Chess set is Starr attraction
A gold and silver-plated chess set, modelled on the hands of Ringo Starr, is displayed at the Takashimaya department store in Tokyo.
The chess set was commissioned by fellow Beatle George Harrison in 1973 and is being shown to mark the opening of a new store for Asprey.
The Mayfair jeweller enjoys a cult following in Japan, where it caters to the wealthy. It is taking orders for replica copies of the chess set at 4.15 million yen (£19,411) each.
Ringo Starr apparently learnt to play chess during the Sergeant Pepper recording sessions, and plays a decent game.
John Lennon also used to love the game, as does his widow Yoko Ono, who gave a cash-strapped American high school chess team $2,500 this year so that they could take part in state and national championships.
The rest of the article can be read here.
Special thanks to Mr. Lawrence Totaro for sending me this article. 
Open letter to GM Ms. Susan Polgar (also distributed to chessbase, chessninja, TWIC, Reuters)
Dear GM Susan Polgar,
Your advertisement picture showing a hand made little chess set – which is, at a first glance, NOT suited for pocket use – and is to be sold for 28,682.67 Euro, is a clearly violation of advertisement rules, given by yourself on your own blog here.
Mr. Ringo Starr is a very well known, very well-off, not to say a very monied person. We, on the other hand, are a circle of indigent, as far as possible unknown, nevertheless enterprising AND entertaining – janitor chess players. We manufacture and distribute little pocket chess sets (available in different designs: acyetic, covered with fingerprints of famous grandmasters or even signed by them – made from plastic, wood or – the deluxe line – from ivory – not to mention – everything within a fair price – for the improvement of the average chess-player – 300 points ELO – and even more – guaranteed!).
We are not only distressed about your bias towards glamorous, prohibitive (to most chess players around) but unhandy (e.g. for lavatory use) devices, you recommend in your article on blogger.com. Moreover we question the morally basis of your approach to commercially promote tycoons (it doesn’t make any difference whether they are chess-fans or not) but to ignore real and fair-minded janitor enthusiasts in their attempt to promote chess not least at the toilets of this entire world (and – last but not least – to leave janitors work – not to use stronger words – behind!).
We strongly suggest GM Susan Polgar to give our pieces the chance they deserve! It is not fair to be with the rich and mighty of the world and suffocate the initiative of some underdogs at the same time.
Regards, Vohaul – Speaker (and his team mates anonym 1,2,3,4 and 5)
I support the Janitors petition. Susan you are being very partisan to expensive famous chess sets and are ignoring the very important (and made for the people by the people) pocket portable chess set. Shame on you!
I am seriously contemplating prohibiting my 11 year old fragile daughter from reading your blog unless you publsh the open letter by the Portable Pocket Chess Set Janitor Association (PPCSJA). Otherwise she might start to belive the whole chess world is populated by people with Janitor issues.
Sincerely,
Mommy dearest
Susan, unless you take a clear stance on this issue your partisan. Hiding behind a suppoused “neutrality” is inmoral, either you are for it or against it. If it is so clear that everytone can see that it is right then by not taking sides you are avoiding it. Everyone is for it (Chessdebase says so) so you should be too!
This chess set seems very “handy” I do not know why this anti-Kramnik janitors are talking about. The only question is if Israel is going to retaliate after Krmanik’s attack.
As the head of the Janitorial services at NASA I concur that the feasability of said PPCSJA proposal is plausible. Technically it is attainable within our lifespans. Now we need congress to approve the 20 billion needed to launch it and conquer it before the Chinese do (or some measly individual entrepeneurs beat us at it).
I am afraid the chinese NASA (CHINASA) will beat the pants out of you americans and be the first to conquer the PPCSJA frontier. With Bushes cuts on NASA’S budget and his idea to “go to Mars” you have no chance. I am afraid the american supremacy on the PPCSJA frontier is about to be erased.