Chess sets have always been one of modders' most common choices because of their functionality and artistic potential, while sculptors and pretty much all sorts of artists have at least given a thought or two to how to create breathtaking chess pieces. From the traditional wood up to glass and metal, chess pieces can be found in almost any shapes and sizes; and we need to mention the liquor glass chess set, made especially for those who also enjoy having a spirit sip while battling on the checked board. Well, we're most happy to introduce to you one of the most beautiful and interesting chess sets we've encountered in more than a year: the vacuum tube chess table.

 

It's rather hard for us to think about what its designer had in mind when such an idea sprung up, but nevertheless we're totally digging it. Such a fantastic chess set could be the best gift idea for guitarists (who are prone to liking tube stuff) and audiophiles as well; and also engineers, inventors and so many more people who would most likely adore this vacuum chess table.

 

Far from being a cold and passive game, the vacuum tube chess set is very alive and even more alluring thanks to its very lifelike functionality: each square has been endowed with a tube socket so that the “pieces” stay well in place even in case of an accidental bump on the table. If you want to make a move you have to carefully pull out a vac tube and insert it in the desired slot corresponding to the position you intend to occupy.

 

Once the tube is set in place in its socket, a small lamp atop of the valve lights up in either a hot-glowing red or a cold and eerie blue tone, letting a potential side observer get a good picture of the battlefield at a glance. Everything is smooth and comes with a top-drawer finish as you can see for yourselves in the attached pictures; we don’t know the price for such a nifty piece of chess history, but we're not expecting anything close to cheap. And taking into consideration the fact that tubes themselves aren't at all cheap, it's easy to figure out that these custom ones could easily leave a burning hole in your wallet.

 

The vacuum tube chess set looks as cool and exquisitely noble as it gets and we'd really like to see it becoming available in worldwide stores some day. Now, if you're into vacuum tubes you might think about starting saving some money for this amazingly neat Tubeclock from the reputed high-end guitar amp manufacturer Hughes & Kettner. However, keep in mind that it will set you back some $400.

 

We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .