checkmates

Future Islands - Seasons

The front man dances around like a lunatic and looks insane when he sings but it is utterly enthralling.

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A portable Chinese Chess Set.

This Chess set was a gift from my best friend. I was visiting him in Beijing. At the time, I was 23 and spent 5 weeks travelling around China. He had spent three years there and was moving back to the UK when I was leaving too. He gifted it to me as he was packing up his things.

I never used to play chess. I knew the rules from childhood, but never really played it; I only did when someone else wanted a game.

When I was in China, we played chess every day. In the café where he worked, we’d play with this set and a few others. It was the beginning of a love for the game.

I began to realise how the more you knew about it, the more there was to know. It was a game with many layers that you can explore through continued playing and interest in the game. The rules feel quite simple and standard, but no two games are alike, and as the moves progress, you end up playing a completely unique game. Even though at the start it feels very rigid and predetermined.
It represents a friendship that has only grown over the years. I do feel a slight sense of ennui, as it does represent a far more carefree time in both our lives. I miss having the freedom to travel to places like China and the sense of adventure I associate with it. I do also look upon those memories evoked by the chess set very fondly, as they remind me of a great trip.

I don’t really use the board now; I keep it for sentimental value. I have other, bigger chess sets I play with, but I still adore this one, as it’s like a totem for the start of my journey into chess and also a symbol of a friendship. I feel connected to my friend through it, even though he lives far away from me in New York. So if I no longer had it I would miss it for that connection and totemic reminder of my dear friendship.