find out more," he told Reuters on Friday.

12 HANDS AND SIX HEADS

Relics of saints or fragments of the True Cross on which Jesus was crucified, according to Christian tradition, have been a powerful draw for pilgrims and tourists for centuries. Thousands of such relics can be found in churches across Europe.

But skeptics have always dismissed these items as a scam to lure the credulous, and some joke that if all the bones said to have belonged to John the Baptist were authentic the Biblical figure would have had 12 hands and six heads.

Higham plans to apply for funding to analyze purported John the Baptist relics from other places to see if any of them came from the same individual whose remains were found on Sveti Ivan.

"I look at this as a bit of fun. I'm not a hard core ecclesiastical researcher. I actually study Neanderthals and stuff like that, older stuff," said Higham. "But I'm really interested in applying radio carbon dating more widely to find out information about the past."

John the Baptist, who is revered in Christianity and Islam, announced the coming of Jesus and baptized him in the River Jordan. The Gospels say King Herod had him beheaded.

Oxford archaeologist Georges Kazan, who wrote his doctoral thesis on the movement of relics in the 5th and 6th centuries, said that there was historical evidence to support the claim that the Sveti Ivan remains could be authentic.  The evidence includes a small box made from volcanic tuff, or consolidated ash, which was found next to the bones and is inscribed with John's name and his feast day in Ancient Greek.

The tuff came from Cappadocia, in modern Turkey, which was one of the routes used to take purported relics from the Holy Land to Constantinople, now Istanbul, where in the 5th and 6th centuries Eastern Roman Emperors were keen to acquire them.

The emperors, who were copied by pious aristocrats, wanted relics for devotional purposes or to be buried with them.

"They were often bestowed as a sign of favor. The monastery of Sveti Ivan may well have received a portion of relics as a gift from a patron, a member of Constantinople's elite," said Kazan, adding that the island was an easy distance from the Byzantine capital on a major Black Sea trading route.

(Additional reporting by Tsvetelia Tsolova in Sofia; Editing by Jon Hemming)

The Devil Jumps to Remove Original Sin

So much for being a Christian nation, LOL!  Oh, the concept of original sin, ridiculous as it is, is as Christian as it comes, but the thought that the Devil can remove it?  What blasphemy!  This totally removes Christ the Savior from the picture, of course.  So now Christ doesn't have a job and Satan gets all the kudos for saving babies.  What a world, what a world...

A man dressed in a red and yellow costume representing the devil, known as El Colacho, jumps over babies placed on a mattress during traditional Corpus Christi celebrations in Castrillo de Murcia, near Burgos, northern Spain June 10, 2012. The northern Spanish town has for centuries chosen to protect its young from evil spirits with the unusual ritual in which a man dressed as the devil leaps over mattresses each holding four or five babies. REUTERS/Ricardo Ordonez.Source:
Yahoo News

According to a news story with more photos at The Daily Mail dated June 27, 2011 (more on that in a moment), the custom goes back to "medieval" times.  Hmmmm, like the 800s?  1300s?

Called El Salto del Colacho - or the Devil's Jump - the custom dates back to medieval times.The yellow suited man represents the devil himself.  The display is featured in a pageant in the village of Castrillo de Murcia marking the Catholic feast of Corpus Christi.
The tradition involves men dressed as a 'Colacho' leaping over infants born in the village during the previous year to cleanse them of original sin. The exact origins of the ritual are unclear, but Spanish Catholics celebrate the festival throughout the country with colourful processions of dancers dressed as demons and angels.

Call me skeptical.  Many priests were illiterate back in those days and common folk certainly did not read or write, or own a Bible.  In fact, in some areas it was illegal for a regular person (serf) to own a Bible - not that they would have been able to afford one anyway.  Until the invention of the printing press in 1440-50 by Gutenberg, books were a very expensive proposition, and only the wealthiest could afford to own books.  They were a sort of ultimate status symbol.  So I can understand a great deal of ignorance about the tenets of the Roman Catholic faith which is supposed to be biblical (but as everyone knows, is totally not), but why would the church allow this tradition that seems so obviously pagan?  Interesting that it's done in June.  I'm thinking this tradition is related to an ancient ceremony to greet the summer and is a sort of "christianized" (sanitized) version of it; possibly it involved the sacrifice of a child or children.  Yes, ghastly, but no more so than the Inquisition. 

 As I mentioned above, it is very interesting to me that in this tradition it is the Devil who has the power to remove the original sin and protect the souls of the babies, not Christ.  As Isis would say, the old switcheroo, perhaps pointing back to a time before everyone in Spain become catholicized.  Here's the final picture from The Daily Mail story:

After the devil has performed his jump, young girls throw rose petals on the babies.  Getty images.

Sprinkling the babies with flower petals (roses) - that's the tip-off for me that this ceremony has nothing to do with wiping out original sin! 

Now, about those dates.  I found the top photograph yesterday and it is from June 10, 2012.  The story at The Daily Mail is from June 27, 2011. It's not a misprinted date because June 27th hasn't happened in 2012 yet (well, maybe in some weird parallel world or something).  So then I thought perhaps the top photograph actually was taken in 2011, not 2012, and Yahoo news had the wrong date in the caption, but a close inspection of the jumping "devil" in the top photo shows that while his "devil" costume looks pretty much identical to the costumes of the jumpers in The Daily mail article,  he has different shoes than any of the jumpers in those photos.  So, no mistake on the dates.

A few other thoughts.  This ceremony is held in conjunction with celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi, which itself is an extremely interesting concept -- check out this quote from a website on Andalucia region in Spain:

Corpus Christi is the Catholic holiday in honour of the presence of the body of Christ in the holy water. It is celebrated throughout Spain and is held in either May or June depending on when Easter occurs. To calculate the next Corpus Christi date, look for the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday (the eighth Sunday after Easter) and you’ll know when the fiesta is set to begin in towns and villages throughout Andalucia.

Another tip-off -- a religious celebration regarding "holy water."  Of course the original holy water was Goddess blessed :)

The history of Corpus Christi in Granada is particularly interesting as the Catholic kings used it as a tool to Christianise a population that had been under Muslim rule for some eight centuries. According to historical accounts, they even instructed the town hall to invest large sums of money into the fiesta and urged the town to celebrate until they “appeared crazy”. Being the obedient citizens they were, the “Granadinos”, as they are known in Spanish, willingly complied.

In the beginning the people of Granada just celebrated the festival on the actual day of Corpus Cristi. However, in the 17th century someone had the bright idea of starting on the eve of the big day. From there it was only a matter of time before the religious event was merged with the annual fair in one of the biggest celebrations of the year.

Party, party!  And those are some of the cutest babies I've ever seen.  Whatever the Spaniards are doing, keep on doing it, you are producing gorgeous children. 

Joni Mitchell Singing "Woodstock"

The most beautiful rendition I've ever heard.  I think we need another "Woodstock."  Will the next generation step up to the challenge of bringing about a new revolution like my generation did?  We need one more than ever, darlings.



Lyrics:

Woodstock by Joni Mitchell

I came upon a child of God
He was walking along the road
And I asked him where are you going
And this he told me
I'm going on down to Yasgur's farm *
I'm going to join in a rock 'n' roll band
I'm going to camp out on the land
I'm going to try an' get my soul free

We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

Then can I walk beside you
I have come here to lose the smog
And I feel to be a cog in something turning
Well maybe it is just the time of year
Or maybe it's the time of man
I don't know who I am
But you know life is for learning

We are stardust
We are golden
And we've got to get ourselves
Back to the garden

By the time we got to Woodstock
We were half a million strong
And everywhere there was song and celebration
And I dreamed I saw the bombers
Riding shotgun in the sky
And they were turning into butterflies
Above our nation

We are stardust
Billion year old carbon
We are golden
Caught in the devil's bargain
And we've got to get ourselves
back to the garden

© Siquomb Publishing Company


This, of course, is a rendition of the song popularized (mega-hit) by Crosby, Stills, Nash andYoung:

Monmouth Site Could Be "Older Than the Pyramids"

From BBC News
13 June 2012 Last updated at 08:45 ET

Monmouth ruin find could pre-date pyramids

Archaeologists claim to have unearthed the remnants of a large prehistoric building, which they say could be older than Egypt's pyramids.

Experts said they were mystified by the "unique" find on the site of a housing development in Monmouth.  Monmouth Archaeology, which found the wooden foundations, said they dated to at least the Bronze Age, but could be early Neolithic, about 6,500 years old.

It said the pyramids were built about 4,500 years ago.

Steve Clarke of Monmouth Archaeology, who has 55 years' experience, claimed nothing like it had been discovered in Britain before and he was checking if something similar had been unearthed on mainland Europe.

He said the structure, possibly a long house, had been built on the edge of a long-lost lake, which has silted up over time.  The building's foundations were made from entire tree trunks, measuring about a metre wide.

"We think it could be from the Bronze Age (about 4,000 years ago), but some of the experts we've brought in to see it think it could be early Neolithic. If that's the case it could easily pre-date the pyramids," he said.

"We think it's a long house which would have been home to a family, and perhaps used for gatherings and meetings.  We're not really sure what it is, it's a mystery, but it's the foundation for something.

"It's unique. We haven't seen anything like it. Various experts and professors are equally mystified."

Mr Clarke said the wooden foundations were at least 50ft (15m) long.

Radio-carbon tests

He said most of the known long houses were built on posts about a 1ft (30cm) wide, but trees had been used for the base of the Monmouth structure, and they had been placed on a prehistoric "burnt mound".

Mr Clarke said a burnt mound was a mass of stones which were heated in a fire, thrown into a pot or trough to boil water, although some experts think the stones were used to create an early type of sauna.

Archaeologists have ordered radio-carbon tests of the foundations and the results are expected later this month.

The find is on the Parc Glyndwr development in Monmouth, where about 80 houses are to be built.

Monmouth Archaeology were employed by the housing developers to study the site.

New York Times: Games -- Chess

A lovely little fluff piece in the "Home and Garden" section of The New York Times.  Sigh.

Shopping With Libby Sellers

It's All Fun and Games

By RIMA SUQI
Published: June 13, 2012

Democratic Chess by Florian Hauswirth; about $490, florianhauswirth.ch.

AMONG those gathered in Switzerland this week for the annual Design Miami/Basel design fair is Libby Sellers, a gallerist from London presenting “Games,” a group show with a chess theme.

The exhibit, which includes pieces by industrial, furniture and graphic designers, was inspired by a 1944 show at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York that featured chess sets by Man Ray, Isamu Noguchi and other artists. (It can also be seen at Gallery Libby Sellers in London in July and August: it’s her “contribution to the Olympics,” she said.)

Ms. Sellers, 39, who was in New York City this spring for the Frieze Art Fair, took time out to shop for other interesting examples of games (board and otherwise) by design types.

She began at the shop at Phillips de Pury & Company on Park Avenue, which carries Tauba Auerbach’s One Deck of Cards: Shapes, a set of playing cards she had seen in London. “I have always been aware of her work,” Ms. Sellers said. “And I find the idea of using letters and forms of letters and words on the page to create two-dimensional sculpture really interesting.”

A surprise find at the same shop was a set of wood-inlaid table-tennis paddles, called Urban Picnic: Paddle, by Gareth Neal.

“I’m sure a paddle isn’t the first thing a designer thinks of creating,” she said. “Usually they go for a table, chair or shelving unit. The fact he’s applying his veneer treatments to objects that are about handling and play shows that there’s a lighter side to design — it doesn’t have to be all serious.”

Chess set by Lanier Graham; $65 at MoMa Design Store; (800) 851-4509, momastore.org.

At the MoMA Design Store, she turned up a chess set designed in 1966 by Lanier Graham, a nice example of “abstracting traditional chess forms,” she said. “If you took the pieces off the board, you wouldn’t necessarily identify them as chess pieces: it’s not a king or a queen, it’s just an object with a point.”

She also loved Frank Gehry’s brand-new, special-order-only chess set, on display at Tiffany & Company on Fifth Avenue.

“What super-surreal architectural forms,” she enthused. “It’s really indulgent, really fantastic.”

But what about that $25,000 price tag?

“Well,” she said, “that’s less than one of his buildings.”

A version of this article appeared in print on June 14, 2012, on page D6 of the New York edition with the headline: It’s All Fun and Games.

The Next Chess Collectible?

Now that's a bright idea: The Montana retiree who is making chess sets using discarded spark-plugs

By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 01:01 EST, 13 June 2012 | UPDATED: 01:01 EST, 13 June 2012

Photo by Eliza Wiley, Independent Record

Kenneth Marx's bright idea to turn recycled spark-plugs into chess sets is finally paying off.

After having the light-bulb moment while working at a gas station four decades ago, the retiree from Helena, Montana, has decided to turn creating the unique sets into a business, and he's commanding $275 for each creation.
Mr Marx collected the spark-plugs, chucked out after tune ups, and began manufacturing a few chess boards for friends, according to the Helena Independent Record.  'I thought that there’s got to be something we can do with these instead of just throwing them away,' he told the newspaper.
But then life got in the way and he ditched the hobby.  Decades later and with a bit more time up his sleeves, Mr Marx has rekindled his passion for the spark-plug chess sets and now runs a business making them from his home.  He has transformed his garage into a production line for creating the pieces and dedicated a special spot in his basement to painting them.
In the past year, he's made 23 sets. I’m just getting started,' he said. 'I’m basically doing a lot of baby steps.'
About once a month, Mr Marx tours his local repair shops, which put the used spark-plugs aside, waiting for his visit.  When home, he sorts the spark-plugs by size and manufacturer and cleans them by soaking them in solution.  After choosing the ones in the best shape, he grinds the bottoms and affixes a nut to make them stable.
He also saws off the tops of the plugs and then puts a cap on each, determining the type of chess piece. For example, the king’s topper is an inverted tire stem, according to the newspaper.  He also uses valve covers and other auto parts.
The process is very labor-intensive, with each set taking about 20 hours of Mr Marx's time, not including drying time between steps.
The retiree also makes custom wooden boxes for each set.  'Even at mass production, I am making 52 a year,' he said.
Each set is custom made. The purchaser can choose colors and even brands of spark-plugs. Some have made rival sides such as American manufacturers versus German, he told the Helena IR.
Mr Marx is in the process of securing a patent for his spark-plug chess boards, which he sells his boards for $275 from his website www.chesscreations.com and also out of his home at 303 N. Hoback St.

A few of the employees at the repair shops that donate their old spark-plugs have snapped up sets, Mr Marx said, adding that they appeal to both chess players and car fanatics.  'It’s a very small step in recycling,' he said.
Given the time taken to create each set, Mr Marx is realistic about the money he'll make from his business but he enjoys the creative side.  'I don’t plan on making a fortune on this,' he told the newspaper.

2012 FIDE Women's Grand Prix - Kazan

Pairings and Results for R4, and Pairings for R5:

Round 4 on 2012/06/13 at 15:00
SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
12	GM	Anna Muzychuk	2598	½-½	GM	Keteryna Lahno	2546	8
9	GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2457	½-½	GM	Antoaneta Stefanova	2518	7
10	IM	Alisa Galliamova	2484	0-1	GM	Nadezhda Kosintseva	2528	6
11	GM	Hou Yifan	2623	0-1	GM	Viktorija Cmilyte	2508	5
1	GM	Elina Danielian	2484	1-0	GM	Tatiana Kosintseva	2532	4
2	GM	Humpy Koneru	2589	1-0	WGM	Betul Cemre Yildiz	2333	3
Round 5 on 2012/06/15 at 15:00
SNo.		Name	Rtg	Res.		Name	Rtg	SNo.
3	WGM	Betul Cemre Yildiz	2333		GM	Anna Muzychuk	2598	12
4	GM	Tatiana Kosintseva	2532		GM	Humpy Koneru	2589	2
5	GM	Viktorija Cmilyte	2508		GM	Elina Danielian	2484	1
6	GM	Nadezhda Kosintseva	2528		GM	Hou Yifan	2623	11
7	GM	Antoaneta Stefanova	2518		IM	Alisa Galliamova	2484	10
8	GM	Keteryna Lahno	2546		GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2457	9

Standings after R4:

Rank	SNo.		Name	Rtg	FED	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	1	GM	Elina Danielian	2484	ARM	*	½	½								1	1	3	0	4.5	0
2	12	GM	Anna Muzychuk	2598	SLO	½	*	½			1	½						2.5	0.5	5.75	0
3	2	GM	Humpy Koneru	2589	IND	½	½	*						½			1	2.5	0.5	4.5	0
4	6	GM	Nadezhda Kosintseva	2528	RUS				*		0	½	1		1			2.5	0	4.5	0
5	5	GM	Viktorija Cmilyte	2508	LTU					*		½	0	1	1			2.5	0	4	0
6	7	GM	Antoaneta Stefanova	2518	BUL		0		1		*	½	½					2	1	4.5	0
7	8	GM	Keteryana Lahno	2546	UKR		½		½	½	½	*						2	0.5	4.75	0
8	9	GM	Alexandra Kosteniuk	2457	RUS				0	1	½		*			½		2	0.5	4	0
9	11	GM	Hou Yifan	2623	CHN			½		0				*		1	0	1.5	0	2.25	0
10	10	IM	Alisa Galliamova	2484	RUS				0	0					*	½	1	1.5	0	1.5	0
11	4	GM	Tatiana Kosintseva	2532	RUS	0							½	0	½	*		1	0	1.75	0
12	3	WGM	Betul Cemre Yildiz	2333	TUR	0		0						1	0		*	1	0	1.5	0