A valve chess set?

[Biggles]

Hi all, the other night my mind was wandering as usual and I came up with the bizarre idea of making a novel chess set from valves. Not a chess computer using valves as this would obviously be colossal, but one where the pieces were actually valves. There are only six different types required and I thought that with the addition of a suitable wooden? base on each one for stability it could work quite well. Obviously the two "sides" would have to have identifiers on them. Which valve types would you use for the different pieces? If you kept to one base type and installed sockets on each square you could even have a travel valve chess set! Apologies in advance if this has all been done before, or is not appropriate for the forum.
Alan.

[kalee20]

Pawn - EF80
Castle - EZ80
Knight - ECL80
Bishop - EM80
Queen - 6L6
King - KT66

[Herald1360]

I like it!

If the valves were glued to drilled wooden bases, different coloured varnish or paint would identify black and white.

EF91 sounds like a good pawn. King and Queen maybe a magnoval line output and boost diode types. Bishop perhaps PL81. Castle...EF50. Knight....6H6.

Travel set would really need to be all B7G so piece ID might be trickier.

[GrimJosef]

The pawns have to be EF91's don't they ? If you insist on a common base then it should probably be B9A in which case they'll be EF80's. Surely these were the foot-soldiers of the valve world.

Cheers,

GJ

[Alistair D]

PL508 for the queen and PL509 for the king?

Al

[Biggles]

I thought maybe those little half height UHF TV tuner bottles for the pawns. Octal series would need a base fitted due to the spigot, unless you drilled holes in the board. The board could have an appropriate component design on alternate squares.

[Radio Wrangler]

Then there's the matter of two colours for opposing sides.

White print Mullard versus yellow print Mullard?

Or maybe US versus European type numbers. A row of EF91 on one side, facing a row of 6AM6. Must be a lot cheaper than exotically coloured Mullards.

Oh, the king and queen definitely have to have top caps. Otherwise just wouldn't be regal, you know.

EF80s aren't footsoldiers, GJ, they're rabbits. Just forgetfully leave a pair of EF80 in a bits drawer or an old biscuit tin and forget about them for a while. When you next look, you've got zillions of the blighters.

David

[turretslug]

I reckon David Simpson's mighty 4212D has a place here....

EF95s are wee fellers, good but common enough to be pawns. And I like kalee20's castle, knight and bishop!

[Martin Bush]

I love this idea! It's just a shame I am rubbish at chess...

I was only thinking the other day how, in my opinion at least, valves have real display appeal. I just couldn't work out how they could be displayed in a living room. I think this could be the answer.

Of course the only danger is that this could take off and push up the prices of some otherwise obscure valves

[paulsherwin]

I have to say this is a really bad idea. Lots of style obsessives will now start buying valves to turn them into chess sets. This would be fine if restricted to duff valves or EF80s or EF91s, but we all know it won't end there.

[Radio Wrangler]

Um, so we need a rule along the lines some vehicle racing classes have to stop people overspending on engines...

After the chess match, the loser has the right to buy any of the victor's valves used in the game for, say, £5 each. That ought to keep the exotica off the board.

Otherwise I can see this thing going out of control. People queueing at newsagents for the latest copy of "What Valve", "Practical Valve Chess" and "Chessophile" itching to read the words of the pundits on whether round getters are luckier than square ones. If it's repeated oft enough, it becomes the truth.

"Dear problem column, I've tried breeding my own EF80s at home. I'm using a proper McVities shop-sized biscuit tin and all the right 1960's scrunched-up Titbits newspaper and my attic is at 52 fahrenheit. It's producing valves, but all the crops so far have the straight-bar getter and white print. I've had none with round getters. What am I doing wrong?"

David

[julie_m]

Originally Posted by paulsherwin

I have to say this is a really bad idea. Lots of style obsessives will now start buying valves to turn them into chess sets. This would be fine if restricted to duff valves or EF80s or EF91s, but we all know it won't end there.

It's a shame when you have to keep quiet about something, for fear it will end up getting ruined by the Trendy Brigade ..... Like a beautiful island that ends up attracting tourists, then gets buried under a mountain of crp .....

[Martin Bush]

I think the comment was made in jest, but I can see it being a reality.

When you look at them, valves are unsung design classics. I have a few boxes and can get lost in just looking at them... Or maybe I'm just sad

[kenneth]

I think this thread is getting a bit gassy.

[yesnaby]

http://www.ecofriend.com/creative-ch...materials.html

http://news.softpedia.com/news/A-Vac...8.shtml#sgal_0

[Dave Moll]

Originally Posted by Biggles

... unless you drilled holes in the board.

Then you could have it as a travelling set. But then, of course, the trendy brigade would be bound to notice. Thinking about it though, solid state might be more convenient for a travel version - keep the valves safe at home.

[G8HQP Dave]

The travel set could use DF96 for pawns? Or OC44?

[Herald1360]

Ah... lots of potential in the solid state travel variety. XC101, 2N5090, 2N174. Maybe little uE tiddlers for pawns. E-line of course and TO1 somewhere. Might need ZIF sockets on the (PC)board for longevity.

Right.....

Who's hoard is big enough to set up a photo of a real valve set on a nice games table board? I can't actually run to 16 EF91s

[Boater Sam]

If the challenge of a chess set gets too passe, then how about MahJong?

[Radio Wrangler]

A classic London underground map for a board and...

Mornington Crescent!

Just mark on the map the locations of famous surplus/component etc shops.

David