Intro: Why this encyclopedia exists

It’s not a market problem. It’s a definition problem. Vertical, hanging, demonstration chess – for years, few have attempted to describe this category theoretically and from an engineering perspective. There are products, there are users, there are needs, but there is no organized language to distinguish between:

• a training tool,
• a decorative object,
• a fully-fledged gaming system.

Since I deal with vertical chess from a practical, coaching (FIDE Instructor), and construction perspective, I decided it was time to gather knowledge, organize it, and present it clearly.

In this encyclopedia:

• I describe facts, solutions, and technical consequences,
• I clearly separate observations from my subjective opinion,
• I show where the toy ends and the professional equipment begins.

1. Historical demonstration boards

The idea of a vertical chessboard is not new. The first systematic use of demonstration boards is generally attributed to the master Johann Löwenthal around 1857, though sources vary on the exact date. The need was obvious: to show the game to a larger audience.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, demonstration chess existed as furniture – large, wooden, often free-standing. Archival photographs (e.g., from the Alekhine–Lasker game) show boards where pieces were mounted on pegs (pins). They were heavy, stable, and legible. They were neither cheap nor portable – but they fulfilled their function perfectly for their time.

Over time, these heavy solutions disappeared from the mass market, replaced by lighter alternatives.

2. Type A – Demonstration Chess (Training Tool)

Around 2020, the market offered almost exclusively demonstration boards designed for one primary purpose: training. Their common features: affordability, mass production, maximum didactic functionality, and functional (rather than decorative) aesthetics.

2.1 Magnetic boards (metal + flat pieces)

The most common solution: a metal or magnetic board surface and flat pieces with a glued ferrite magnet. It works effectively. I used such sets myself as a coach for years.

• Pros: Low price, resistance to intensive use, ease of placing pieces anywhere on the board.
• Practical cons: The glued magnet has direct contact with the surface (risk of scratching), removing a piece can move a light board, and it is practically impossible to align 32 pieces perfectly straight.

Thought experiment: try arranging 32 magnets perfectly straight on a fridge. Even with a ruler, it's a challenge.

2.2 Roll-up boards (vinyl)

The second popular solution includes rolled sheets with a printed chessboard. Methods used to attach pieces include pockets or magnets working with hidden metal sheets.

• Pros: Mobility, easy transport, very low price.
• Cons: Aesthetics (creased surface), slower operation, exclusively training character.

2.3 Pieces on hooks

The third, now rarer category: pieces hung on hooks above the squares. A solution slow to operate, visually distinct, but increasingly rare in professional training.

3. Type B – Decorative Vertical Chess (wall chess as design)

Parallel to demonstration chess, a second, niche category existed: decorative vertical chess. Unlike school boards, they were not created for mass education. Their starting point was space and aesthetics — the question was not: "how to cheaply show a position," but: "how to introduce chess into an interior in a lasting way."

They most often took the form of shelf chess, framed chess, or objects treated like a painting.

3.1 The Shelf Solution

One of the most notable examples of this development path was the American brand Straight Up Chess, founded in 2007 by Steve Schrier.

This concept deserves praise for its aesthetics and ingenuity. By placing traditional pieces on narrow, transparent shelves (glass or acrylic), the problem of gravity was solved in an elegant way.

• Aesthetics: Glass shelves add a light character; it is essentially a clever display case for chess that serves as a beautiful decorative element on the wall.
• Versatility: This solution allows the use of standard chess pieces. You don't need specially modified sets; you can display your favorite Staunton-style pieces.

3.3 Technical Conclusion: Decoration vs. Function

While shelf chess is aesthetically pleasing, for an active chess player, its practical value is limited. It serves primarily as a manifesto of passion—a statement piece in an interior declaring one's love for the game.

The limitation lies in the geometry. To accommodate the height of the pieces on shelves, the board's squares must become elongated rectangles.

For a player, such distortion makes the chessboard almost impossible to use for serious analysis. The diagonals are stretched, and the familiar visual patterns of the game are disturbed. Such chess sets act beautifully as a symbol, but they simply won't be very helpful during a game, let alone for training or deep analysis.

4. Why these two categories were not enough

For years, the market offered two extremes:

• demonstration chess – functional, cheap, mass-produced.
• decorative vertical chess – aesthetic but often geometrically compromised or unplayable.

There was no bridge between them. There was no solution that would be suitable for professional analysis, durable, and aesthetic enough to hang in a living room, looking like a real diagram rather than a toy.

5. New Category: Vertical Chess System

Here appears the key concept for the entire encyclopedia: the ChessboArt Vertical Chess System. It is conceptually closer to professional demonstration chess than to shelf chess, but with the aesthetics of fine furniture.

The goal was strict: The chess set must be playable and visually correspond to the standard chess diagrams known to professionals (square fields). Since it is chess, it should be made of high-quality wood.

Developing this wasn't simple. It required solving complex engineering challenges regarding wood density, magnetic field depth, and piece weight.

The Trade-off: This system is significantly heavier and more expensive to produce than standard boards. It requires precise mounting and specific materials. However, it results in a wooden chess set that hangs on the wall, looks like art, and plays like a tournament board. Our system uses two magnets in each square and two magnets in each piece... because that works best (I will explain the physics behind this in the following chapters).