This Hand-Made Spherical Chess Board By Ben Meyers Took Five Weeks to Make
Mary Van Puymbroeck — June 23, 2017 — Art & Design
Design student Ben Meyers has crafted a beautiful spherical chess board with his father.
This piece took five weeks to produce so Meyers has no plans to sell this ingenious game. Shaped and designed to look like a globe, the chess board lacks edges, making the game of chess more challenging to play. Each space has a magnet embedded into it so the pieces stay attached to the board even as it spins on its axis. This spherical chess board is made out of Walnut, Soft Maple and Jatoba woods.
Meyer describes his creative process before taking on the project, explaining that "the rooks would be more powerful because a spherical board lacked vertical edges. I was proven wrong very quickly. Without the side edges of the board, the bishops became very deadly."
This piece took five weeks to produce so Meyers has no plans to sell this ingenious game. Shaped and designed to look like a globe, the chess board lacks edges, making the game of chess more challenging to play. Each space has a magnet embedded into it so the pieces stay attached to the board even as it spins on its axis. This spherical chess board is made out of Walnut, Soft Maple and Jatoba woods.
Meyer describes his creative process before taking on the project, explaining that "the rooks would be more powerful because a spherical board lacked vertical edges. I was proven wrong very quickly. Without the side edges of the board, the bishops became very deadly."
Trend Themes
1. Spherical Board Games - As seen with the spherical chess set, there is potential for disruption in the creation of other board games that incorporate nontraditional shapes.
2. Magnetic Game Pieces - The use of magnets in board games can provide a unique and more secure playing experience that can be applied to various types of games, creating a new market for magnetic board games.
3. Hybrid Game Designs - The combination of two or more classic board games with a unique design twist, such as the globe shape of the chess set, can create a new, innovative gaming experience.
Industry Implications
1. Board Game Manufacturing - Manufacturers can innovate by creating products that incorporate magnetic game pieces or nontraditional shapes that offer new, challenging gameplay to customers.
2. Furniture and Design - Designers can explore possibilities for creating furniture that incorporates unique game boards, such as spherical chess sets, as a new market for high-end furniture emerges.
3. Toy Industry - By designing hybrid game sets, toy manufacturers can target younger children and introduce them to both classic games, as well as new, innovative gameplay experiences.
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