John Lawson wrote on Mon, Jul 28, 2008 08:57 PM UTC:
So there are three possibilities:
1) Buy his pieces
I've bought them all, and he's trying to make the shape mnemonic.
If you read his book, there are many more pieces than those he
manufactures.
2) Pay him to make our designs, as he obviously has the equipment and
experience to do this
I think Superchess is a labor of love for him, so I'm not sure that
would be feasible.
3) Set up our own production line, and start competing with him
It looks like he contracts the production. The quality is pretty
high, and the pieces seem to be turned on production duplicators, based on
the toolmarks. I believe he is only interested in Superchess, not variants
in general.
Having tried it, it is quite difficult, at least for me, to design a
decent-looking chesspiece, let alone one that can be turned economically.
So there are three possibilities: 1) Buy his pieces I've bought them all, and he's trying to make the shape mnemonic. If you read his book, there are many more pieces than those he manufactures. 2) Pay him to make our designs, as he obviously has the equipment and experience to do this I think Superchess is a labor of love for him, so I'm not sure that would be feasible. 3) Set up our own production line, and start competing with him It looks like he contracts the production. The quality is pretty high, and the pieces seem to be turned on production duplicators, based on the toolmarks. I believe he is only interested in Superchess, not variants in general. Having tried it, it is quite difficult, at least for me, to design a decent-looking chesspiece, let alone one that can be turned economically.