Every year, the Chessmen Museum organises the Chess Game Design Competition. Last year, visitors could vote again on the submitted works of art, a total of eight this time. On January 1, the winning design was festively revealed.
The winning designs are prominently displayed. Right at the entrance of the museum are the tables on which the extravagant creations of the participants are shown to the public. The intention is for visitors of the museum to write down their favourite design on a ballot paper and in this way help the participants to get votes.
Starting March 2015, votes began to come in: 622 in total. On this first day of the New Year, museum director and birthday boy Ridder Dijkshoorn announces the winner: 21-year old Ivanka Kovacs receives an envelope with €1000,- worth of prize money for her Ice Sculptures design.
Undisputed winner
This superb design was the visitors´ favourite from the start and received 38 per cent of the votes. Ivanka found the inspiration for her design in the Eskimo chess set, one of the pieces in the collection of the Chessmen Museum. First, she sculpted the Arctic animals and the Eskimo king and queen from clay, and then wrapped them in latex. This way, Ivanka created latex casting moulds, which she then filled with epoxy resin. The pieces on one side of the board have no colour added to them, and they look as though they have been carved straight from a block of ice. The pieces on the other side of the board are made in the same icy style, in a light aquamarine colour. It´s as though you were looking at the ice-cold ocean…
Ivanka comments on the choice of the shapely chess pieces, which are inspired both on the South Pole and the North Pole: “The Eskimo couple that represent the king and queen were a logical option and it soon became clear what the pawns would be shaped like. Penguins were the obvious choice, considering the South Pole is packed with them. The strong and robust rook could only be represented by a mighty polar bear and as both a horse and a sled dog are draught animals, the choice for the knight was also quickly made. I am especially pleased with how the dog turned out. The bishop was a bit more difficult … There is no explanation for my choosing a seal, really. I just think it’s an endearing animal.”
The chessboard is made of Plexiglas, and the matte squares have been milled and polished. There are also little lights on the sides, making the board and the somewhat transparent pieces light up beautifully. A legitimate winner. Ivanka has participated in other editions of the competition and her designs are getting better and better: she has finally won first prize! We can´t wait to see what she´ll design next year…
Veterans
Second-place winner is Yannah´s design Water Chess, with 14 per cent of the votes. This game initially stood submerged in water, but unfortunately, after some time, it had to be brought to drier territory. The water had started to smell a bit and had changed colour. Also, the chess pieces had started to sink… All in all, the design of both the chess pieces and the chessboard with their water theme was very creative.
Arnold de Heer got 77 votes and won third place with his sturdy Round Table chess game. The game board is made on a cross section of a large tree trunk and the pieces are made of iron. Some special features in this game are the extra pieces that Arnold created, such as a question mark and a joker. This game therefore comes with its own rules, invented by Arnold. That will make for a surprising round of chess.
In fourth place we find expert Reinie Lap with her Teaspoon chess game. It is not the first time that Reinie participates in the competition and this year she managed to get 76 votes.
Fifth place goes to another old acquaintance, Mr F.G. Mellink. He came in third place with his Recycle chess game in an earlier edition of the competition. So he ended up slightly lower in the polls this year, but he made a nice creative effort again. His Cork chess game received 11 per cent of the votes.
Young participants Erasmiaans Gymnasium High School
As they do every year, students from the Erasmiaans Gymnasium High School in Rotterdam also contended for first prize. The winner of the school´s own design competition always gets to participate in the ´big´ competition held by the Chessmen Museum. This year, Ridder Dijkshoorn allowed for the top three of the student design competition to partake.
Unfortunately, the entries were not as good as in 2014, when the Erasmiaans´ students took first place! This year, the students and their creations ended up in sixth, seventh and eighth place, despite the votes of mainly young visitors. It was a neck-and-neck race though. The Industry against Nature set got 33 votes and finished in sixth place. The Upside Down chess game finished seventh with 27 votes and the Minions set ended up eighth with 21 votes.
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