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Go Head to Head With Tool Chess

By Ann Binlot Published March 23, 2014

When father and son Charles and William Gallmeyer saw their family machine tool business in Grand Rapids, Michigan coming near an end, the elder Gallmeyer noticed that some of the employees used some pieces of hardware to be a fill-in for a missing chess piece, and the elder Gallmeyer’s father came up with the name Tool Chess. Charles crafted a few chess sets from various hardware pieces and a business was born. He sold some sets a decade ago, but life got in the way, and he started pursuing other things.

Then the younger Callmeyer, William, had the idea to put it on Etsy, and Tool Chess is again available for chess enthusiasts around the country. The set comes with 32 pieces that are handcrafted from steel and bolts and powder-coated for a slick finish, and a green and white, vinyl, roll-up board in either a red or black tool box. Give Tool Chess as a gift to all the chess players in your life. It is something they’re sure to appreciate for years to come, and is much more special than your run-of-the-mill plastic chess set. Not only are you getting a beautiful chess set that you can enjoy for hours and hours on end, you’re also helping to sponsor students at HollandChess.com, a non-profit youth chess school that Tool Chess supports. It’s a win-win! Unless, of course, your opponent yells out, “Check mate!

Tool Chess, $245 at etsy.com.

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Ann Binlot is a New York-based freelance writer who contributes to publications like The Economist, Wallpaper*, Monocle…

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