A Collection of Kings: A Passion for Chess Pieces.
Snoeck| N° d'inventaire | 26564 |
| Format | 21.5 x 25.5 |
| Détails | 160 p., illustrated, publisher's hardcover. |
| Publication | Ghent, 2023 |
| Etat | Nine |
| ISBN | 9789461618368 |
Chess is an art that fascinates me.
It is surrounded by a certain amount of mystery and has a particular appeal, but it is not for everyone.
Chess is not a game of snakes and ladders, and even less so a game of chance. To play it well, you have to have studied it. It requires a form of intelligence that not everyone possesses.
The pieces are neatly aligned, ready to confront each other. Now it's time to choose your opening, your tactics, and rise to the challenge. You must avoid defeat at all costs, make the right choice among countless possibilities. The game unfolds like a battle, a plot, a legend, or even a romantic story. A good player must be a master strategist on the chessboard, and they will generally be so in real life as well.
It was the Muslims who introduced chess to the West during their conquests. By 1100, the game had spread throughout Europe. The lords' entertainment was rare and limited to hunting, war, and courting ladies. They therefore showed a keen interest in this intelligent game, in which two phalanxes confront each other. It also allowed for romantic encounters, since ladies also played it.
The “game of kings” naturally became “the king of games.”
Over the centuries, chess continued to fascinate all the world's great and noble. Chess became a fashion, and people organized parties with friends to play it. An excellent indicator of a player's reactions to the game, intelligence, and patience, the upper crust did not hesitate to invite future sons-in-law to a game to see if he would be a modest winner or a sore loser.
The importance given to chess ultimately gave it a new vocation: it also had to exude beauty. Each game had to be unique and remarkable. Sculptors and artists from all over the world found it an immense source of inspiration, creating magnificent witnesses to all civilizations.
The thirty-two finely carved masterpieces, waiting to be moved to other squares at the risk of being conquered by the opponent, become an inexhaustible source of imagination. The materials chosen are precious: ivory, amber, boxwood, jade, porcelain, cast iron...
Their value is inestimable.
The following pages reveal my unique collection, the result of extensive research and much patience. I wanted to publish this book to share these marvels with all chess and art enthusiasts. Each piece is intact and lovingly crafted by artisans from other eras. The passing centuries have no influence on their dazzling beauty.
I wish you much pleasure in browsing these pages and, who knows, much inspiration.
Chess is an art that fascinates me.
It is surrounded by a certain amount of mystery and has a particular appeal, but it is not for everyone.
Chess is not a game of snakes and ladders, and even less so a game of chance. To play it well, you have to have studied it. It requires a form of intelligence that not everyone possesses.
The pieces are neatly aligned, ready to confront each other. Now it's time to choose your opening, your tactics, and rise to the challenge. You must avoid defeat at all costs, make the right choice among countless possibilities. The game unfolds like a battle, a plot, a legend, or even a romantic story. A good player must be a master strategist on the chessboard, and they will generally be so in real life as well.
It was the Muslims who introduced chess to the West during their conquests. By 1100, the game had spread throughout Europe. The lords' entertainment was rare and limited to hunting, war, and courting ladies. They therefore showed a keen interest in this intelligent game, in which two phalanxes confront each other. It also allowed for romantic encounters, since ladies also played it.
The “game of kings” naturally became “the king of games.”
Over the centuries, chess continued to fascinate all the world's great and noble. Chess became a fashion, and people organized parties with friends to play it. An excellent indicator of a player's reactions to the game, intelligence, and patience, the upper crust did not hesitate to invite future sons-in-law to a game to see if he would be a modest winner or a sore loser.
The importance given to chess ultimately gave it a new vocation: it also had to exude beauty. Each game had to be unique and remarkable. Sculptors and artists from all over the world found it an immense source of inspiration, creating magnificent witnesses to all civilizations.
The thirty-two finely carved masterpieces, waiting to be moved to other squares at the risk of being conquered by the opponent, become an inexhaustible source of imagination. The materials chosen are precious: ivory, amber, boxwood, jade, porcelain, cast iron...
Their value is inestimable.
The following pages reveal my unique collection, the result of extensive research and much patience. I wanted to publish this book to share these marvels with all chess and art enthusiasts. Each piece is intact and lovingly crafted by artisans from other eras. The passing centuries have no influence on their dazzling beauty.
I wish you much pleasure in browsing these pages and, who knows, much inspiration.