Anyone For Chess?

I don't have a brain for Crosswords, Bridge and I don't play cards that much but that's mainly because I don't really know what I am doing. However there are two games which I play to chill out with, one being Sudoku which I would like to think I am a bit of a master of! Although for longer than my interest in Sudoku I have always been an avid fan of Chess.

As a child my dad taught me the intricacies of the game, it was a hard game to master but as soon as I did I became addicted to playing it and wanting to work out ways to win. Since then i think I have become a bit rusty and gone backwards in skill level so I wouldn't say I was up there with Garry Kasparov or anywhere near his league but the game of Chess still intrigues me.

The original game of Chess came from india in the 6th century but developed into the game we know today in the mid 1400's with the Queen becoming the most powerful piece and the power of each piece changed and was influenced by politics within Italy and Spain at the time and their reigning royal families. When l playing chess I always think of the history behind the game how the same game has been played for hundred of years and who might have played it in the past. I found there was something about making your move with a strategy and working out new strategies with the changes of the game until you work out the ultimate checkmate move and knockout your opponent. I love seeing people playing chess in the park out on the tables in the sun, the old men who live their lives around those tables and bet on the outcome, I could watch them endlessly.

In September the Design Festival will be held in London and as part of the festivities designer Jamie Haydon will be arranging aninstallation in Trafalgar Square with chess pieces at human height around 2 metres high and he will be encouraging the public to play giant scaled matches against each other. The inspiration for the design and installation comes from the Battle of Trafalgarand this chessboard will be played under the watchful eye of Admiral Lord Nelson's statue in the square. Jamie Haydon is an amazing designer and I get a lot of inspiration from his work, but he has so much to show that i will post another blog on him soon. So for now here are some images of his chess installation and be sure I'll be brushing up on my skills and heading out to play a game and I hope to not embarrass myself too much.