Tonight opens an exhibition devoted to chess. The exhibition — more than 70 sets of chess: from porcelain, metal, walrus, mammoth and ivory, wood, glass, stone, birch bark and amber

Museum Fund places, September 11 @October 27. 2013
Moscow, Delegatskaya str., 3

Here play chess!
this Whole world — chess (unless, of course,
, this can be called the world)!
Is one big-пребольшая party@

Lewis Carroll. Alice in Wonderland

Today at the Russian Museum of decorative-прикладного and folk art) opens the exhibition "Royal game", devoted to chess. First truly "Royal game" to such an extent and diversity will be represented in the halls of the Museum. The project will present more than 70 sets, 5 gaming tables, rare objects and memorial exhibits. Chess made of porcelain and metal, walrus, mammoth and ivory, wood, glass, stone, birch bark and amber, carved, chiseled and cast; figurines depicting animals and people. The purpose of this "multi-pass" and interactive project @show mdash the world of chess through diverse subject a number of works of art, to present literary works in which the philosophy and magic of chess action are the starting point for poetic images and a variety of subject compositions. The exhibition is accompanied by a series of lectures and meetings with prominent chess players, simultaneous igry@

In the Museum of decorative-прикладного art real chess competitions will be held in the environment of true masterpieces of decorative-прикладного art XVIII — XX centuries. Decoration of the exhibition will be unique exhibits from the collection of the Museum Fund places: bone chess "Peoples of the Caucasus", exhibited in 1900 at the world exhibition in Paris, where jewelry carving combined with accurate reproduction of details of the costumes and figuratively-поэтической the characteristics of the characters, as well as the famous porcelain chess Natalia Danko "Red and White" made in 1925 at the State porcelain factory in Leningrad, where the main figure in the "red", king, — is working with hammer, and "white" — knight-смерть with MECOM@

in addition, visitors to the exhibition will see the wooden kits from Vyatka (exhibits of the Paris world exhibition 1925), in which workers confront the "bourgeoisie"; Uelen bone chess 1920-х, master Valvola with figures of animals of the far North. Will also feature gift Chinese chess second half of the twentieth century, executed in the technique of polychrome cloisonné enamels from the collection of the State Museum of contemporary history of Russia; unique by making Indian, Chinese, Tuvan pieces and boards from the Museum of the East; memorial exhibits from the collection of the Central house of chess-player named after M. M. Botvinnik, including the table that held the longest match for the chess crown between A. Karpov and G. Kasparov (1984/1985).

the Interest of visitors will undoubtedly cause a cardboard chess — cubes with pasted images of figures in times of siege of Leningrad; chess from wire, made in the Gulag; "marine chess" — wooden figures with a special weighting, which belonged to Admiral Nakhimov; "space" chess made specifically for the game in zero gravity. In 1970 this kit has been on Board of the ship "Union-9": there was a legendary match "Cosmos — Land" between the crew of the spaceship "Soyuz-9" and control Center polecamy@

Researcher and popularizer of chess Yury L. Averbakh vividly describes the history of the game: "Gradually, moving from one country to another, encountering different civilizations, different cultures, chess game of kings has become the Queen of games have become more than just a game that millions of supporters. They became the field of culture".

the name of the game is derived from the Persian "Shah Mat" — "the ruler is overthrown". It is believed that the history of chess has at least a thousand years. The first known game-прародитель, Chaturanga, originated in India in IX — X centuries. From the Arab world the game came to Europe and Africa. European players continued to modify the game, resulting in the XV century were formed those rules, which are now known as "classic."

In Russia, the history of chess begins with Kievan Rus, as evidenced by legends describing the life of Prince Vladimir and numerous archaeological finds. Passionate fans of the game were the first persons of the Russian state: Ivan the terrible, Boris Godunov, Alexei Mikhailovich, Peter the great, Catherine II, Paul I and Nicholas II.

the Modern school of chess in Russia is considered one of the strongest in the world. Her pupils became Champions of the world. Among them are Mikhail Botvinnik, Vasily Smyslov, Mikhail tal, Tigran Petrosian, Boris Spassky, Anatoly Karpov, Garry Kasparov@

In the framework of the project "Royal game" official partner of the Russian chess Federation that conducted a major chess tournaments in famous museums — Tretyakov gallery, the Louvre and the Russian Museum, — for lovers and connoisseurs of chess arranges a meeting with 14-м the world chess champion Vladimir Kramnik, lectures, international grandmaster and chess referee Yuri Averbakh, quizzes and activities for children, simultaneous igry@

the visitors of the Museum of decorative-прикладного art will be able to play chess on a specially installed in the exhibition space tables and also watch the film "Chess fever", directed by directed by Vsevolod Pudovkin and Nikolai Shpikovsky in 1925, in which the then world chess champion Jose Raul Capablanca played Seba@

project "the Royal game" not only shows the history of chess in the historical, cultural, artistic context, it is also an interactive project, exhibition-игра, which involves active participation and involvement of the viewer in a journey through the world sahmat@

Programme of activities in the framework of the project "Royal game" will be published on the web www.vmdpni.ru www.russiachess.org.

Source: vmdpni.ru

P.S.: Contemporary artists and gallery owners, too, from time to time present their view of the ancient game. For example, in 2012 at the Saatchi gallery in London held an exhibition "the Art of chess", for which the original chess sets created by Maurizio Cattelan, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Tracey Emin, Damien Hirst and other leading khudozhniki@