Chess set by Man Ray

Man Ray was a passionate chess player. He made his first set of chess pieces in 1920, using objects that happened to be at hand. Over the years, he simplified the shapes. The originally pyramidal king was modelled on the graves of the pharaohs, the queen’s softer lines were inspired by mediaeval headdresses.

The bottle-shaped bishop alludes to the clergy’s custom of producing alcoholic beverages. The circular segment of the knight resembles a horse’s head. This chess set was used at the Movement in Art exhibition at Moderna Museet in 1961. The black moves were telegraphed by Marcel Duchamp from New York, and the counter-moves were performed by three other players. The game was to be seen as a kinetic work of art.

Moves for Man Ray’s chess game

The moves were communicated daily throughout the Movement in Art exhibition in 1961. Marcel Duchamp played black by telegram from New York. The white pieces were played by Tim Krabbé, Hans Luuring and Hans Ree.

1         e2 – e4      c7 – c5

2         Pg1 – f3       e7 – e6

3         d2 – d4        c5 x d4

4        Pf3 x d4       Pg8 – f6

5        Pb1 – c3       Lf8 – b4

6        e4 – e5        Pf6 – d5

7        Lc1 – d2       Pd5 x c3

8        b2 x c3        Lb4 – f8

9        Lf1 – d3       d7 – d6

10      f2 – f4         g7 – g6

11      h2 – h4       d6 x e5

12      f4 x e5       Lf8 – g7

13      h4 – h5       Lg7 x e5

14      Dd1 – g4     Pb8 – c6

15      Pd4 x c6     b7 x c6

16      h5 x g6      h7 x g6

17      Th1 x h8    Le5 x Th8

18      Ke1 – e2     Dd8 – d5

19      Ta1 – h1     Lh8 – f6

20      Th1 – f1      e6 – e5

21      Dg4 – g3     Dd5 – e6

22      Ld3 – e4     Lc8 – a6

23      Le4 – d3     La6 – c4

24      Ke2 – d1     Lf6 – g7

25      Dg3 – h4     Lc4 x Ld3

26      c2 x Ld3     Ta8 – b8

More about this exhibition