Chess DW Set

Hello.

My name is not the Doctor, but I am a huge nerd. I did my best to replicate a chess set from Nightmare in Silver because apparently no one else on the internet has. Although I will not claim it is a perfect replica and there is a lot that could be improved, I am extremely proud of how they came out. Hopefully, you find them impressive as well.

I made this website to showcase more renders of the individual pieces and scenes from the episode that I've tried to recreate. I've also included some more details on the process of making them and some of the problems I had to over come in the process. Because I'm vain I guess.

Me.

I recently started binging Doctor Who and was immediately drawn in by the whimsy, wacky plot, and the dark and interesting subtext the show carries. Season 7 Episode 13, Nightmare in Silver sort of revolves around chess. I was extremely excited because I am a secret chess nerd. I've been looking for a chess set that I really loved, so that I could display it and never convince my friends to play with me. The set from this episode grew on me as I watched. It is simple, but classy. Unnecessarily and unapologetically large. A piece could practically fill out the Doctor's fist. And I started to think that they might be a symbol for the Doctor himself.

In a glance he's a simple concept.Time traveling alien adventuring with his companions, but in reality he is larger than life and one of the most complex characters ever written.

So I was determined to find this chess set and it was going to be the one I show off. Low and behold, it wasn't something I could just buy. So like any rational person I decided to make them myself. So, I did my best and here they are. I hope you enjoy.

The Missing Knight.

While working on these pieces and meticulously analyzing many images and scenes from this show, I realized there was something wrong. The chess game the Doctor and his opponent played was not a famous game or of any major significance, but there is something missing from the image above.

The white pieces are all accounted for, on and off the board. The black pieces, however, are lacking a Knight. Of course, it could be a simple error by the prop department or whoever is responsible for ensuring continuity, but how much cooler would it be if it were on purpose?

At first I thought the Doctor was playing black and it was symbolism. The Doctor's side has one less Knight because he is the Knight. The black Knight, saving the day. Making decisions and sacrifices no one else can. And he is always tricky. However, the Doctor was playing as white, so that theory went out the window.

My second idea was maybe they were implying the Doctor cheated while the Cybermen mainframe was inhibited. Reasonable, but less cool. Maybe in a deleted scene the Cybermen got cocky and decided to give it away and tossed it to the side. Whatever it is, I hope it was on purpose. What do you think?