Review: Marcel Duchamp – The Art of Chess

What do a game of chess and a nude decending a staircase have in common? To answer such questions, you must be prepared to leave your conventional ways of thinking at home and then fall down Marcel Duchamp’s rabbit-hole of chess and art. Read more

Tournament in Trafalgar Square brings design to life

A centrepiece of this year’s London Design Festival will be located in the heart of London, in Trafalgar Square. The Tournament, an installation created by Spanish designer Jaime Hayón, will consist of a gigantic chess set, with 2m high ceramic chess pieces on a specially created mosaic glass chess board. The installation, which will be set between the two fountains in Trafalgar Square, will be in situ September 19-23. Read more

Lewis Carroll’s chess problem

One of the strangest books I’ve ever read is Bach en het Getal (Bach and the Number) by the Dutch authors Kees van Houten en Marinus Kasbergen. The main thesis of the book is that within the music of the great composer J.S. Bach, various messages, numerological clues and strange links hide just behind the surface. A recent article on the chess problem of Lewis Carroll that appeared on Susan Polgar’s weblog reminded me of this curious book on Bach. Read more

[lang_nl]Expositie Nederlandse schaakkunst[/lang_nl][lang_en]Dutch Chess Art Exhibition[/lang_en]

[lang_nl]Afgelopen maandag is in cultureel centrum D'n Bogerd in Druten een grote expositie van Nederlandse schaakkunst begonnen, die nog tot 29 april te bewonderen is. Zondag 11 maart wordt de expositie officieel geopend door schrijver en oud-politicus Jan Terlouw. Naast vele kunstwerken zullen in Druten ook bijzondere schaakspellen en curiosa te zien zijn, zoals de oudste schaakklok ter wereld. Ook zijn er tal van activiteiten georganiseerd rondom de opening van deze expositie.[/lang_nl][lang_en]Last Monday in cultural centre D'n Bogerd in Druten, The Netherlands a big exhibition on Dutch chess art has started. Sunday, March 11 is the official opening by author and former politician Jan Terlouw. Besides many pieces of art, also very special chess sets and curiosa can be enjoyed in Druten, for example the oldest chess clock in the world. Many activities will surround the opening of the exhibition.[/lang_en] Read more