Forget a coin about chess when you can have chess on a coin! Art Mint goes for checkmate

There have been a few attempts to incorporate a coin into a board game, the most recent one that we can remember being CIT’s The Treasure of the Cruel Captain. While that was a large base metal piece that really stretched the limits of being called a coin, this new issue from Parisian producer, Art Mint, is very much a coin in the traditional sense.

Weighing in at two ounces of 0.999 fine silver, it nevertheless still reaches an impressive 63 mm in diameter, which makes its party trick all the more practical. The reverse face of the coin features a coloured replica of a chess board at its centre. Supplied with the coin are 32 miniature chess pieces, all formed in base metal and displaying an astonishing amount of detail for their size. It’s perfectly capable, unless you have giant sausage fingers like mine, to play a game of chess on the coin.

The rest of this face is comprised of a border that flows all around the coin and contains a pattern of pawns. In the spaces left between the circular border and square chess board, there lies a kings crown motif. The antique finish is a fine compliment to the traditional black & white chess board pattern. The obverse of this Nuie issued item carries the usual inscribed information near the edge, along with the Ian Rank Broadley effigy. To the left of the effigy sits a king chess-piece, strangely fitting in its own way.

As you can see from the images further down, this is a striking and unusual issue, covering a subject that has little representation in the numismatic world. Art Mint coins are universally amongst the best produced out there, so if the coin strikes a chord with you, you’ll have little to worry about on quality grounds. It comes presented in a neat box that could double as a miniature diasif you actually did want to play chess on the coin. A certificate of authenticity is also included  and there will only be 500 of these produced. The mini chess pieces are kept together in a small pouch. A very cool piece for the chess fan and a highly original set for the coin collector. Available to pre-order now, it should start to ship in a couple of weeks.

CHESS

Chess is a two-player strategy board game played on a chessboard, a checkered gameboard with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid. The game is played by millions of people worldwide. Chess is believed to have originated in India sometime before the 7th century. The game was derived from the Indian game chaturanga, which is also the likely ancestor of the Eastern strategy games xiangqi, janggi, and shogi. Chess reached Europe by the 9th century, due to the Umayyad conquest of Hispania. The pieces assumed their current powers in Spain in the late 15th century; the rules were standardized in the 19th century.

Play does not involve hidden information. Each player begins with 16 pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. Each of the six piece types moves differently, with the most powerful being the queen and the least powerful the pawn. The objective is to checkmate the opponent’s king by placing it under an inescapable threat of capture. To this end, a player’s pieces are used to attack and capture the opponent’s pieces, while supporting each other. During the game, play typically involves making exchanges of one piece for an opponent’s similar piece, but also finding and engineering opportunities to trade one piece for two, or to get a better position. In addition to checkmate, a player wins the game if the opponent resigns, or (in a timed game) runs out of time. There are also several ways that a game can end in a draw.

Since the second half of the 20th century, computers have been programmed to play chess with increasing success, to the point where the strongest personal computers play at a higher level than the best human players. Since the 1990s, computer analysis has contributed significantly to chess theory, particularly in the endgame. The IBM computer Deep Blue was the first machine to overcome a reigning World Chess Champion in a match when it defeated Garry Kasparov in 1997. The rise of strong chess engines runnable on hand-held devices has led to increasing concerns about cheating during tournaments.

MINTS DESCRIPTION

Fancy a match of chess? Now you can appreciate this classic game, that has won the hearts of many all over the world, with our new dedicated coin. The coin combines nice antique finish with a digitally printed play board, where you can place the charming mini chess pieces that come along. You and your friends can have the honor of playing a match on one of the world´s smallest chess boards.

On the obverse side of the coin is a display of Her Majesty the Queen Elisabeth II, The “King” figure, issuer country, face value and date. This coin is not only a truly elegant memorabilia, but it will also become a rare and remarkable statement piece in your collection. It comes in a highly elegant case containing 32 mini metallic chess pieces, along with the Certificate of Authenticity. Limited mintage of only 500 pcs worldwide!