Chess Players: From Charlie Chaplin to the Wu-Tang Clan — Limited Edition (Collector Box)

Chess Players: From Charlie Chaplin to the Wu-Tang Clan is a photo book about chess as part of culture: 130 years of actors, artists, musicians and politicians caught at the chessboard, far from any tournament hall. This is the limited collector's edition — only 300 copies, each in a presentation box with a limited-edition photographic print alongside the book.

Inside the book

The photographs show chess as style, ritual and a shared visual language in art, film, music and public life, and how the game keeps reappearing across generations. The book was produced in association with World Chess and FIDE.

• Introduction and captions: Dylan Loeb McClain, former chess columnist of The New York Times
• Essay: Martin Amis
• Interview: Viswanathan Anand

Details

Good to know

The text and photographs are the same as in the standard edition; the collector's edition adds the limited print run, the presentation box and the photographic print. A gift for a chess player, a collector of photography books or anyone who keeps chess on the coffee table.

A wooden board and boxwood pieces will outlast you if you keep two things away from them: water and extremes. Everything below follows from that.

The board

Keep it dry. Water lifts veneer and swells solid wood; a spilled glass should be wiped at once. Keep it out of direct sun and away from radiators, air conditioners and fans: heat and dry air make wood shrink, humidity makes it swell, and a board that lives next to a heater will eventually gap at the joints.

Dust it with a dry, soft cloth. Smudges and fingerprints come off with a cloth that is barely damp. If the surface feels sticky, wipe it dry. Once a month or so, a little beeswax or a furniture polish such as 3M keeps the lacquered boards looking new; our boards have a melamine lacquer that takes polish well.

The pieces

Boxwood wants the same thing as the board: no damp, no heat. Store the set in its box or pouch, not on a windowsill. Do not use polish on the pieces; a dry cloth is all they need. A piece that has taken a knock can be re-felted; write to us.

Folding and travel boards

Close them with the pieces inside their compartment, not loose on the board. Magnets do not mind temperature, but the felt does mind damp, so dry a travel set that has been in the rain before it goes back in the bag.

If something has gone wrong with a set, see the warranty or write to shop@worldchess.com.

Orders over $300 ship free to the US, UK and EU. Return any order within 14 days of delivery.

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