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September 7, 2006 by Vurdlak  

This impossible chess board was created by Dave Barlow 2006. It’s pretty simple, yet so impressive. Expect two more original illusions from Dave in the following week!

Chess Steps Illusion

Comments

45 Responses
  1. Lucilu

    Wow I like that… I think

  2. Nestorious

    Both boards are flat..

  3. justin

    umm yeah… what is the big deal with this one? I think they should have put more in the description besides just saying how impressive it is!!

  4. Devon

    Somehow the curves look like they are heading down, yet they don’t at the same time. This is giving me a headache!

  5. joey o

    umm… ok

  6. Eric

    justin is right…. both of the boards r flat. don’t look at the stairs or the grey stuff… just look at the bordering….

  7. nishay

    i dont get it

  8. KandiCorn

    it’s ok…i’ve seen better.

  9. Eric

    Same stuff as Escher, just different format. boring.

  10. John

    It’s all in the shadows ;)

  11. Leendert

    Really, the boards are flat. Look at the little shadows. Definately flat!

  12. scott

    the “stairs” are just put farther or closer to you to make it look like stairs

  13. db

    These are like several of M.C. Escher’s drawings. He has this cool one of guards in a castle that are marching up a set of stairs forever - they never reach the top, they just end up back where they started.

    Look it up, he did an amazing job and you won’t mistake it.

  14. joe

    It’s not that both boards are flat.. it’s that THE BOARD is flat; there’s only one and it’s reflected in the mirror. That’s what is unique about the illusion.

  15. Cuby

    I think that’s pretty cool. It took me a while to see that the board was flat.
    Very clever!

  16. William Burke

    Esher? This is KINDERGARTEN ESHER. It’s not even an ILLUSION! I’m not coming here fora a long, long time, because this is PATHETIC.

  17. MMM

    that’s pretty cool!
    but look at the shadows…
    (^_^)

  18. Dave Barlow

    There is only one board photographed in a mirror. The ’steps’ appear to go in opposite direction in the reflection.

  19. Jer

    Can see two Illusions So/So
    M.C. Escher’s Drawings are way cool! It comes in a B & W Book.
    db- You have good taste!

  20. harky

    pretty lame really…..

  21. Ed

    To all the haters you’re seriously deluded if you think this is lame.

    This may have been inspired by Escher but Escher drew the entire illusion. The thought that goes into incorporating this into a real world effect is quite creative.

    The composition of the photograph could be tweaked to better show off the effect, but this still shows great promise.

  22. sffc

    On the first one, the square to the left of the black chess piece could be on the first level, jus appearing to be at the same lavel. But for the second one, it’s just wierd.

  23. Kristina

    Not bad, but I think he did a pretty sloppy job of removing and adding shadows to make it look flat. Meh.

  24. Jesusfreak

    This is pretty sweet and you can also tell that this is not a mirrored projection because then the black piece would not be seen, the stair wall would be in the way.

  25. WantonAnton

    ouch

  26. Laurence

    I find it hilarious how so many people are so fooled by the illusion that they don’t even realize that it’s an illusion at all.

    For this type of illusion a video might be a better way to present it: start with a still shot like the one above, lasting a few seconds. Then have a hand come in and remove the two chess pieces (showing that it’s a reflection). Finally, pick up the board and rotate it, showing that the staircase was just an illusion.

  27. Lem

    you can see shadows there. but until i realised that, i thought, and well, i still do, that its a really cool thing

  28. Shanelle

    Umm…WoW. Dats all i have 2 say.

  29. rocket man

    hey dudes it is possible the sides could be a ramp type thing

    i reconmend the 3D chalk drawings and then the rooms (1st option) ok well cya dudes in internet halo

  30. meeow =^_^=

    alrighty then

  31. Anonymous

    look at it like there is a mirror in between the two, then it will be easyer to figure out

  32. Anonymous

    he just flipped the board over… see its opposite the stairs.

  33. Anonymous

    I would like to say that is that same board but with one board is normal and the other one is upside down. And the chess pieces are move to different locations.

  34. Paul

    there is only one flat board here with a mirror to show how it looks from the opposite angle!

  35. Alexx

    Its simple. the second picture is the bored placed upside-down, so it appears to be different, but its the same.

  36. Derek

    the two pictures are the same

  37. Anonymous

    its one picture in front of the mirror people.

  38. Anonymous

    the boerds the white piece is on in both are slanted

  39. Anonymous

    it’s just flat pieces arranged so that they look like they are impossible.

  40. KRIZ1474

    LOLZ I GET IT THEY JUST TRUNED THE BROED UPSIDE DOWN=)

  41. Anonymous

    THERE IS REALLY NO SIGNIFICENT SIGN OF A MIRROR SO IT COULD JUST BE TWO BOARDS WITH DIFFERENT DESIGHNS.

    IF THERE ARE ANY DETAILS THAT ELIMINATE THIS POSSIBILITY,PLEASE TELL ME.

  42. Anonymous

    Just flip the board over!

  43. Anonymous

    the words on the grey part in the background appear to be backwords sugesting its a mirror image of the one in front

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