giant chess in reynolds nursery

Roger Reynolds Nursery was founded in 1919, on 15 acres of beautiful virgin land in Menlo Park, California. The nursery still has part of the beautiful redwood grove, where one can feel the spirit of the place 85 years ago.

Today, Reynold’s grand-daughter Sally Halstead showcases the nursery’s beautiful garden, redwood grove, and two stores on the current 2.5 acres. The friendly staff provide the best service and selection in the Menlo Park area.

This photo of giant chess, on display at Reynolds Nursery, depicts a popular attraction that home owners and landscapers are building into backyards. There are countless ways to develop a 64 square chessboard in the backyard, patio, poolside, or anywhere you have a 8×8 or larger space.

A 25″ giant chess set is not too big or too small. It’s designed to be a good median size that is not too cumbersome, and is comfortable to play while walking between the pieces.

When James and Doreen decided to build a game room in their North Carolina home, they planned areas for darts and pool, but needed one more game to make it just right. They found it with a giant chess set.

“This area is in the lower level ‘man cave’ area of our house,” Doreen said. The big space allows large groups to play different games at the same time.

Using tiles they cut themselves, James and Doreen created a floor that doubles as a chessboard for the giant chess pieces.

“We originally planned for 12″ tiles,” Doreen said, “but the space wasn’t large enough to allow for a “walkway” around the sides of the board so we had to cut the tiles to about 10″ square.”

Normally the giant chess pieces work best on 12” tiles, but the Molzon’s 10” squares suited them just fine as you can see in the photos.

Oscar and Felix admire the giant chess game

“My husband and I are doing all the work so it is a slowwww project,” Doreen said.

Their hard work has paid off with a beautiful giant chess set that allows family and friends to easily slide the chess pieces from one square to another.

It also provided a new play area for their cats, Oscar and Felix, who have made themselves at home among the pieces

giant chess loved by the "whole family"

Owner Stuart Curry recently added a giant chess set to the mix of activities available.  He set it up in the gym. “The set was a hit. I was totally amazed how many kids new how to play chess, and how many joined in to play”. It was a great experience for the kids throughout the summer.

The durable, all-weather giant chess set used by Stuart is designed for indoor and outdoor use and is ideal for camps, campgrounds, and almost any type of recreational facility.

Located on the Key Peninsula, Camp Woodworth encompasses ten beautiful acres and over 400 feet of waterfront. Swimming, boating, sailing, canoeing and kayaking offer a wide range of seafaring experiences. Facilities also include a camp store, gym, archery range, obstacle course, and chapel.

Camp Woodworth’s unique environment, dedicated staff, and quality programming are designed for maximum impact on campers’ spirits. Biblical principles and character-building activities are integrated throughout the program to promote wholesome relationships, healthy relaxation and physical and spiritual renewal.

CMS is manufacturer of high precision, high performance CNC machining centers for Aerospace, Automotive, House and buildings, Marine Industry, Moulds and models, Industrial components, Thermoformed parts, Energy generation, Stone urban furnishing, Graves, Gunstocks, Caravan, Cold stores, Electromedical, Railways, Eyeglasses, Monuments.  Their Product Lines include materials such as Wood, Stone, Glass, Plastic, Advanced Materials, Software, Optic, Second Hand

ChessHouse Giant Chess at CMS Tradeshow display

Greta's creative backyard hideaway ready for friends and a BBQ

Greta and her family just put the finishing touches on a magnificent backyard hideaway to play giant chess. Her son, daughter, and husband are looking forward to BBQ’s and sharing the chess set with everyone they now.

I asked Greta how she created it.

“The 12×12 concrete pavers were picked up at the local Home Depot for quite cheap, and only took a few hours to lay and level. We actually have a lot of concrete work around our property so it seemed only appropriate to add something else creative and concrete. We surround it with a planting bed (I LOVE to garden) to sort of enclose it. It will take a year or two for the plants to fully mature and create the little hideaway we’re looking for.  A special pathway we cut through the yard leads up to a small bridge that you cross to enter the chess area. It’s so much fun!”

In a couple years the plants surrounding the giant chess set will mature and create the hideaway Greta designed

A special pathway we cut through the yard leads up to a small bridge that you cross to enter the chess area...

12" x 12" pavers in place, waiting for the finish rock

The giant chess set from ChessHouse was a big attraction during this recent event. When they are not playing their competition games, kids love to play the giant chess set.

This video also gives a glimpse into the value and popularity of chess nationwide. Randy Keach is a Northwest chess promoter and tournament organizer.

Checkmate! from ENW with Deb Slater on Vimeo.

Giant Chess Set at Wisconsin Campgrounds Convention

Campground, RV Park, and Resort owners from Wisconsin and surrounding states found Giant Chess in the special Activities area alongside other outdoor kids games and activites.

The busy W.A.C.O Convention’s boasted a record vendor attendance of over 160 booths. Campground owner attendance was high, and there was a lot of interest in Giant Chess.

ChessHouse Giant Chess at Tradeshow

Giant Chess is a family game, spanning all ages. With about 1 in 6 people in the United States at least familiar with how to play chess, giant chess is a recognizable landmark that attracts young and old to match wits. The durable, oversize chess game stands out, and makes a campground even more unique and memorable.

ChessHouse enjoyed meeting and getting to know the many people in attendance. It was a show where most everybody also had a lot of fun and ChessHouse’s Giant Chess booth may return in the future.

Thanks,
[name withheld]

Kari
Corona, CA