Chess set by Man Ray
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