Galt celebrates anniversary of giant chess set donation

By Alejandra Pulido-Guzman - Lethbridge Herald on August 16, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDapulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The Galt Museum and Archives hosted members of the Lethbridge Chess Club and Chinook Woodturning Guild on Tuesday to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of a special donation to the museum.
In 2013, seven volunteer members of the Chinook Woodturning Guild devoted more than 500 hours to create a giant chess set that was hand-crafted from 500 board feet of maple and walnut wood.
Maple was used for the light colour pieces and walnutfor the dark colour pieces.
On Tuesday morning the set was used for a celebratory game with members of the Lethbridge Chess Club and Chinook Woodturning Guild present.
One of the seven guild members who was involved in the chess set project, Dan Michener spoke to media and said the idea of making it for the Galt Museum was first brought to the guild by their president Vern Miller in the fall of 2012.
“You know how it is in meetings, everybody sat there and said nothing, but I got sort of interested in this and I went home and I made a prototype, which is not here but it’s about the size of one of the kings, and I brought that and everybody said ‘oh if a guy who is a pretty new woodturner can do that, then we can all do it.’ So, we got behind this and we acquired wood and designs,” said Michener.
He said the pieces were made in individual workshops by the few members involved in the project. Michener said the kings, which are the tallest pieces, were approximately 39 inches tall and weighted approximately 27 pounds.
Galt Museum and Archives CEO Darrin Martens said the chess set was one-of-a-kind.
“This is an incredible opportunity for us to engage with members of the community. It’s the 10-year anniversary of this chess set that the Galt has had and being able to play outdoors in this beautiful environment is really important for us,” said Martens.
He said the chess pieces are not only for members of the Lethbridge Chess Club to use, but members of the public as well whenever the museum is open, simply by asking a visitor services representative to gain access to them.
“The partnership with the chess club really started after the pandemic. The chess club was looking for a place to play that had a nice environment, in a nice place to really get involved in the game and play several games at one time,” said Martens.
Klaus Jericho, president of the Lethbridge Chess Club, said he was very pleased to see the chess pieces being used because they are so special and unique to Lethbridge.
“They were hidden away and I made it a special feature to show these to the public, and that’s what it is all about,” said Jericho.
During the celebratory game, Lethbridge residents Paul Viminitz and Brodie Guzzi played against each other on a regular size board, while two other people moved the corresponding giant pieces.
Jericho said he encourages members of the community to play the game, especially to take advantage of the giant chess pieces.
“We meet on Saturday afternoon, Sunday afternoons here the Galt and we also play at the college, so don’t hesitate to take part,” said Jericho.
 When speaking about the partnership with the Lethbridge Chess Club, Martens said the Lethbridge Chess Club plays in the viewing gallery couple of times a week and he was very excited that they have chosen the Galt Museum and Archives for their games.
 “I think it is really important for us that we activate our outdoor spaces in downtown Lethbridge in many different ways, whether it’s our outdoor exhibits or having this outdoor chess match, so our outdoors are a safe place to gather, to play a game of chess or to engage our exhibitions. I would welcome members of the community to come down anytime and participate in what we have to offer,” said Martens.

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