Make a move: new chess tables open for play
Three granite chess tables have been installed at Creemore Village Green and are ready for game action.
The boards were handcrafted by Colby Chin of Fieldstone Landscaping, based in Glencairn. He chose three different kinds of granite to create a durable checkerboard pattern and border, mounted on a sturdy metal base.
Chin said he learned to play chess in elementary school in Grand Valley and even though his high school in Shelburne didn’t have a chess club, he continued to play with friends.
Later, he studied landscaping and horticulture at Niagara College and once he saw the offcuts of the rock he was using on the job, he was inspired to make chess pieces.
Chin says it’s the strategy that keeps him hooked on chess, adding that it’s a nice, quiet way to spend time with people. As for the craftsmanship, Chin sees the sculpting of stone as an art form.
“It’s a creative outlet,” he said, adding that sculpting allows for a bit more creativity than his daily landscaping work. “I’ve always loved art and it does allow me to do something unique to stand out from other people. It gives me joy.”
He said even after 25 years in landscaping, and 10 years of self-employment, he loves working with stone.
Chin, who makes the chessboards under the subsidiary name of Chessmason, make some oversized boards and pieces. One of his clients, a friend of Creemore Community Foundation co-founder Stuart Lazier, wanted to extend the opportunity to Creemore Village Green. The three tables were commissioned as a result.
Creemore Village Green manager Jeremy Mantesso said the hope is that people will supply their own checkers or chess pieces when they come to the park for a game.
He said the tables help to enhance the terrace area of the park in front of the Station on the Green, and he likes that both chess and checkers are traditional cross-generational games, which meets the activation goals for the park.
Mantesso would like to see a league or tournament organized at some point in the future.
Trina Berlo photo: Chessmason Colby Chin has crafted three boards, that can be used to play chess or checkers, for Creemore Village Green. They were commissioned by Creemore Community Foundation.
