Through the Looking-Glass

Through the Looking-Glass

by our correspondent Arthur Baron von Aktaion

 

Through the Looking Glass obeys to the rules of a chess game. »The alternation of Red and White is perhaps not so strictly observed as it might be, and the “castling” of the three Queens is merely a way of saying that they entered the palace; but the “check” of the White King at move 6, the capture of the Red Knight at move 7, and the final “checkmate” of the Red King, will be found, by any one who will take the trouble to set the pieces and play the moves as directed, to be strictly in accordance with the laws of the game.«

The 25 ceramic figurines of our chess game „Alice“ created according to the whimsical characters of the admirable children's book are of course perfect companions to play the game as directed.

Here you go with the moves of the game personally documented by Lewis Carroll:

»White Pawn (Alice) to play, and win in eleven moves.

1. Alice meets R.Q.
R.Q. to K.R's 4th
2. Alice through Q's 3d (by railway) to Q's 4th; Tweedledum and Tweedledee
W.Q. to Q.B's 4th (after shawl)
3 Alice meets W.Q. (with shawl)
W.Q. to Q. B's 5th (becomes sheep)
4 Alice to Q's 5th (shop, river, shop)
W.Q. to K. B's 8th (leaves egg on shelf)
5 Alice to Q's 6th (Humpty Dumpty)
W.Q. to Q.B's 8th (flying from R. Kt.)
6 Alice to Q's 7th (forest) W. Kt. takes R. Kt.
R. Kt. to K's 2nd (ch.)
7 W. Kt. takes R. Kt.
W. Kt. to K. B's 5th
8 Alice to Q's 8th (coronation)
R. Q. to K's sq. (examination)
9 Alice becomes Queen
Queens castle
10 Alice castles (feast)
W.Q. to Q. R's 6th (soup)
11 Alice takes R. Q. & wins«

Which theatric parts in this game are taken by our porcelain figurines (pug Johann, Audrey, Philipp and the dolls of Rudolf as well as the Buddha) or the unique art pieces (bust of rabbits, threating black swan) is not yet decided. But we favour to put them in the middle of the chess board and have them gleefully jubilating reciting the the poem of the Jabberwocky:

Twas brillig, and the slithy toves
Did gyre and gimble in the wabe;
All mimsy were the borogoves,
And the mome raths outgrabe.

But you can also only place them on your podest, look at them and marvel the phantastic world of Kühn Keramik.