Chess players are well aware of the countless variants of chess which seem to be circulating the globe. Some are met with repulsion while others are met with intrigue. For American television views, when Dr. Spock played on a three-layer chess board on "Star Trek," the imagination of variants had been stoked even further.  A professional architect, Michael Givan, has  combined his love of design and chess to create his version of a "vertical chess set." A handsome fully three-dimensional set, it stands prominently at approximately five feet tall (about 1½ meters).  It has with eight shelves used for play. Each shelf has alternating wood tones to depict the squares on a chess board. A more vivid description is given on the product's website.

"A painstaking two-year period was required to design and build this truly unique chess set. The species of wood on this set vary from rare hardwoods found throughout the world. From Cocobola (Central America) to African Ebony (Zaire), woods are color coordinated to make the best possible combinations. The chess pieces are separated by vertical planes of glass that are machine beveled and polished on all sides to produce a safe and clear finish that will last for years."

Posted by The Chess Drum: 7 June 2003