Sunday, October 18, 2009
Chess Skill That's Stronger than Steel
According to Gareth Williams's book Master Pieces: The Architecture of Chess, in the 18th Century "the turning of a chess set was an important part of an apprentice turner's course" -- so important that "a seal of the Hanover Turners' Guild...displays a chess knight, with a double headed horse as its symbol" (65). The manufacturers of automated metal lathes are doing the same thing as lathe turners in the 18th Century: demonstrating their skills by making chess pieces. There are several videos on YouTube (especially the one above) that most chess players will find hypnotic.