From the Series
“The game of chess as model for a utopian society” is how Swedish designers Postfossil refer to their Democratic Chess set, part of the Postfossil Trattoria Utopia Collection 2011 seen at the Milan Furniture Fair recently.
Rather than the traditional chest set consisting of a monarchy with an encourage, the Democratic Chess set allows the flow and content of the game to easily be changed. Both the figures and their function is also changed to “increase the unpredictability of the game, creating totally new and surprising situations”.
The new shapes of the figures also allow for more playing possibilities. Postfossil explains: “Pieces taken are not eliminated but stacked, thus creating new figures, which have more abilities.”
Maple wood in a coloured varnish is the material used for the democratic chess set.
Postfossil suggest three ways in which the game can be played with the Democratic Chess set:
- “Normal” chess with the monarchy and traditional rules
- A constructive game for children
- The now Democratic Chess with flexible values and playing scenarios.
