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        Arimaa >> General Discussion >> Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
        
(Message started by: DBeau on Apr 24^th, 2012, 2:47am)

Title: Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
Post by DBeau on Apr 24^th, 2012, 2:47am

Hi, all. I'm Dan.

I plunked down some cash on the Kickstarter project, so - assuming the last little bit of funding comes in - I should soon have some nice Arimaa pieces. I didn't have enough to get the board though, so I'm eyeballing my chessboard wondering how best I might add the traps. I suppose I could just use poker chips or something - but what's the point of having classy pieces if I'm using them on a makeshift board?

Here's the board I've got. (http://www.chessbaron.com/chess-BJ2003.htm)

It's double-sided, and since I'm an avid Chess player, I want to modify it in a way that won't effect the playability of the opposite side of the board. The ideal would be to recess the trap squares down halfway, but I simply don't have the tools or the skill-set to pull off something like that.

Anybody have any ideas?

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
Post by Arimabuff on Apr 24^th, 2012, 7:22am

This chessboard is so beautiful that I'd be afraid myself to alter it in any away. Whatever you do make it reversible.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
Post by omar on Apr 24^th, 2012, 1:32pm

I agree with Arimabuff, I wouldn't want to modify such a nice board. Probably better to build one from scratch.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
Post by Katsunami on Apr 24^th, 2012, 4:35pm

Agree with Omar.

What I would do? Get a 40x40 board, sand it down, and cut grooves in it, at the place where the lines for the squares would be. Paint the traps any color you want, and then varnish the board. Put it into a wooden frame, that 5 cm wide, to create a 45x45 board; same size as a tournament sized chess board.

I often wonder: Would it be possible to write a new interface DLL for the electronic DGT chess board and, with an appropriate user interface, play Arimaa with it?

Imagine, an electronic DGT Arimaa board to play with real wooden pieces against the computer. It should be doable with exactly the same technology as is used for the chess board.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
Post by DBeau on Apr 24^th, 2012, 6:42pm

Yeah, the last thing I want to do is ruin the clean, minimalist look of my board.

The two ideas I'm currently toying with are A) using simple wooden blocks or B) using colored mosaic tiles, possibly even ordinary mirrors. In either case I would simply apply something like silicone to the bottoms, so they would stay put while playing, without being permanently attached.

Mirrors would look cool, don't you think? Less like a proper "trap" and more like some sort of existential crisis. ;D

Katsunami, your idea definitely has some appeal. I'm not sure I could achieve any level of precision with the lines, but hand-carving them might provide a nice rustic look, especially if I could find a piece of wood with a nice grain to it. Definitely an option I'll be considering.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
Post by Katsunami on Apr 25^th, 2012, 11:26am

I've got three chess sets. First, my (way too expensive) electronic DGT-board, which looks like any normal tournament chess set. Second, a 20-year old hand made set from Germany that looks like a tournament board supplemented with decorations (In the past, I used that one for informal games), and third, a 50-year old hand made set from India. That one is so heavily decorated (board and pieces) that it can't even be used for playing.

The idea of cutting the lines into the board comes from the second set. I'll post some pictures later today.

(I like the DGT board best; the only thing I regret a little bit is that I should have gotten it with the blacker Classic or Royal pieces. In 2008 however, that added around €120 to the already high price of €495, so I didn't do that at the time. The prices of the different options are now much closer together. And I really, really hate the el-cheapo (€63) crappy and creacky plastic DGTXL chess clock (LINK (http://www.xadrezpopular.com.br/catalog/images/products/originals/27_70_dgtxl_1.jpg)), but it's the only one that works with the board. Already, I've asked them when they're going to produce a clock comparable to this one: LINK (http://www.wholesalechess.com/images/products/0491_1L.jpg). I said that even at a price of €100, it would be an instant-buy for me. The only answer I've ever gotten was: "Thank you for the suggestion. We are going to consider it.")

The pictures:

DGT electronic tournament chess set (50x50cm, Walnut, Timeless pieces. Actually used in official tournaments):
http://members.home.nl/katsunami/arimaa/dgt.jpg

German decorative chess set (Maple, 42x42cm, usable for games):
http://members.home.nl/katsunami/arimaa/german.jpg

Indian decorative chess board (Unknown wood, 35x35cm, unusable; not straight, pieces unrecognizable and unstable)
http://members.home.nl/katsunami/arimaa/indian.jpg)

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
Post by DBeau on Apr 25^th, 2012, 11:00pm

Nice sets! I almost bought one of those wild-looking Indian sets when I first started getting into Chess (in fact, I still have the link bookmarked; this was the one (http://pics.novica.com/pictures/10/p90664_2.jpg)).

It's actually reassuring to see a fellow Chess fan who enjoys Arimaa. So many of the comments on Boardgamegeek.com are to the effect of "I can't stand Chess, but I like this," which made me question whether Arimaa was some sort of anti-chess, where a person will like one or the other, but not both. I'm exploring Arimaa purely because I like Chess, and hope it can provide me with a similar level of enjoyment.

Since you shared yours, I'll be sure to snap a few photos of my own Chess boards when I have the chance. I've got a couple interesting ones. I play a bit of correspondence chess, and for some bizarre psychological reason I need to keep a physical board up-to-date for the games to feel "real" to me.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
Post by Katsunami on Apr 26^th, 2012, 4:15am

on 04/25/12 at 23:00:12, DBeau wrote:

They're nice for decorative purposes, but completely unusable in actual play. I've finally bought the DGT-board myself in 2008, and I wanted one for a long time before that. The German set was given to me as a christmas present by my (now deceased) grandmother, around 20 years ago, because I then played on a cardboard board with plastic pieces. That German set served me well, and I now use it as decoration, and my own remembrance of a good grandmother. The Indian set actually comes from India, and was given to me by an aunt and uncle (but not 50 years ago; it's just that old). And yes... it's really that croocked. If you look at it the wrong way, the pieces will topple over :P

Quote:

It's actually reassuring to see a fellow Chess fan who enjoys Arimaa. So many of the comments on Boardgamegeek.com are to the effect of "I can't stand Chess, but I like this," which made me question whether Arimaa was some sort of anti-chess, where a person will like one or the other, but not both. I'm exploring Arimaa purely because I like Chess, and hope it can provide me with a similar level of enjoyment.

Hmmm... Arimaa is a bit of Anti-Chess, yes. Arimaa is everything that chess is not, and the other way around.

Tactics: Heavy in Chess, low in Arimaa.
Strategy: Medium or low in Chess, heavy in Arimaa.
Positional play: Important in Chess, Off the scale in Arimaa.
Long range attacks: Chess, yes... Arimaa, nope.
Branching factor: Medium in Chess, Extreme in Arimaa.
Capture everywhere on the board: Chess, yes... Arimaa, nope.
One all-important piece: Chess yes, Arimaa, no.
Material disadvantage will lose you the game: Chess, often, but not so in Arimaa.

I like it because it's so different from chess. That's also the reason why I often hate it. I really have a love/hate-relationship with Arimaa.

Quote:

Since you shared yours, I'll be sure to snap a few photos of my own Chess boards when I have the chance. I've got a couple interesting ones. I play a bit of correspondence chess, and for some bizarre psychological reason I need to keep a physical board up-to-date for the games to feel "real" to me.

I know what you mean. I've not played a game of chess against humans for over 15 years. However, I hate playing on a computer screen. That is the reason why I have kept my old chess computer from 1989 so long and the reason why I bought the DGT-board. It's also one (but not the only one) of the reasons why I play Arimaa badly. I often lose games to goals in one, or miss tactical shots around the traps. The same sort of stuff happens in chess (mate in one, not seeing a long distance threat) when playing chess on the computer. It rarely, if ever, happens when I play on the DGT board. I'd love a tournament sized electronic DGT Arimaa board. While I can program, I don't know about the board to actually write a new interface DLL for it.

By the way, I forgot something. I do have even *more* stuff :P

Unknown wood, 35x35cm.
http://members.home.nl/katsunami/arimaa/plain.jpg

The pieces were given to me by a friend of my father's; he lost the original board in a house move. The board was created by my father, and I've used it often for more serious games. Now it's out of use; the German board is for decoration, and this one here and the Indian board are in the closet. The DGT-bard is on the computer desk here, over to the right.

And the 1989 Sphinx CGX Titan chess computer. Tiny 20x20cm board.
http://members.home.nl/katsunami/arimaa/computer.jpg

I've bought it in 1990, as an 11-year old boy. It took me the savings of a birthday, christmas, another birthday, a big part of my allowance, some work, and a gift from my parents "because I was saving so dilligently with a purpose" to actually buy it. 429 Dutch guilders (around 200 euro's, or 260 US dollars, in 2012) was a hell of a lot of money for an 11-year old in 1990. When thinking about it, it actually was my first very own purchase for which I had to save a lot. Luckily it didn't break in 1992 after the warranty ran out...

This computer still works although the power adapter burned out and was replaced with a generic model a long time ago. I occasionally still use this computer for nostalgia's sake, but at around 1500 ELO, it's not strong enough.

At the time, I've always wanted a Mephisto board with one of the Senator or Polgar modules (LINK (http://www.classicchessandgames.com/icons/Large/MephistoExclusiveSenator.GIF)), but the combination cost over NFL 1200 (545 euro's, 720 USD from 2012), which was an unobtainable goal for me at the time. It would have taken close to three years of saving, and it'd be something my parents would never pay for.

There is a Dutch company, called Phoenix Chess Systems, who has been creating new modules for the old Mephisto boards. Currently they are working with DGT, to create a new board for the new modules. (LINK (http://www.chesscomputer.eu/index.php?option=com_content&view=frontpage&Itemid=1&lang=en)) At a price of around 1700 euro's for the module, and 2.750 for the combination of module and new board, it's not worth it for me. I'd rather set up a dedicated computer+table for the DGT board.

Title: Re: Any ideas on how to convert my chessboard?
Post by writingtired on Aug 11^th, 2012, 2:49pm

I recently converted a small chess board myself. A little acrylic paint, some clear enamel, and a few fish weights later and this is what I ended up with.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JqqrX-3vMjQ/UCa2szwHvwI/AAAAAAAAC9s/dStTFaXkytg/s320/IMAG0577-1.jpg

It's not perfect, but it's been a fun little set.