What could be the World's Largest Chess Piece stands next to the World's Largest Chess Set in Medicine Hat. (Photo Courtesy Chris Brown)

By Chris Brown

New king in town

Checkmate?: Royal addition to downtown Medicine Hat could be a record-setter

Nov 10, 2021 | 4:22 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB – Big things are happening downtown.

Now towering over the Guinness-certified World’s Largest Chess Set between the library and the Court of Queen’s Bench is what could be the World’s Largest Chess Piece.

“I think it’s very appropriately placed here. I consider it a crowning touch of sorts if you wish on the World’s Largest Chess Set,” says Dr. Bill Taylor, president of the Medicine Hat Chess Club.

The king stands 20 feet, 11 inches (6.37 metres) tall and is 9 feet, 3 inches (2.81m) at the base. The current record-holding piece is in St. Louis, standing 20 feet tall (6.09m) and 9 feet, 2 inches (2.79m) at the base.

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The Medicine Hat Chess Club will be in contact with Guinness World Records to see if there’s a new king in town.

The finished product was erected last week and word of the piece has already made it to Edmonton.

“I’ve had a few patients in the office they’ve come and generally speaking they say amazing, spectacular, wonderful, work of art,” says Taylor. “I found out yesterday from a patient in the office even Rachel Notley has tweeted about the giant king in Medicine Hat so it’s been well received as I would expect because it’s a pretty impressive structure.”

The World’s Largest Chess Set is 19 feet, four inches (5.89m) square and was certified by Guinness in 2008.

Taylor says building the piece and going for the record was the brainchild of Adam Szulski almost 10 years ago and Taylor was quick to throw his support behind it.

The construction of the piece was funded by the chess club and Taylor himself, who estimates the total cost is about $75,000 so far.

Taylor says they built the king, which is actually three separate pieces, out of 3/4-inch marine plywood with a little bit of exotic wood accents.

He encourages people to view it downtown and treat it with respect.

“We don’t mind if you touch it with your hand, feel the wood, have pictures leaning up against it but we ask people not to climb on it and hope that no one in our community will desecrate it by carving initials or spraypainting it,” Taylor says.

They’ll place signs at the site to deter vandalism and it will be closely watched, Taylor adds.