Luxs, a Chess Game for the Darkest Places

Chess is definitely fun and interesting, but, just like most of the other similar games, it needs a key ingredient: light. Scrabble is fun as well, card games too, and the list could go on forever – as long as you have a light source to see what you're doing. In order to eliminate such an inconvenient "addiction" to the lighting conditions, Dutch designer Daan van Tulder has created a most spectacular piece of gaming gadgetry, codenamed Luxs.

To cut to the chase, Luxs is a chess game made from translucent material entirely; using the PMMA (or acrylic glass) was a rather natural choice for lightweight construction, strength and safety.

All the pieces are in fact derivations from the same basic shape, but with distinct cuts and heights so that the proper chess figures can be distinguished with minimal effort. The table is made from the same material and this creates a very pleasant sensation of perfect unity between all these components.

The distinction between white and black is a very smart idea itself: instead of adding paint or color in the equation and diminishing the lighting effect, Mr. Van Tulder went for the sanding option and thus, one color (possibly the white one) is made from clear PMMA, while the opponent will play with matte pieces.

Now, where does all the light come from, you might ask. Prismatic lighting, this is the answer: the light source is represented by 4 LED bulbs placed in the corners of the chess table. And thanks to the clear and homogenous structure of the Luxs, it will be reflected and refracted through the whole PMMA mass, finally creating an eerie yet attractive lighting effect especially in very dark environments.

It will definitely be a great moment when Luxs will be available on the shelves of select stores, if ever. And maybe the price will not be sky-high.

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