We’ve got a brand new Kickstarter campaign to share! This time, it’s a super handy pop-up chessboard created by Paper Engineer David Hawcock and his team from Infinite Jest. When you’re a fan of pop-ups (like us) you have probably already seen his work on our website and YouTube channel. David Hawcock, who also created the Davinci’s Inventions pop-up book and the pop-up scenes in Paddington 2, now designed a chessboard that has some really neat features. And you can back this project on Kickstarter right now!
Who doesn’t like chess right? It’s one of the oldest board games that still has a huge fanbase from young to old. We’ve already seen chess on electronic devices, computer games, smaller travel editions, and recently magnetic boards that have mechanisms that move the pieces automatically. But this pop-up chess set adds a new category to the list. It folds out from a flat cover into a 3D chessboard and you can stop or continue the game any time you like. Because the pieces stay in place when you fold them in, it will be ready to play the next time you open it. That’s a really nice and unique feature to have for a physical chessboard!
About the Pop-Up Chess Set
David Hawcock: Here at Infinite Jest we love chess. So, with our expertise in producing innovative beautifully made pop-up books, we got thinking about whether we could make a pop-up set. The idea was to design a truly portable set, perfect for the coffee-shop table or for travelling, small enough to tuck in a rucksack, that could fold flat and pop up in any game position – and here it is! You can truly play chess anywhere with this pop-up set. The 3D board structure means knocking pieces over is impossible – perfect for the train, car or bus… the ideal travel set!
“I always had an interest in chess. I used to play tournaments in my younger days but in recent years my interest faded a little. Life, family and making pop-ups got in the way!”
The unique thing about the design is that the board and all pieces can fold down and pop-up in any position. This, the fact that the set folds flat just like a pop-up book, and that the pieces are impossible to knock over, make it useful as a travel set – if you are changing trains you can simply close the board and then reopen and continue play later.
The Lewis chessmen Special Edition Set
David Hawcock: During my early playing days my father made me a replica set of the Isle of Lewis chess pieces from cast resin. These Viking pieces are some of the oldest pieces known discovered in northern Scotland. They are amazing and and really fire the imagination. I decided to make a second set of pop-up pieces based on this set for a special edition (the originals can be seen in the British Museum).
The Lewis chessmen, named after the island where they were found, are a group of spectacular 12th-century Viking chess pieces carved from walrus ivory. Discovered in 1831 on Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, they are some of the few complete, surviving medieval chess sets.
The reward set is faithfully recreated in pop-up form and use the same playing board. They are possible the most iconic set of pieces in the world.
Support this project
It’s very important for projects like this to reach their goal. Without the support of backers, it would not be possible to take the next and final step to production. Support this project on Kickstarter to realize this original designed pop-up. You can pledge, starting from £12 ($16) for one Pop-Up Chess Set. It is also possible to donate a few pounds to help this project reach its £3.500 ($4.700) goal.
The Pop-Up Chess Set
Incudes:
• Durable folding gameboard
• A full set of Staunton pieces (32 pieces)
• Card wallets to store pieces
• Card band to hold the board securely closed
Ships to anywhere in the world
The Kickstarter campaign launches on 1 March and runs for 30 days.
Link to Kickstarter Project: The Pop-Up Chess Set
More info at popupchess.com
Website David Hawcock: hawcockbooks.co.uk
Instagram: @davidhawcock
