IN ADDITION TO RE-INTRODUCING CHESS TO THE WHOLE WORLD, THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT, A FAMOUS NETFLIX SERIES, INSPIRES VRADA SIRIPONG OF ‘CARPENTER TO DESIGN ‘(ARCHI)TECT’S GAMBIT’ WHICH REFLECTS HER LOVE OF THIS CLASSIC BOARD GAME
TEXT: PRATARN TEERATADA
PHOTO COURTESY OF ‘CARPENTER
(For Thai, press here)
“It was fun and purely out of my personal fascination. As soon as I finished the series, my brain immediately started working on ideas for the project.” This was Nan talking about her latest product, ‘Checkmate.’ Officially named “(ARCHI)TECT’S GAMBIT,” the work took inspiration from ‘The Queen’s Gambit,’ the groundbreaking NETFLIX series that set a record for the streaming platform with 62 million viewers in 28 days since its premiere.
Nan or Vrada Siripong, the founder and Creative Director of the brand ‘Carpenter,’ has always had a passion for chess. It dates back to the days as a secondary school student when she joined the school’s Thai Chess Club with her close friend ‘Sirincha Sathume,’ who is now also one of ‘carpenter’s key figures.
This is what they wrote on ‘carpenter’s Facebook page…
“…After class, the two girls spent practically every evening playing chess in the Chess Club’s room. Like the plot of the famous series, most of the club’s members were boys because all the girls were more interested in joining the embroidery or traditional Thai music club.
Chess is a board game of long-standing history. Its origin can be traced back to 2,000 years ago. In this region, chess was found played by the people of the Sukhothai Kingdom. It was invented as a game that humans play to kill time and sharpen their brains, then it was later developed into computer games and eventually online games on mobile phones. Nevertheless, many are still drawn to the tactility and sounds when chess is played on an actual board.
A fond childhood memory had made Nan’s experience of watching the series become so exhilarating that she immediately started working on the design of Checkmate as soon as she was done watching the finale. Created from her mindset as an architect, the product embodies ‘carpenter’s distinctive brand DNA…”
The gimmick of Checkmate lies in the incorporation of Bangkok’s skyline, where the silhouettes of skyscrapers’ varying heights were used in the design, such as the King and Queen pieces, which have corresponding forms of high-rise buildings, whereas the ‘rook’ piece is the simplified form of a suspension bridge. One of the design’s aesthetic appeals that specifically targets the architect clientele is the black-colored board with details of wood grains that are obscurely visible. Each piece is arranged into grids and hatch with patterns taken from the two-dimensional drawings created in AutoCAD, architects’ most used software. It’s the kind of a gimmick that most people will still love, whether they’re an architect or not.
“It’s a challenge for most people at first because they’re used to the traditional look of the pieces, but when they actually play it after a while, the feedback has been amazing. I’m pretty happy. That picture of me in the opening image was actually for fun. I’m still a bit embarrassed by it, actually (laugh).”
When not being played, Tect’s Gambit performs its deed as a stylish decorative item that adds a touch of taste and character to any homeowner’s personality. Taking the circular economy approach, the design preserves the economic and environmental value of waste wood by turning them into a lifestyle product, which is essentially what ‘carpenters are all about and what they have been doing all along.
So what are you waiting for? Hurry and place your order now!