CAMBODIAN (Phnom Penh); 1970s

26. Blind Man's Chess Set. Bronze: patinated green vs. black. King 14" H. Bronze board was 16 square feet and weighed more than 100 pounds (not donated to the John G. White Collection of Chess).

Modeled in the form of Cambodian deities, based on statuary from Angkor Wat and Nokor Wat. Figures are clearly discernible. The dancing figure of "Apsara," Nymph of the Lower Heavens, standing on a bell, is the prototype of the Pawn. Each bell is set to sound a different tone, thus enabling a blind player to follow the Pawn's movement across the board. Sculpted and cast especially for the donor and his blind chess player friend by the Curator of the Museum at Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

"Cambodia is a mystical land, with many legends and superstitions that would often seem very real in the eerie isolation of a city surrounded by war. The tinkle of bells as the Pawns were shifted [by house boys] was sometimes interspersed with the muffled sounds of far-off explosions from rockets and mortars ... adding an unreal aura of music to the whole affair that made a truly unforgettable experience.- The Cambodia we knew was soon abandoned by us all, and the chess set moved around the world with me for a while. It was never again used -" (Sun Magazine (Baton Rouge), 11 September 1983, p.17.)

Gift of N.K. Goldsmith, U.S. Air Force pilot and diplomat, 1981.