Meet the ‘Chess’ man tattooed from head to toe in checkers

Tattooed from shaved head to pinkie toe in checkers and other designs, the man who calls himself “Chess” was a star attraction at the first-ever International Tattoo Convention in Peru. The man, whose real name is Matt Gone, has, with the help of 80 different U.S. tattoo artists, turned his entire body into a canvas—including his eyes, which he injects with red dye. The dye wouldn’t take on his palms or the soles of his feet, but he did manage to tattoo his genitals, said the 40-year-old, who was born with Poland Syndrome, which affects muscle development. Gone was one of around 100 heavily tattooed participants—80 from Peru, 20 from elsewhere—at the three-day convention in Peru’s capital, Lima. The convention aimed to bring together tattoo artists and encourage proper safeguards and professional practices in the industry. Participants had also modified their bodies in other ways, like Uruguayans Victor Peralta and his wife Gaby, tattooed over 99 percent of their skin, who also have inlaid metal on their chests and arms, forked tongues, and one yellow and one green eye. The two hold the Guinness World Record for the couple with the most body modifications. They own two tattoo parlors in Uruguay and give talks throughout Latin America.

At 11 years old, I got my first image, a flower. I like to be unique.

Victor Peralta

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