We’ve reached yet another year where one must buy a desk calendar (I always go with the New Yorker calendar, which is simply fantastic), and if you’re so inclined, a wall calendar too (which allows you to see the date at a glance, plus its images give you a quick pick-me-up whenever you look in that direction).
For the chess fanatic, there are all sorts of chess wall calendars available (alas, the classic wall chess calendar by Hanon Russell was discontinued in 2007): Alexandra Kosteniuk’s calendar would appeal to those that want to stare at an extremely beautiful woman (who also happens to be one of the best chess players in the world), various chess piece calendars will appeal to those that are into that kind of thing (I find it a bit boring, but to each his own), and now we have something for the artistically/creatively/philosophically inclined chess fans, which is titled: IMAGES OF CHESS.
This excellent calendar features six fascinating chess themed images (with a thoughtful explanation under each one), which means that two months with dates and holidays are under each image. They also give a full (usually famous) game that demonstrates the ideas depicted in the artistic image, and describe that melding of artistic and practical application in detail.
NO WAY OUT
The images:
JANUARY - FEBRUARY – Burst of Creativity
MARCH - APRIL – No Way Out (Zugzwang)
MAY - JUNE – Desert Isolation
JULY - AUGUST – A Game of Skittles Chess
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER – Queen Sacrifice
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER – If Chess Pieces Could Talk
From the Movie, THE SEVENTH SEAL
Each image demands a long, serious look so you can fully absorb its meaning and nuances. However, DESERT ISOLATION is easily my favorite since it reminds me of both the iconic image from the 1957 film, THE SEVENTH SEAL, and the 1 hour chess episode from the TV show LEXX (Season 4, Episode 18, titled: THE GAME. You can watch it free on HULU – it’s the finest chess scene ever made for TV or movies!) where death plays chess with a dead but animated unstoppable assassin in a bleak, lifeless landscape. You can read more about this scene HERE.
Living Pieces from the TV show, LEXX
Brutal Piece Capture from LEXX
Personally I would make a couple design tweaks on IMAGES OF CHESS, and I would love it if they had an image for every month. My fantasy changes notwithstanding, it remains a very fine calendar. If you like chess and you like art, then this is clearly the wall calendar for you!
