World’s largest chess set open for another summer

Elaine Fitzsimmons, a team leader at CORE, says it’s an amazing opportunity for the CORE chess ambassadors and the public.

“It gives them community involvement, it gives them everyday interactions with other people, life skills, just letting people see their abilities and that they are capable of doing just about anything,” she says. “There’s that stigma right, with the individuals that we work with and we see their sides, their abilities, their qualities and it’s nice to let our community see what we see in them.”

The set is a popular attraction in the downtown core, seeing an average of more than 20 visits a day by locals and tourists, officials say. Fitzsimmons says last year they spoke with visitors from Nova Scotia, Quebec and Ontario and all over Alberta. One couple even told them they planned their summer vacation partially around seeing the set.

In addition to the large pieces on the giant board, there are also tabletop sets available for play again this season and table tennis. Fitzsimmons says they’re looking for other features and activities to further entice people to the area.

The set will be open Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. until about mid-September, weather-dependent.

Guinness World Records officially recognized the chess set as the largest one in the world in May 2009. The set is 5.89 m (19-feet-4-inches) on each side. The king is 119 cm (47 inches) tall and is 37.4 cm (1-foot-two-inches) wide at the base.

by Chris Brown

World’s largest chess set open for another summer

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