Wildly expensive chessboards

Sparks

So while wondering how much those DGT electronic boards cost ( €ouch, in case you were wondering yourself) I was browsing through the boards section of some of the online shops. And wow, are those some eyewatering prices. Try this on for size:





That's the Dark Chess set by Purling of London, in Cobalt Blue. A snip at a mere €2,300...

And no, no DGT interface to a computer, the pieces aren't made from precious stones, the board is not mother-of-pearl or even a repurposed flatscreen monitor, it's just painted and lit to look that way. (And yes, I still think it's gorgeous and want one).

That's my candidate for "most wildly expensive chessboard" -- what's yours?

fenris

Ohhhh I have been so tempted by a DGT board but the price is ridiculous, there is Feck all to it from an electronics perspective to justify the price and I really don't like the way that they have exclusivity with fritz

EnPassant

fenris wrote: »

Ohhhh I have been so tempted by a DGT board but the price is ridiculous, there is Feck all to it from an electronics perspective to justify the price and I really don't like the way that they have exclusivity with fritz

I think that DGT type boards don't have a future.

Instead, we should have chess clocks with
a) no buttons on top.
b) 2 thin meter-long cables, each with a button at the end (one white, one black). Each player could then position the button to suit themselves - it would no longer matter what side of the board the clock was on. Possible your button would be lit up when it is your turn to move.
c) the clock would have a camera and would photograph the board every time a button was pressed. Cameras nowadays have face-recognition software built in - it should be possible to recognize pieces relatively easily. The camera would obviously need to be a few inches above board level, but because players are not pressing the clock directly this wouldn't matter

So you could play using the Purling Dark Chess set and still have your moves displayed instantly on the internet ...

eclipsechaser

Sparks wrote: »

That's my candidate for "most wildly expensive chessboard" -- what's yours?

http://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/staunton-chess-set-leather-casket.html

http://store.ferrari.com/en/sports-games/games/chessboards-and-other/ferrari-carbon-fibre-chess-set.html

Ciaran

eclipsechaser wrote: »

http://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/staunton-chess-set-leather-casket.html

From that link:

Did You Know?

The “Game of Kings” was made affordable for the everyman with Jaques production of the Staunton Chess set.

eclipsechaser

Ciaran wrote: »

From that link:

Sure I have 2 of them at home...

L1m1tless

a huge list of expensive custom chess boards!

http://www.custommade.com/gallery/custom-chess-boards/