A Wall with a Message: Two Signed Chessboards in Bangkok

In May 2024, I collected a board's worth of signatures in a players' room in Warsaw. This is a short story about where that board ended up, and about the Maschamadol family, who put it there.

By Michał Fudalej, FIDE Master (FIDE profile) and founder of ChessboArt.

~5 min read

Look closer

Two chessboards hang on a wall in the family's home in Bangkok, more than fifty floors above the street.

At first glance, they look like reminders of extraordinary chess careers. Look closer, though, and they tell a different story. One carries the signatures of Magnus Carlsen and ten other players, collected by me in the players' room at the Grand Chess Tour in Warsaw. Among them are Gukesh, who became World Champion later that year, and Praggnanandhaa, together with his sister Vaishali.

The other board bears the signatures of Judit, Susan and Sofia Polgár, three sisters whose childhood was shaped by chess, and was shown at the Olympiad EXPO in Budapest. Most of these players reached the very top at a remarkably young age.

But the parents who chose these boards were not simply collecting autographs or decorating their home. I understood quickly what they had in mind: the boards were a quiet message to two children. Chess is a big world. You can discover it early, find your own path and perhaps go further than you ever imagined.

The photographs the family later sent me are my favorite part of the story.

The board signed by the Polgár sisters, in its new home on a black marble wall.

The Grand Chess Tour board, signed by Magnus Carlsen and ten others, above the sofa.

The same board from the side, next to a large blue mural.

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Getting it there

It took some doing.

There was friendly bargaining, which I took as a good sign, since nobody negotiates over something they do not truly want. There was customs paperwork, and a question I had not quite expected: would the wood need quarantine? We found a way through without that particular detour. And there was an address that fit into no form we met along the way, including our own, so we completed the details by email, one step at a time.

That is the part of a long-distance order that no checkout page can capture.

The parents make the first move

What impressed me most was not the ambition behind the purchase, but the attitude behind it.

The children dream of becoming grandmasters. The parents, however, were not pushing them toward a title at any cost. Their aim was to give them a good environment, introduce them to the right people, create opportunities and let their own enthusiasm decide how far they want to go. After many years in chess, both as a player and a coach, I believe that is exactly the right approach.

Building a serious chess journey in Thailand can take a little more searching. The parents ask questions, look for the right people and try to create opportunities for their children. I was glad to be asked.

Over the years I worked with children, adults and coaches at almost every level. I have seen talented youngsters, dedicated trainers and plenty of enthusiasm, and I have seen how easily the joy of playing gets lost when results become the main goal. My advice to any parent is short:

The most important thing is that the child wants to play.

Everything else comes later. Find a coach who connects with the child, not just someone with impressive titles. Let them play against other children, and let them discover the excitement of competition, the pleasure of a clever move, the sting of losing and the fun of coming back for another game. There is no need to rush toward titles or ratings. A child's passion is not a project with a deadline.

I have offered to introduce the family to a few colleagues who coach at a high level, and we are still talking. I will admit to a quiet hope of playing a small part in whatever these children do with the game. I am keeping my fingers crossed for them.

Enthusiasm alone does not make a master, and the road is long. But every chess journey starts somewhere. Sometimes with a game at home, sometimes with a first tournament, and sometimes, perhaps, with two chessboards on a wall. The next story does not have to be a copy of someone else's. It can be their children's own.

To the Maschamadol family: thank you for the photographs you sent and for allowing me to share your story. I am grateful, too, that you appreciate my work at ChessboArt. It means a great deal to me. And who knows what the next move will be?

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