# Identify Chess Piece Design from Star Trek: The Original Series **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Tags:** chess\ **Created:** [April 28, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-chess-piece-design-from-star-trek-the-original-series/852699 "2020-04-28T00:20:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-chess-piece-design-from-star-trek-the-original-series/852699/1 "2020-04-28T00:20:41Z")
Prop personnel on the original STAR TREK usually used two different Peter Ganine-designed chess pieces for use in episodes featuring three dimensional chess. Before that style, for the second pilot, they used these unidentified pieces. Any chess aficionados recognize the design/designer? [![](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Three-dimensional_chess?file=Kirk_and_Spock_in_briefing_lounge_playing_chess.jpg) ](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Three-dimensional_chess?file=Kirk_and_Spock_in_briefing_lounge_playing_chess.jpg) Thanks, Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-chess-piece-design-from-star-trek-the-original-series/852699/2 "2020-04-28T00:34:23Z")
Here’s more on the two Ganine styles used, but the first set I mentioned above has not been identified. [Star Trek The Original Series 3D Chess Set - Carolus Chess](https://sites.google.com/site/caroluschess/movies/star-trek/star-trek-the-original-series-3d-chess-set) ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-chess-piece-design-from-star-trek-the-original-series/852699/3 "2020-04-28T12:19:51Z")
Given Trek’s props budget, they could have been salt shakers, like Bones’ Feinberger diagnostic tool. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-chess-piece-design-from-star-trek-the-original-series/852699/4 "2020-04-28T12:47:15Z")
😃 The two Ganine sets most often used were said to have been purchased from stores by propmaster Irving Feingerg, as were the checkerboards which were cannabalized to build the 3D chess sets, so I imagine this first one was a store-bought set like the Ganines. Sir Rhosis ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-chess-piece-design-from-star-trek-the-original-series/852699/5 "2020-04-28T13:07:11Z")
> [@Sir\_Rhosis](#): > > 😃 The two Ganine sets most often used were said to have been purchased from stores by propmaster Irving Feingerg, as were the checkerboards which were cannabalized to build the 3D chess sets, so I imagine this first one was a store-bought set like the Ganines. > > Sir Rhosis Anyone else notice some of the boards are slightly tilted? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-chess-piece-design-from-star-trek-the-original-series/852699/6 "2020-04-28T13:34:48Z")
I know that there are supposed to be rules for 3-D chess, but is it actually playable? And how hard is it to learn? ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_Rhosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@Sir\_Rhosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_Rhosis)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2020, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/identify-chess-piece-design-from-star-trek-the-original-series/852699/7 "2020-04-28T17:35:41Z")
They most often looked tilted and about ready to fall apart! They were built using this on the market checker game: [Space Checkers | Memory Alpha | Fandom](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Space_Checkers) and this Tic Tac Toe game: [Tic-tac-toe | Memory Alpha | Fandom](https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Tic-tac-toe?file=3d_tic_tac_toe.jpg) Over the years, there have been a couple sets of rules, but I’ve heard it is not very playable. Sir Rhosis