Harry Potter
Wizard's Chess
2002
As far as current-age (post Y2K) plastic chess sets go, this is one of the most beautiful I've seen! The pieces are extremely well detailed and look just like the giant sculptures in the movie. I'm a big Harry Potter fan, though I don't generally buy all the merchandised toys and things. The fist time I saw Sorcerer's Stone I was in love with the chess scene. Not much later I stumbled onto this chess set.
It comes with a sturdy quarter-fold carboard playing surface and the graphics really match the floor of the room as seen on screen. My board is different from the one pictured below and looks much nicer. Check back later for updated photos of my personal set.
Although the pieces aren't weighted, they are hollow so it wouldn't be too much trouble to glue nuts and bolts up inside to give them a little heft. It wouldn't be dificult at all to finish them off with felt bottoms. If I ever give my set this make-over I'll add pictures here. This would be a very nice chess set for young players and has already proven to be a way to get children interested in playing Chess.
(A note: Since my set is in a storage locker right now, I had to nab a few images from sites that sell or display this set. No disrespect is intended.)
A couple scenes from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:
Movie images courtesy of Chess in the Cinema.
Since the International Master who was hired by Warner Brothers to design the chess game in the movie was NOT mentioned in the credits, I'll have to do my small part to give credit where credit is due:
Jeremy Silman
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