Why Championship Chess Sets Are So Expensive | So Expensive

An inexpensive chess set can sell for $20, but a handcrafted wooden set certified for the World Chess Championship costs $500. Much of the set's value lies in just one piece: the knight. Each knight must be carved by hand to look exactly the same. Making this one piece takes two hours, and there are fewer than 10 people trained to carve knights for the championship chess sets. So, how are these chessmen made? And why are they so expensive?
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Why Championship Chess Sets Are So Expensive | So Expensive

[@BusinessInsider]

This episode was especially fun to make after watching “The Queen’s Gambit”. One thing we didn’t have time to include is that the board alone for the full set (worth $500) costs $220. Thanks for watching this episode! What other expensive things do you think we should cover?

[@FredPlanatia]

The football (and I mean the international sport with the round ball). I would appreciate if you included a socioeconomic aspect in these reports. It was treated very peripherally here by explaining the time and cost for the figures, and training the workers.

[@Rbo27]

Microphones. Notable the shure sm7b as it is the most commonly used microphone for podcasts and streaming.

[@SKYLIMI]

The conditions in which these people work health and safety, are you proud of what you show? my hands fall on callousness and exploitation

[@SoundSpeeding]

@@Rbo27 that SM7B is a cheap mic though

[@mesory]

Oui

[@thomaskendrick6766]

"Some chessmen must be dyed black"...I'm going to guess HALF of them are dyed black

[@oyebolaopeyemi8590]

If you say "HALF of them" directly. It implies just randomly picking half of them to dye black. For example you can dye the 4 rooks black Nd leave the 4 bishops in the normal colour. That still ends up as Half of them. That's why it was clarified as "Some chessmen"

[@abhijatarun9649]

You guys must be fun at parties ☺️ Edit: didn't know y'all would like this 😬💖

[@ontop2324]

@@abhijatarun9649 exactly

[@PondoSinatra680]

@@abhijatarun9649 We will never know since they don’t get invited to parties.

[@pihermoso11]

they've made studies you know.... 50 percent of the time, the chessmen must be dyed black everytime

[@Greg_Rock]

"What's your work day like?" "I work all day, all knights."

[@aurelienhermant2242]

Underrated lmao

[@studiousboy644]

ah yes, finally a good pun.

[@AdLast]

Good stuff!

[@your_dream_come_true]

underrated asf

[@nandinhocunha440]

Best dad joke

[@gioueem5440]

Imagine a chess player say "The Knight is carved incorrectly, henceforth, I refuse to play with such an unadequate chess set!"

[@IndigoIndustrial]

Imagine a chess player say "I have 32 milk bottle lids and a marker pen. Let's write labels for the pieces and add extra ink on half of them. Winner gets to keep the set!!". ♟

[@gioueem5440]

@@IndigoIndustrial 😂😂😂 i thougth only my family did that for the missing pieces

[@inproduction7605]

when I'm looking at a board during a tournament I can barely even see how the Knight looks from the front so it'd probably won't matter haha

[@Nightshadow3_7]

Never happens. No chess player would say that. Over 2000+ fide, we do not even need a board to play against one another. 😂

[@jorge2785]

At the level of GM players, it is all about whining

[@edzeplin77]

As a machinist I can confidently say that every single one of these pieces would be incredibly easy and quick to make. There's absolutely no reason for the ridiculous cost.

[@jonsolido9868]

XD

[@samisikdar5417]

Probably just because its a championship set

[@sweetdangerzack]

Racketeering

[@j15246]

These parts are handmade with low volume so price is high. For high volume they could be done on a CNC Mill with 4th axis to get the cost way down.

[@AC-kk3vo]

Big difference between a Machinist and a button pusher, know way that knight would be quick to make without a program system like feature cam or solid works , on a manual machine or programming the cnc without the use of some kind of cad program would be out of the average machinist ability to do in a timely manner

[@setsu_6001]

"Once the cutter makes contact, it immedieatly changes the wood." yeah no shit

[@lmeza1983]

Lol yeah probably it was the first time she saw a lathe machine and was amazed by the result.

[@DW11111]

every 60 seconds in Africa, a minute passes

[@danangputratiarno5028]

Ah yes, the floor here is made out of floor

[@dansawinski1676]

Impor..ant

[@kushkamble2027]

XD

[@sword1066]

Sold for $500 dollars a set. Less than 10 people are trusted to make the knights and they have to work in a run down building and not in a professional workshop?

[@_prash]

Bro that's what indian craftsmens condition had been and it is continuing today as well, they are underpaid, middlemen and owners who label it underpay them what they do. Pathetic condition for them.

[@khyatiindla1170]

rich empowerment amirite boys

[@akashvk787]

It not a rundown building it a sawmill they are mostly open which makes it look dirty and old

[@icephoenix3565]

India superpooooo per 2020!

[@sayshazamm3112]

@@icephoenix3565 more like superpooper

[@markthetranslator1162]

The more I watch the So Expensive series the more I understand that a lot of those things are expensive because of... no reason

[@maximdecimus2258]

It’s corporate marketing disguised as a mini documentary

[@Exl6243]

It makes sense that the knight is the hardest to make because it's one of two pieces that's not rotationally symmetric, and the other piece that's not rotationally symmetric (the bishop) only becomes nonsymmetrical with a single cut. All of the other pieces, because they are rotationally symmetric, means you can put the piece on a lathe to cut to specific dimensions easily. You can't do that with the knight.

[@AryanMahipal]

The king is also not rotationally symmetric 😅

[@Exl6243]

@@AryanMahipal it is by 180 degrees. Rotate it by 180, you get the exact same king shape. It’s not circularly symmetric, if that’s what you’re thinking

[@ziggyzoggin]

the rook isn't radially symmetric. well, it is but not enough to spin and carve that way

[@AryanMahipal]

@@Exl6243 If it's about 180⁰ move the knight by 180⁰ it would be syymetrical i guess also bishop

[@Exl6243]

@@AryanMahipal That's not true. If you rotate the knight by 180 degrees, you get the knight facing the other side, hence it's not symmetrical by 180 degrees. The bishop is the same deal.

[@michaeljanzer5177]

The workers after seeing this video: “YOUR SELLING THEM FOR $500 A SET??”

[@GamingWithJumbo]

they probably don't even have access to internet...

[@uwu-jv2jn]

@@GamingWithJumbo most indians have internet access sadly

[@GamingWithJumbo]

@@mxgamerprov3767 my bad, its just that the area i'm living in have such people with no access to internet

[@awesomestunts]

@@uwu-jv2jn why sadly?

[@LoneWolf2308]

@@GamingWithJumbo They probably even are able to read... Unfortunately the system around the world, are made to exploit poor and unlucky persons. Welcome to this miserable world boys and girls...

[@bottledpeanuts6846]

To summarize this video: championship chess sets are so expensive because nobody wants to dedicate years of their life to working in a sweatshop for 5 dollars a day

[@randomcallum]

yep

[@elftax]

5 dollars a day….

[@pavel9652]

Why most of the expensive things are expensive? Because they are hand made or handpicked and/or are produced in small quantities ;)

[@ShamoKwok]

@@pavel9652 because rich people buy anything so people can raise prices to an unreasonable level and they will still buy it.

[@sarthak2871]

Bro that's to much for an hour in Amritsar I think they are even paid less, most of them would hardly have $15 a day.😟😟

[@Schluggaluggas]

my grandma had a very old, very beautiful chess board, handcarved and made to perfection just laying around. i rembered her about this and she said i could just take it home. she doesnt play chess and i could not be more happy. it feels very good after it was polished. this made me play chess more often :)

[@deeeeeere]

It must be really hard for international chess player to identify correct piece.

[@Ivoireee]

Knight: _is misshapen_ Chess Caster: "And now we have Player 1 making a move with the Rook!"

[@SM-ys8lw]

its not hard for them to idnetify a piece they need to be able to look at the entire board and know what every single piece is at a glance, if the bishop and queen look too similar it will add a few seconds where they have to consciously think about it even if only for a second or two its still a distraction that will lower the overall quality of play, and at that level of play it hurts a lot

[@deeeeeere]

Nd u really think that they're gonna forget how bishop nd queen look different when all their attention is on board all the time nd strategies nd counter play already occuring in their mind. Punching that timer takes lot longer than identifying pawn, perhaps that timer needs sensor so that those valuable precious moments won't be wasted to do menial task of punching it.

[@SM-ys8lw]

@stormrage I'm nit talking about thentimer I'm talking about having to stop. Your train of thought for a brief second because the queen and bishop look to similar, once a move is made the thought process won't be hurt by an brief interruption as much if at all,

[@deeeeeere]

@@SM-ys8lw i don't think bishop nd queen r really that confusing but anyway, we can agree to disagree. May be one of us will become international chess player smday nd see for himself.

[@amphicorp4725]

This woman really just called the horse's mane its "tail"

[@Deloxo]

honestly I'm not even mad, an amogus horse would have it's made connected to it's tail a funny image tbh

[@colt9758]

She’s just reading a script. She *could’ve* written it, but I doubt it. Benefit of the doubt.

[@Friek555]

@@skeeter197140 Must have *gone

[@deyanaleksich8293]

Yeah was gonna say that smh

[@malharapte5989]

xD

[@wparo]

Sold for $500 dollars a set. And these workers will be lucky if they get $5

[@leepek3575]

than that set produced in EU whould be 5k$ I guess :D

[@slayercube9723]

U say 5 peace they will be lucky to get 5$ a day.

[@pewpewkad7]

Came here to say this. The artisans deserve fair pay

[@SS-lp8fu]

I live in this area , the daily wage is 400rs / 5$

[@patrong8128]

R R dammn

[@elihughes8923]

I love playing chess! I remember my buddy and I skipping school to play chess for hours at the park!

[@joaoalbertodosanjosgomes1536]

Very interesting work.

[@beefchalupa]

"Man it's just getting so hard to find good chess carvers. How come nobody will carve chess sets for $5 a day in terrible working conditions so that I can sell them for $500 each??" These artisans are getting exploited.

[@paulrajkhowa3061]

Exactly, I'm from India, and when I ordered my official championship board, it only cost me 10$ That proves that these workers are making nothing at all.

[@mareksicinski3726]

Might be true, though they are still in a distinct position as rare skilled workers

[@sk-sm9sh]

@@paulrajkhowa3061 I assume yours didn't come from "the certified crafters" to make sets for the world championship though. I assume there are 100s if not 1000s people who can do this job well but the ones that been selected for certification probably are only 10 to ensure limited supply of "the official stuff".

[@nelsonkiiru7252]

@@sk-sm9sh Definitely!

[@TuomioK]

This is mostly ridiculous and I think this system is made just to rip off. 5 years to learn that skill is simply ridiculous. Maybe it takes some time to make those but the craftmanship required is not super high. I do value good craftmanship but this system is just taking advantage of those workers. I dont believe they get much of that 500 like said before. And I dont see that price justified on the complexity of the work. Yes they are well made but they still are relatively simple objects and essentially just mass produced (by hand) in a line. I simply cant see taking many hours to make even that knight.

[@WafflesOfEgg]

"Only 10 people can make these pieces" Correction: We could only get 10 people to make these pieces for 5$ a day

[@MOMOFCJ6]

Where are the numbers coming from

[@MrTheBigNoze]

Yeah... I was surprised to hear that these "master artisans" only train for 4-5 months until they're trusted enough to work on a $500 chess set. I wonder how much of that profit they actually see...

[@Logan0o]

It’s $5* the $ goes in front of the number

[@Zyczu55]

@@Logan0o nobody cares

[@danarseptiyanto4066]

@@Logan0o bruh who cares

[@kerrywsmyth]

Wow I grew up playing my dad with a set pretty much identical to what these people are making. I didn’t realize it was an international standard or anything. I just thought it was made by someone who liked to tinker on a lathe. My dad said he got it from his grandpa, who died in 1969. The set comes in a handmade wooden box with ridiculously handcrafted dovetailed sides. There’s no telling how old the set is, but if I had to guess, it’s got to be at least 75 years old.

[@tychay]

The Staunton design is about 175 years old. Most plastic sets, including the one I grew up with in the 1970's copy that design, so it is no surprise that your grandpa's set is similar. As they point out there are detail differences even amongst the Staunton design (in this case between the Championship and Tournament level). If you see an Authentic House of Staunton set (which this is), you can tell the quality difference immediately. If hand carved, I don't think that quality could be done without the set costing thousands of dollars. HoS sets in Staunton can be much cheaper than this ($200 vs. $500) because they can have cheaper carvings of the Knight, King, and Queen. Not to say your grandpa's set wouldn't be worth hundreds of dollars today, of course. Back then they didn't have plastic molded pieces and ready manufacturing to make sets cheaply. Those cheap sets squeeze out the demand for any non-hand carved wooden set that isn't excellently made (HoS) or a cheap copy.

[@daniellaehornamsarweh827]

Sir you have a vintage piece in your possession. Guard it well.

[@pananas85]

Not all of the artisans are ready to carve a knight... because many of them die from hunger long before...

[@adicus1110]

Doesn't look like the artisans get the share of the profits they deserve

[@ScumfuckMcDoucheface]

Right? I sincerely hope that we are wrong.... but I somehow doubt that

[@techmad8204]

Look at that factory if each set gets 500usd that isn't what I was expecting the factory to looks like

[@qriosity9265]

Artists are most underrated.

[@Kashi-Bajwa]

Of course.......a big share of the profit is taken by the factory owner

[@Vision_Voyagers]

They never do, not here, not anywhere.

[@FinancialShinanigan]

Meanwhile Japanese artisans: it took me 5 months to learn how to pick the correct piece of wood.

[@Shutupredditnarrator]

😂👌

[@orangepekoe7096]

And then spend another 2 years sweeping the shop floor.

[@killarusca1495]

@@orangepekoe7096 and 20 years to actually carve a chess piece

[@kuljahanproductions4587]

@@killarusca1495 and an additional 30 years to polish That carved chess piece

[@alanwatts8239]

Shit, i messed up... well, back to the wood it is

[@COTUONGHAY.]

Amazing, Bro!❤

[@Dhananjuly]

Watching this video itself is so satisfying ❤❤

[@freez1ngsapper]

“Official” chess set, huh? Wouldn’t want to sneak in one of those modded knights that can move twice in one turn.

[@user-yn6ii7ys3u]

bro im dead 🤣🤣

[@Balila_balbal_loki]

Jokes aside, every set is weighed now because a champion stated that the pieces don't weigh the same and black gets a disadvantage of having heavier pieces. The championship holders after checking the sets and doing an experiment seeing that over the course of a game there was in fact delay in the time moves were being made which would add up to reducing your total time now they weigh every piece and if it's below or above the acceptable range the set doesn't get used. Right now if you went against chess hustlers that play for money especially the ones who play bullet (30 seconds) they use a cheated set that has heavy pieces for their opponent and hollow pieces for themselves.

[@kets4443]

@@Balila_balbal_loki Damn piece weight is enough to turn the tide of a game?

[@shalom5978]

@@kets4443 I honestly dont think so. What does the weight have to do with a player's strategy?

[@josebarreto8577]

@@shalom5978 A Bullet game is made in the course of a minute and most standards chess matches are decided in the frame of the last 10 seconds on their clock.

[@sayan64]

Knight: only 10 people knows to carve knights for WC sets takes 5 years to master its carving takes 2 hours to carve one knight GMs in WC: exchanges knights after 10 moves. Knight carvers: 😲😲😲😲

[@abcdefghij8734]

Dude I sacrifice my king in every 10 move, doesn't mean they gonna stop making kings.

[@deusexmachina1720]

@@abcdefghij8734 i dont like your joke

[@sunnyboy_7832]

@@deusexmachina1720 lmao ur fun at parties

[@gobbedy]

ungrateful GMs

[@FalenAnjel2]

@@abcdefghij8734 Think about how often and how much it must cost with Wizards Chess. XD

[@Dystopian.Future]

They better be expensive. They’re like the Artisan’s version of a Blood Diamond lol

[@michaelleng9537]

and then the chess players do a knight trade.....

[@joselucca2728]

"Once the cutter makes contact it immediately changes the wood." Why they feel the need to explain this?

[@TraumaER]

The IQ of today’s average KZbinr is at all time lows.

[@2mono7]

Filler

[@chill_will9816]

How about calling a chisel a cutter?

[@100acatfishandwillbreakyou2]

Every 60 seconds, a minute passes in africa.

[@joaquin7024]

Because it sounds good when said, thus making the sentence a little bit more beautiful.

[@MichaelRozie]

The pieces are tested in a wind tunnel to improve arrodynamic flow. This ensures maximum movement speed in the fast paced and exiting sport of chess

[@KarolOfGutovo]

I can sense the sarcasm, but look at some speed chess games. They play the whole match in like 30 seconds, and are better at it than me if I had an hour a move to think.

[@Pak_Industrial]

@Michael R If my chess set can't produce lift I'm at a disadvantage. What if he flies his knight over to my king while I'm struggling to keep my pawns airborn?

[@MichaelRozie]

@@KarolOfGutovo I can’t believe how they do that. When I try that I make so many mistakes because I get in the speed flow where you just want to match his speed

[@kaz_augustus]

@@Pak_Industrial hands*

[@tomthecat268]

😂😂😂‼️

[@niercyrian8573]

I think what he meant to say was, that it's nearly impossible to find talent that you can exploit.

[@GGMike42]

I'm hoping for a chessup for christmas. It looks pretty amazing after watching some unboxing/reviews. It's not wood, but it's high tech.

[@kevinobrebski17]

“Artisans use particular steel tools, called cutters.” Very profound.

[@panthomromah1551]

Very dumb

[@sreeramanoop1403]

so ironic

[@Villager6883]

Next episode: Why is your mom so expensive

[@leonardodavinci7524]

@@Villager6883 why your mom is so mid

[@rushikesh2320]

Lemme help. The cutter they are using is either a Tool Steel or High Speed Steel. These are high carbon steels, more carbon more hardness less it will deform. They can be grinded on grinder to any shape

[@piyushaggarwal501]

Everybody talking about if artisans got the share of price, dude even "business insider" didnt care to even put artist's name to their profile. They would have loved it.

[@ananthim7358]

@@thelazydire wat do u mean by how do u know? We can obviously see the video and notice that buisness insider didnt add their names which they cud have easily done. And how does this not matter? It's all about giving value to the artists. If we cannot directly pay them we can atleast give them recognition. Thats wat the person was saying. I dont understand ur problem.

[@bagasster8104]

Capitalism at its finest, you make me realize to give this kind of video a dislike.

[@sammyyegan7264]

The pieces made in this video are Staunton pieces while the board used in the world championship and other high ranked tournaments is the DGT smart board

[@ishimarumasaki1998]

@@ananthim7358 they did interview with some of the artisans... one of them sounds indian...

[@-Scrapper-]

They even pronounced the name wrong

[@bouzianeyahia781]

Wow it's amazing and beautiful job , I like it ❤

[@jaybruce2816]

Wow I actually learned something today I had no idea it was such skilled work I couldn't even make a pawn lol thanks for the video

[@fu3g]

This sounds like my high school papers when I used a bunch of filler sentences just to meet a word count.

[@querube78]

"Once the cutter makes contact...it immediately changes the wood" "Each carving is international" Jesus that reminded me of bullshitting school presentations.

[@aviralpatel2443]

dude😂!

[@Dr.Kananga]

@@aviralpatel2443 True, because it is. I worked with wood for a few years for work and hobby, mainly maple, cherry, teak, oak, pine, ash tree, I did carve by hand and by dremel some detailed pieces and those knights are poor quality, something a beginner would do and not worthy of the $500 price tag.

[@MindinViolet]

She keeps saying the same things over and over but worded differently.

[@triliner254]

@@Dr.Kananga You have proof those pieces are low quality? Completely baseless.

[@sofiaveloso7861]

"It is very difficult to find good quality skilled carvers for manufacturing chessmen, given the fact that we don't even offer proper dust masks or a decent salary :)"

[@dr.bendover-md]

No, it’s because it requires specific skills.

[@Zeeangelofdeath]

@@dr.bendover-md even so there is absolutely no incentive for anyone to want to try and do it because of said things.

[@dr.bendover-md]

@@Zeeangelofdeath there also is no reason for the company to pay them more, clearly. Principle of supply and demand.

[@killer008r]

They definitely get paid enough.

[@sidpenalver7602]

@@killer008r they're laborers in india. they would be lucky to get $10 a day.

[@Countcomfortable]

4:43 “I swear bro, I didn’t intentionally blunder my Queen, it was totally because the Queen was too short. I swear it bro!” In all seriousness, this carries the energy of “He’s not hacking, he just has a really good gaming chair”

[@iogamer9702]

This entire video was so satisfying to watch.

[@ChessNetwork]

The knight is a tricky piece. 😎

[@diaamooond]

ayeeee

[@UmUs]

And the best looking one!

[@micho8726]

Jerry wasup!! Love your videos

[@adil92zafar]

Jerry !!!!

[@rupakbhattarai7095]

So You Are Here Too. Love You Jerry.

[@janklas7079]

The real explanation why it is expensive is NOT in this video. It's not the labor. The people you see making these pieces are NOT the ones getting the money.

[@maofas]

So very wrong. The labor is what makes it expensive (i.e. adds value), but most of that value is kept by the owner and not given to the worker, which is how all profit is made, regardless of industry. If the set were mass produced by machines or even just reduced to a less skillful work process with simpler quality standards more chess sets would be produced in a shorter time for lower final cost.

[@mitmeetsmadness]

@@maofas So my eyes don't deceive me? Extremely unexpected to see proponent of the labor theory of value here. I'm satisfied, for the day finished as good as it lasted.

[@trumoocheese4851]

@@mitmeetsmadness like a breath of fresh air tbh, hate this video so much

[@ngitingtagumpay7976]

Just like the famous bags made in factories, Workers receive basic salary a month but they produce luxury bags worth million every day.

[@blazoraptor3392]

@@maofas the problem isn't that the owners get the profit, it's how much profit is made at the expense of the worker. The workers may as well be paid in peanuts and gum packets

[@brunovladares9714]

I really want a video of only the carving of the pieces. It would be great for a ASMR

[@nischalreddy1710]

It's so odd, The chess set is so expensive but the makers of the pieces sit in a dark room on the floor

[@TheGavrael]

“The factory produces...” Shows a picture of five people in a dirty alley

[@bitcoinzoomer9994]

Welcome to developing nation

[@lmeza1983]

@@bitcoinzoomer9994 forever developing nation*

[@CWJ0725]

@@lmeza1983 yes, because the rich countries get richer, and the developing nations will stuck at the developing stage forever

[@Nhan_nguyen271]

@@AK-tf3fc erm sorry to interrupt you but many developed countries now like the US or UK are enrich and developed right now because they invade smaller developing country, especially in the Asia region. They abuse both human and natural resource. Vietnam( the US, France, Japanese..) and china (UK,Spain) are the 2 popular example. Nowadays they also bully smaller country in the name of democracy and free trade allow big cooperation destroy economy of developing country, make great buck for weapon company like Lockheed Martin export all kind of junk foods. Cuban is other example as after nearly 40 years from Cuban missile crisis US still keep sanctions on this country . ( this also one of the big reason why communism is not" success", how the hell they can run smoothly when there's a fat guy in name of democracy attempt to destroy you both in economy and military, and yes no such economy model is perfect and so does CAPITALISM with there ridiculous high medicine and insurance expense), and with Iran is even worst as they want to sell oil not in US dollar then poof it now a terrorism country with no democracy . So screw the idea that all people in developing country are poor because they lazy , you should start to take information from proper history sites instead of mouth pierce ,Quora or Facebook.

[@35_raidenramadhan_tm16]

@@AK-tf3fc not all sometimes it beacause of corruption there are a lot of high ranking police, soldier, or government that got that position by paying or cause they know someone while the smart and capable one are left unheard

[@youbot1232]

The carving looks so satisfying... The artisans truly deserve a much bigger cut of the price..

[@jojoreynoso9408]

@@KennyLeclercJr they work in an India factory so they obviously aren't getting paid good wages

[@chrisreplay2272]

250 sets x $500 so only $125,000 every year to split between wages, materials, machines, tools, factory & profit. I doubt anyone's getting rich here..

[@galvidmar1247]

The artisans look like they live in poverty but people think they are underpaid but in india they get above average pay around 3000dollars us and in india that is a lot

[@samuraiboi2735]

Tbh i actually live those chess pieces

[@samuraiboi2735]

I do remember my mom buying it well she wasnt a champion nor am i one but we just kept it as a souvenir or a collection

[@rohitnair6778]

It's so satisfying to see the tools cutting the wood

[@dmitrit81]

Interesting, thanks

[@FingersKungfu]

The factory's conditions look just like a sweatshop from hell.

[@pranavborude193]

This is the Indian second class conditions

[@ashutoshsingh450]

Trust me dude... this is still better... there's even worse

[@meepotello626]

The last thing you need to worry is the factory cause these workers were severely underpaid aswell

[@sambitpal172]

das india babyyyyyyy

[@sambitpal172]

@Chinmay Chadha yup, I did live there, I am not currently in the nl, India is generally a hellhole

[@rossrothchild7666]

Chess manufacturers: "we can't find anyone qualified to make chessmen" Also chess manufacturers: "Sorry, we will only pay $5 a day."

[@GovindSingh-gn1ob]

That’s a lot bro actually they get around $2 a day

[@Deepak-gt9wd]

But, 5$ a day is equal to almost 12000 rs a month here in India and that's not that bad, still it's really low, but that is higher than what I make as a teacher

[@riteshgupta4002]

@@Deepak-gt9wd 5 dollar is 370per day... less than daily wage for unskilled labour. i agree that teachers are paid terribly as many actually make money through tutions which is bad scenario

[@Deepak-gt9wd]

@@riteshgupta4002 Yey, teachers are underpaid, mainly in private schools, I used to take Tutions too,

[@supe4701]

Is there any source that says they get paid 5 dollars a day?

[@nunyabusiness761]

What i think is also impressive is how the can memorize the pieces

[@sheenleng4096]

I would choose the wooden one than plastic, even though it is expensive, for the artisan works are extraordinary.

[@benwagner4741]

The contrast between the settings where these tournaments take place and the workshop where these pieces are made is staggering

[@gaelstrarai]

I'm glad someone said it.

[@kinnikuzero]

Kinda projects the world we live in

[@Mayurbhedru]

Usually workshops india have habbit of shitty condition. Reason because even worker don't care about it.

[@jcx5663]

Aren't most workshops grungy though... like look at your local mechanic

[@skaarphy5797]

Wasn't always like that. For the longest time professional chess players had a hard time making a living out of it. For example, Vasily Smyslov, the 1957 world champion, died in poverty in the year 2010. More often than not they were almost forced to do some coaching on the side or write a chess book or something. It's only been in the last few decades that people who do not belong to the absolute top can get by just by playing chess.

[@MrHappy3feet]

If they are worried about people losing interest in become this craftman why don’t you just raise the salary? Easy. People know it’s not worth it because they get paid so little for their hard work

[@samuelberson8202]

Greed

[@tomdebom1346]

True. But also, even if you offered me 6 figures a year for this job I probably wouldn’t do it - imagine having to train 6 years to learn to carve the knight properly and by the end of it you’re still not good enough

[@s1m4r]

@@tomdebom1346 that's not a good mentality

[@Han-tr2wc]

@@greatestevar Shut up

[@toahero5925]

Not really. There are plenty of jobs that pay extremely well, but take too much time and effort to learn.

[@aeliasventura]

This is incredible!

[@damsen978]

This should be more accessible, they should teach people how to do this. I don't want their methods to fade out of history.

[@hailragesh]

I am an Indian, ordered a leather wallet which came from Australia spending 70 USD and later found its engraved as "Proudly made in India". The similar wallets are available in Indian market for 12 USD. Most of the time we don't pay for the quality or craftsmanship, but for the marketing.

[@ravenking2458]

😂

[@TheDevilockedzombie]

How mad were you when you saw it was made in India? Lol

[@cotoquimico4355]

this is more common than it seems, as a Brazilian I know this well, we sell oil because we can't refinish it, and then we buy refined oil at a more expensive price, a long time ago we were also the biggest sugar exporter in the world, but who it was the Netherlands that sold more expensively to the rest of the world, it's kind of obvious why we're still a third world country lol

[@bharatacll4959]

😂

[@ratulsaha9487]

I care about brand value

[@brickmack]

Apparently the "hand carved" aspect is important enough to use Indian sweatshop workers instead of robots, but not so important as to bother paying an artisan a few hundred dollars a piece

[@mcdripeast1634]

You crazy ‘a few hundred dollars’ ? These guys’ll be lucky to get 15. It’s just that hard to make money as a laborer

[@auxchar]

I'm surprised it's so important, actually. A CNC could crank these out like crazy, and they would function identically, the only difference being the suffering involved in making it. edit: actually, I take that back. They would function BETTER because the CNC would be more precise.

[@abcdef8915]

Are they exploited? Is upfront cost for "robots" cheap? Is the product FIDE approved?

[@snailmailmagic1133]

If Robots replace them, the manufacturer will still make money but these guys will be jobless without any work.

[@iamsam-cu9rz]

@@snailmailmagic1133there are better jobs than glorified sweat shop worker

[@PainInTheS]

I have a beautiful handcrafted set from Poland. My parents decided to do a different holiday at one time and went to Poland instead of a sunny standard destination....must have been 1985 or 1986 I guess. They brought the set back home as a present. To our standards everything was really cheap there. My mother was looking at a dress on a market or something, best looking thing there and the most expensive.....people actually stopped to look if she would buy it, as if she was a queen or something. Made my folks very uncomfortable as they were just regular working class peoole themselves. I still have that chess set, great piece of work.

[@carlbaldz515]

"Chess Sets are so expensive" Chess GM:Sacrifice the rook,knight,bishop,queen,pawn

[@badger297]

Think about that. Less than 10 people in the world are trusted to make those pieces, yet they make less money than even the lowest paid athlete in America. That's ridiculous. These guys are like the personification of craftsmanship

[@peteypete9357]

Pffft, they should be happy we're not automating their jobs or be switching to a high tech plastic. Keep up with the 21st century

[@notastrangeperson2298]

@@peteypete9357 what a shit take

[@creativebeetle]

@@notastrangeperson2298 Agreed. There's a point to be made regarding the efficiency of mass production vs the less necessary and more expensive artisan qualities of hand made items (i.e. Carpentry vs Ikea), but to say that craft is inherently inferior to mass production is not a great point. As the advancement of mass production clarifies what can be made by machines, the qualities unique to human craft become accentuated and valuable. Even the rise of machine learning shows how pre-existing styles of art can be quickly replicated and pushes artistic expression into new directions.

[@ellisfmorton4086]

You’d think it would be very easy to form a union if there’s only ten of you.

[@Jytube231]

There's no reference to their pay in this video. They might be paid quite handsomely within the context of their society.

[@FinancialShinanigan]

People should try buying directly from the artisans, shame they don't get a larger part of the final price.

[@ScumfuckMcDoucheface]

The artisans would probably get fired/physically attacked if they did such a thing =/ sad but true

[@ScumfuckMcDoucheface]

@@KennyLeclercJr spidey senses. **suuuper confident nod.**

[@chaitanyadivate4551]

@@ScumfuckMcDoucheface what? Where do you base these absurd ideas from

[@anandisrocking007]

I am sorry but I find this an outdated and inefficent and slow way of making it why should I pay more for would when I can buy it for cheaper or 3d print it it is more of sentiment than value

[@ZOCCOK]

The artisans work on a specific piece. A single artisan does not produce the whole set. So your theory of buying it directly from the artisan is just flawed. Plus the artisans are trained to make the chess pieces in a specific manner by the producer so there is no artisan on the world who just started producing chess pieces perfectly from the time they were born

[@soxice5096]

what up steven, i luv ur vids

[@caelestigladii]

I’ve seen lots of woodworkers make fancier designs to perfection. Lack of skilled woodworkers might make the set more expensive in the future? Ha! What they mean is that the number of skilled woodworkers agreeing to dirt cheap pay is getting harder and harder find.

[@tarandril95]

When she started talking about the artisans, I assumed it would be like the sushi masters, who have to wash rice for 20 years before even attempting to make sushi... but then she said they train for a whopping 4 months... After that, I scrolled down to this comment section and saw that I'm not the only one who realized it's all just exploitation disguised as incredible craftsmanship.

[@NinjaRunningWild]

Oh, please! 1. Average person couldn't do it without some training. 2. Not everything needs years of study to reach its zenith. 3. These are full-grown adults choosing to work a job. So, spare us the non-value-added moralizing.

[@tarandril95]

@@NinjaRunningWild No one is saying there is no value added. What I'm saying is that the work being done is glamourized and presented as something it is not. If this was a video about showing people who are struggling to make ends meet and doing what must be done to provide for their family, i dont think anyone would be leaving negative comments. But as things stand, this is just one notch above working in a sweatshop.

[@graydation]

@@tarandril95 It's not a notch above... this is a sweatshop... Just because they charge $500 for "championship set" doesn't change the fact that these "artisans" probably make like 5 cents a day.

[@gunilive781]

the video itself says the knight is what makes it so hard and exclusive

[@unkemptwalrus4643]

@@graydation key word “probably”

[@abrahamf6124]

"it can change the outcome of the game" Player be like "my knight is 1% lower then his, so I'm gonna lose"

[@-neuro]

ikr wtf did they mean it can change the outcome of the game lmao

[@zxcvzxcv6708]

Those indian artisans probably add some random enchants at the end of their crafts

[@slamp3844]

@@-neuro its because weight, height and looks can change the perception of the game. Its Psychological.

[@-neuro]

@@slamp3844 which one of your two brain cells came up with that one?

[@slamp3844]

@@-neuro its pretty obvious. Since you clearly enjoy the mundane lifestyle, you should know that those who compete at the extremes- whether that be elite athletics, marathons, or even chess are incresingly more affected by the small things we normally wouldnt notice. When you compete at the peak, even the smallest of things can make a difference. They likely took this into account to increase fairness. Think harder.

[@salamindia5148]

Huge Respect for these workers 🙏❤️

[@watyhu99]

You know they're being underpaid when they're using tattered cardboard boxes for shrapnel guards on their grinders instead of actually useful protective guards

[@abhilashpatel3036]

Yes they are underpaid. But even if you pay high, they will still use the same thing as a choice. It's india.

[@felipemelo8707]

@@abhilashpatel3036 I hope you're joking

[@darkushippotoxotai9536]

@@felipemelo8707 PARTLY, mate. I am an Indian and I use a news paper as a mouse pad and a 4 dollar keyboard even though we can *technically*afford a better one. It might not seem much to spend 10 dollars on a keyboard, but it matters if you earn like 8500 dollars a year or something such and have a mortgage

[@Vikas_Kumar_Singh]

The benefits of capitalism

[@breadcurate62]

@@darkushippotoxotai9536 that’s what we mean by underpaid lol

[@chubs2312]

This series should dive into how much the final price is split between the intermediaries and the primary producers. We’ll have a better undetermined of why it’s so expensive

[@unknownchannel3141]

Indeed.

[@seanbailey8545]

Then you would see how much the markups are.

[@Arrica101]

Cost to make the set >$5, Mark up on the set $495

[@MrSupernova111]

@@Arrica101 . Probably. For example, about two years ago I bought a 12" travel set for about $20. I looked it up again earlier this year and it was priced at $80. Same exact set. Indian workers get paid next to nothing. Mark up has to be astronomical.

[@archkull]

@@MrSupernova111 It really is astronomical. Things people don't even think about are marked up to incredible prices. Everything is marked up. And all the money goes to the wrong people.

[@thebends6580]

Viid's script: "the detailed features are also essential by lowering the chances a player will make a mistake"... Hikaru's reaction vid: Wait what? Ha ha ha ha!

[@andubverse]

When i was in 6th standard i participated in the school chess competition and was playing on a similar wooden chess board but at that time my small brain did not comprehend the difference between the king n queen and i lost just becoz of that in marely 5 moves...but now after seeing the effect n work i feel great to actually play on that chessboard that day...now i have a similar but a small wooden chess board

[@TucanSam75]

"Factory produces 250 sets per year" "Sets are $500" "Other pieces carved in minutes" "Knights only take 2 hours to make"

[@aarlavaan]

that is only the time shaping them. not curing, weighting, polishing etc... or taking into account processing the lumber down to the correct sizes, which has to wait 6 months to be seasoned and dry before they can even do that. add to that these are championship sets, which means they really only see use in championships, which don't exactly happen every week, nor do they have a massive number of participants. think of say... a pest control business. they only work the summer, because that is when the pests are a problem. these factories probably only work a portion of the year because their product is only requested a certain time of year.

[@nxcrobutcher]

@@aarlavaan why are you defending sweatshops that underpay their workers so they can sell overpriced wood

[@aarlavaan]

@@nxcrobutcher I'm not. just stating why they have a lot of down time compared to the time it takes to shape the pieces. Poochlol is implying that they should be able to make more than 250 sets per year because the carving and shaping of the pieces only takes a few minutes, to a couple hours per piece. I was reminding them that isn't the entire process, sweatshop or not.

[@blackricw6495]

@@aarlavaan if you make more than 250 sets a year, then it's no longer as exclusive so they cant sell it for 500

[@aarlavaan]

@@blackricw6495 I am aware.

[@connorbrown532]

I thought this was going to be interesting but then I really got hit with lines like “The skill of the artisan can ultimately effect the quality of the final product”

[@oofusmcdoofus]

Every 60 seconds in Africa, a minute passes

[@connorbrown532]

@@oofusmcdoofus I hear in Africa height depends on how tall you are, is this true?

[@arnvonsalzburg5033]

Bill & Ted: No way

[@handicrafts-fez]

Good job 👏

[@lisamartinez7282]

They really make it seem like the chess players are playing the game without looking at any of the pieces.

[@ligmasugmakenya114]

"affect the outcome of the game" that's a load of cap right there. Oh no, this knight isn't perfectly symmetrical and it's causing me to misplay lol.

[@randikalakmal]

Specially at 2800+ ELO level. These guys could play chess with checkers pieces full strength.

[@TheOneWhoHasABadName]

I mean, GMs are playing online perfectly fine, and there are no pieces at all. Some of them are even able to hold blindfolded simuls and win on pretty much all boards. The pieces don’t matter; as long as they are somewhat recognisable and not dangerous to move (i.e. they don’t splinter/fall over easily), they can always play a good game of chess. unless of course one of them is like bobby fischer, that guy’s a bit unhinged, and the quality of pieces might actually matter (along with other, very specific conditions) edit: also, maybe in a bullet tournament it might matter, but I’m sure as hell not going to try and play bullet on a physical board

[@sgt.d.1311]

Yeah it doesn’t change the game at all lol. I could use pieces of paper with the names of the chess piece on it and it would be the same thing

[@cypherusuh]

@@TheOneWhoHasABadName I think they should make specific piece for bullet. Maybe it's much smaller / slimmer with wider bottom for extra stability so it doesn't topple easily. Or just go full Japanese shogi and turned to fully flat.

[@spyrosvassilakis4212]

It is a genuine concern though... I have been playing chess for the better part of 15 years and cheap pieces fall very easily, especially if you're clumsy. Now combine that with a 5 minute blitz game where you move pieces very fast, one clumsy move can ruin the entire board...

[@Lucian028]

"This is one of the most expensive chess sets in the world" The chess set: hand carved by Indians for a minimum wage in a dark and dirty warehouse. Yep, world-class chess pieces, seems legit.

[@therealmistermemer]

The workers are exploited! Poverty wins again!

[@jballz5848]

Go buy one for $5,000 directly if you want them to be paid better. Virtue Signaling is lazy

[@franzferdinand9690]

@@jballz5848 are they wrong tho?

[@reversed5552]

@@jballz5848 Yup, if they care so much, do something to change it.

[@michaela.754]

So basically they can be replaced by plastic Injection molding for 1/1000 of the price. Which would you prefer. Stupid people paying 500 for a set. Or smart people paying 5 dollars for a set? Their job exists because people pay more for a brand despite how it's made.

[@dancingrook8553]

welp just ordered this exquisite set. Cannot wait

[@masksilencer1421]

‘It can actually change the the out come of a game lowering the chances a person will make a mistake’ 🤣

[@causethisisthriller2729]

"The hair on the knight's tail" Pretty sure that's its mane

[@aromachocolates]

Yep. I’ve noticed A LOT of inaccurate stuff in their videos.

[@HaroldSeaman]

Also they mention the origins of chess in India while showing an image of a lewis chessmen Discovered in 1831 on the outer hebrides of scotland

[@danielius1306]

@@BombLobster probably a language barrier since that person is indian

[@danielius1306]

Nvm after my comment narrator also called the pieces chess men

[@samrat447]

Exactly!!!

[@rogerf3675]

Craftmanship aside, I highly doubt the higher priced pieces actually change the outcome of a game. Having a particular style that is standard makes it nice and reliable but there are cheaper sets that have distinguishable pieces as well. So it more sounds like a 'made up' industry based on expectations.

[@lucasborja3797]

They don’t, players barely even look at the board, they play it all in their head

[@wscratchensniff5872]

This is all corruption. They intentionally buy this high so that middlemen and other officials can become rich. If this is really $500 set then labourers' condition can be better.

[@pilotcyborg.gaming]

@@wscratchensniff5872 the labour is the last guy to get the money ofcourse he has a boss who owns the company and the machinery needed so how will labour condition improve the hardly get 200$ a month

[@commanderofkesariyaknights]

Same is the case with whole fashion industry in France and Italy.

[@kevinfager.]

Yeah. That sounded odd to me as well. Not a chess player but it seems far fetched.

[@SnapCracklePapa]

@2:30 I like the way that horses tails come out of the back of their head. It's impor-ant to know your horse anatomy.

[@jeffjr84]

they do good work man get them a better shop.

[@angshudeepmajumdar734]

I have one very humble question here. As a person who knows the game, I seriously do not understand how a $500 chess set is different from a $5 chess set, when it comes to the actual game.

[@aries2764]

it isn't

[@calebspain4828]

@@aries2764 well you have $495.00 less cash to put where your mouth is..

[@harrylane4]

The only thing that matters is the sensors, and that’s something that could be done with NFC chips that you can buy for 1000/a dollar

[@user-zz7le5qc6x]

Dust in the eyes.

[@talamioros]

maybe it makes no difference to you, but it makes all the difference to the shill who's earning $495 more by gouging championship organisers...someone's going home richer

[@Redeemedbylove1987]

“Only ten people can make these pieces,” sounds like a joke.

[@Grimeaper]

It is. Like caviar. Just get someone to make one set, use a HQ 3D scanner then print it out, use some weights, and electronic pieces bam done. In fact with this method you can do more with electronics than with what is in the video and if you truly truly wanted to make it expensive use Tungsten or Gold for weighing it.

[@hsvr]

@@Grimeaper why you justifying nonsense

[@Grimeaper]

@@hsvr I did the opposite mate. Re read. I came up with a better, cheaper, faster more efficient removes the human element entirely minus maintenance.

[@CylindricalWhistle]

More like "we could only find ten people with this level of skill who'd be willing to work in a sweatshop for 5 bucks a day," lol.

[@paulwhat322]

Because it is

[@nativeafroeurasian]

I have a metal chess game from greece for less than 100€ (I think it was 49€) and I like the handling more than that of wooden figures. It's a bit loud though and the pieces can tilt a bit sometimes so I get why you can't use it for championships. But who needs that kind of set at home? I actually like it more to see differently made pieces when visiting my friends;

[@blobbycrafterzzz2445]

Although much more effort is put into carving championship kings than regular tournament kings, the tournament ones look so much nicer.

[@ivanteo1973]

as a mechanical engineer, machines definitely can make them at a cheaper faster rate. There are no internal carving, just surface grinding.

[@Tempelge1st]

I think even if 50% of a machines pieces wouldn't meet the competition standards it would likely still be faster. Maybe less than 10 people are carving them right now but im sure there are thousands of people who could write a CNC program to get a knight of similar quality.

[@mikepennington7209]

@@hermitgreenn "handmade" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@supe4701]

@@mikepennington7209 handmade also includes using a tool to craft something

[@luigisanter6211]

cnc maschines can make those pieces faster more accurate and cheaper no need to let those people rip you off whit there '' cHaMpIoNsHiP SeTs'' while they pay there workers minimum wage in a shitty working enviroment

[@barnabasjthomas9983]

Literally!

[@englishdictionary150]

With all due respect, this transcript sounds like it was written by someone who barely knows anything about how to play chess.

[@mikethompson2745]

Or wood working, or how anything is made.

[@LauriLevola]

Manuscript

[@prezzie1]

There is always one who has to correct someone's spelling mistakes👆👆👆👆

[@prezzie1]

@@LauriLevola I bet you couldn't help yourself could you. Did you have to reply with that?

[@naritruwireve1381]

@Preston Newcomb that hurt. you dont even need to know anything about chess to know what a tail is

[@lemgend]

It's so cool to see that an Indian is one of those people who carve chess pieces for Championships

[@NathanielLongchallon]

This is so satisfying to watch, I need to get into some carpentry.

[@KUWAITGRIPSVEVO]

editor: "so we got a bunch of footage of some exploited workers in India, do you know anything about chess?" journalist: "I watched an episode of the queens gambit" editor: "ok that'll do. just make up some narration for seven minutes and we'll get the sponsorship money"

[@joshyingling]

Yeah this commentary is absolutely garbage. She talks like lathe work is carving Stone with a toothbrush in prison. They gotta be perfect otherwise the chess players may think a piece is a different piece......uhhhh I don't think so champ

[@iris-hopp]

@@joshyingling Yeah that was ridiculous. ESPECIALLY when you're not talking about 8-yr old cousins playing but the world masters...

[@lloydwoodward9053]

“Do you know the difference between a horses mane and tail?” “No.” “Well, make the episode anyway.”

[@legogonkdroid3792]

@@lloydwoodward9053 that made me angry

[@tracisr]

@@lloydwoodward9053 lmao I was like the tail... 🤦‍♀️ glad I'm not alone in this!

[@ChuckBerrington]

Here’s one thing they don’t tell you, how much do they pay the artisans?

[@IrishAnnie]

There was some guy on Facebook a couple of years ago, selling hand made basketry from a South American country. They were stunning! He was selling them for hundreds if not thousands of dollars online and in a gallery. I questioned him many times how much are you paying the woman who are making them. He was so vague. He said, “I take them down river to the doctor when they need to go and I pay them above average wages.” I asked what the wages were. I hounded the guy until finally he pulled off of facebook. I can just imagine him paying them pennies for making them.

[@farismustafa5389]

they probably get 5$ a day

[@supe4701]

Here’s a hint: The answer doesn’t have to fit your narrative.

[@walterclements_]

@@supe4701 are you defending cheap labor and exploitation lol

[@ahmedshaharyarejaz9886]

Artisans are always paid pathetic wages. Just enough to keep food on the table.

[@storytimewithunclebill1998]

Im a huge chess fan and have played a lot of games and on a lot of different boards and sets. Once played chess in the Hole of a county jail and never saw the people that I played against. Had a homemade board drawn on a jail cell table and the pieces were paper with of the piece on it. You would call out what piece you wanted to move and were to move it by yelling for the other person to do it and vice versa. It worked. Played a lot of games in the months that I was in there. I talk about it on my channel. Be cool if you checked it out. Had no idea how much time and effort went into the pro sets. Really nice craftsmanship. Had a set that looked Egyptian and was made of stone. Real heavy. Was fun to watch. Great video

[@someguy1717]

I have this set in the DGT electronic version and love it. Its pricey but part of the $ goes to supporting FIDE.

[@ronaldli5]

>"A chess set can cost $500. So why are they so expensive?" >pans to a small indian sweatshop with workers that get paid 10 dollars a day. Something isn't right here.

[@GottabeatemBS]

10 dollars a day is way above. average lol its about 26000 rps a month which is very good

[@aabc]

In india 10 dollars is a lot of money..

[@zeccy337]

@@aabc that's not the point. If you're selling a set for $500 and paying the workers 10 dollars a day, there's obviously an insanely huge profit margin

[@PiPArtemis]

@@zeccy337 yes because there's nothing that goes into a business but payroll and profit Very astute observations we have in this comment section

[@cractor6307]

@@PiPArtemis you are looking at the point right in its face and somehow missing it. Amazing

[@fazemand]

"Only 250 sets are sold each year" Followed by "we make 30 kings a day" And "a knight takes up to 2 hours" Just doesn't make sense

[@vastikagoel6797]

Theres a difference between make and sold. 250 sets are SOLD. They can MAKE more than that, but they don't sell that much as these are very expensive and not a lot of people buy them.

[@jmanserpant6968]

@@vastikagoel6797 If people were only buying 250 sets a year, they wouldn’t be making 8,000 sets a year. That goes against the basic principles of supply and demand

[@Nadie47]

The best pieces are sold for 500 probably, and the others probably sell for way less in local markets

[@rlkinnard]

They make two kinds; world champship sets and lesser tournament sets.

[@ericpalacios920]

250 Championship standard sets. The "30 kings a day" figure is for the less regulated/simpler sets, which I assume they sell a lot more of

[@jacktrout5807]

My great uncle could carve the most realistic chess pieces with his carving knifes. He also did metal sculptures and did a metal Kachina for the Barry Goldwater collection .

[@aggersoul23]

It's so beautiful, so majestical... So surreal...