Some games are beginning to wrap up in the Chess.com U1200 Annual Tournament. Three of my games have finished, leaving me with a current score of 1-2-0, which I think is ok considering that this is my first tournament. However, there is a difficult element in this tournament that I believe is a negative side-effect of online tournaments: participants well outside of the ratings cap. The current person in the lead has an ELO approximately 100+ points higher than the rest of us participating in the tournament. That has not lent itself well to myself and the other participants. Still, the tournament continues and it looks as though it may come to a conclusion late next week.
Halloween is my favorite time of year! Although this year was too busy for me to go “all-out” with decorating my home, I did find time to sit down and carve a pumpkin for my kiddos again this year. Halloween is that special time of year when spiritual forces once again take the center stage and most people participate in the age-old ritual of dressing up and hunting down candy in their neighborhoods. I have spent many weeks researching appropriate topics for a Halloween post, but obviously there are no elements of chess that are overtly terrifying, except if you are playing as black and find yourself faced with the position below.
Although many people believe that chess is just a game, there are many scientific and artistic applications that the game has to offer. Halloween lends itself perfectly to the artistic elements of the game. So, in honor of Halloween, here are three horror-themed chess sets to celebrate this beautifully macabre season!
Freddy vs. Jason Chess Set
Pamela Voorhees would be proud of the craftsmanship that went into creating this gem. Though not entirely devoted to Freddy and Jason, the board itself is designed as a makeshift Elm Street where Freddy, Jason, an Alien, and other icons of horror film battle each other out on 64 squares of bloodshed.
Abomination Chess Set
This particularly gruesome set looks like something straight out of an H.P. Lovecraft novel. Each of these abominations have risen from the grave in the eternal struggle to find checkmate after death.
Horror Icons Chess Set
I had some reservations about posting this chess set simply because it does not have the striking quality of the other two. In fact, this set is the reason I chose not to include hyperlinks to purchase each of these sets. While it is obvious that the creator of this set intended to honor icons of horror, the quality of the set is significantly lacking considering the $3,000 asking price tag for the set and matching table.
So, there we have it! The obligatory Halloween post! I hope that everyone out there gets out of their home and gets some candy on this fun holiday season!
