The House of Staunton Wood Chess Sets Shop for Wooden Chess Sets

house of staunton chess set

The American Chess Company began advertising chess sets in American Chess Magazine in 1897. Some of the advertisements contained illustrations of the sets, showing their distinctively charming “sawtooth” mane knights. It is unknown whether the American Chess Company manufactured the sets itself, or whether it simply served as a distributor.

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However, some of the sets were used by some of the top players of the era in important competitions. Frank Marshall (U.S. Chess Hall of Fame, 1986) and Emanuel Lasker (World Chess Hall of Fame, 2001) used an American Chess Company set in their 1907 World Chess Championship match. A set like this one, with different knights, was used during the 1904 Cambridge Springs International Chess Congress, which was won by Frank Marshall. John “Jack” Collins served as mentor to a number of important American chess players, including Donald and Robert Byrne; William Lombardy; and most famously, Bobby Fischer. Before his success and fame in chess, Collins learned the game as a child from his family landlord Fredrick Huhn. After learning the basics, and no doubt acquiring this set, Collins, in turn, taught five other boys.

Modern Round Artistic Wooden Chess Set Pieces 3-3-/4" Black/Ivory Colored

house of staunton chess set

Very heavily weighted with a non-glossy finish that gave the pieces a quality look. I'm sure the newer Drueke wood sets were made elsewhere, probably in India, but they're still good quality--solid, weighted, good finish. I have them in both 3" and 3 3/4' kings and can't find any problems with them.  I don't have and haven't seen newer plastic sets, so can't comment on them. My christmas chess men I'm getting are from a new store that also gets chess sets made at AIW. I will say they did a decent job listening to my complaints, but they didn't give me a warm and fuzzy that they really cared. I mean at the end of the day these are people the same as you and me, but as a business selling "exceptional" chess sets I would think they would want and try to make it right for me.

House of Chess Reproduced Abstract Design 3.75" Ringy Rosewood Weighted Chess Pieces

Unfortunately for its creator, George Merrifield, it was a failure and manufactured for only about a year, and only a few remaining sets of this kind are now known to exist. Little is known about the manufacturer of this handsome B & Co. The pieces feature red indicators for the kingside pieces.

House of Staunton Official Chess Set - Chess Daily News

House of Staunton Official Chess Set.

Posted: Fri, 13 Oct 2006 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Bud Rose Wood Encore Staunton Wooden Chess Set Pieces 4.5" + 23" Matching Board + Box

The first American Chess Congress was organized by Daniel Willard Fiske and Thomas Frere and held in New York City from October 6 to November 10, 1857. The tournament was designed after the London format and the 16 best American masters were invited to participate in the event. Of these Paul Morphy was included and he dominated the competition.

Folding Unique Staunton Ringy Rosewood 3.75" Chess Set - Chess Board with Engraved Algebraic Notation - 2 Extra Queens

Some of the effects that she inherited in the process were Steiner sets like this one. Competitors in the 1963 Piatigorsky Cup, then one of the highest-rated tournaments ever held on American soil, used the sets during the competition. I also purchased a couple of their plastic tournament sets and was pleasantly surprised by those as well.

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Patented in 1941, the American Design chess set features pieces with unique octagonal shafts. The set was designed by Charles B. Chatfield and sold in both weighted and unweighted versions and in many colors, including red and white, black and white, and the brown and white version seen here. Founded in 1914, Drueke is a manufacturer of chess sets as well as other games.

The Staunton Standard: A Talk with Collectors and Curators

The Staunton chessmen featured very broad bases, gracefully contoured stems and attractively turned and carved headpieces. From the graceful Formeé cross atop the king to the six-crenelled rook, these chessmen make an impression. They were derived from the visages which adorn the Elgin Marbles, which form a part of the east Pediment of the Greek Acropolis.

Rio Staunton Biggie Knight Acacia Wood 4" Chess Set - 21" Folding Chess Board with Algebraic Notation - 2 Extra Queens

And those that do have an obligation to deliver the finest quality products possible, otherwise they shouldn't be calling them luxury sets and charging the prices that they do. Failing to do so is a good way to erode a good reputation. I had a similar experience back in September when I took delivery of a 40th Anniversary Fischer-Spasky Commemorative set. The pieces were jammed into the foam slots such that many of the leather pads on the bottom of the pieces were peeling off.

The sets have simple columns and are differentiated by height. The Edinburgh pattern was a popular style of chess set, and many English manufacturers, including John Jaques, produced chessmen in the pattern. These sets are examples of many of the styles that proliferated throughout Europe and around the world before the dominance of the Staunton chessmen. Some of the styles on view contain delicate elements that could easily be damaged, while some others have pieces that are hard to distinguish from each other. Frank Camaratta is the internationally-recognized expert in antique Staunton and other playing sets.

Collectibles: All the King’s Men - Robb Report

Collectibles: All the King’s Men.

Posted: Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:00:00 GMT [source]

The pieces were in the same condition (dirty and glue covered, felt pads damaged) but this time the weight in the King was loose and rattled when you shook it! This was no good, and I immediately called and asked for a refund. The website states they are crafted with a "brilliant finish".

Frank Camaratta has noted that the knights resemble those from Austrian “coffee house” style chess sets, one of which is on view in this exhibition. Perhaps the most intriguing aspects of collecting Jaques Staunton are the richly adorned Gothic style Carton-Pierre caskets in which they were housed. Matching Carton-Pierre treatment adorned leather chess boards were designed and sold by William Leuchars and first offered to the public in December, 1849. Though Howard Staunton had earned enough standing in the chess world to use his name to promote a chess set by 1849, his early years and background are largely a mystery, and “Howard Staunton” is possibly a pseudonym. He first appears in the historical record in 1836, when his name was recorded in a book of games by a prominent chess player and in chess periodicals.

After the event was over, the organizers sent tables and chess sets to Board One players and important FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs or World Chess Federation) officials around the world. Fred Cramer, then Zonal President for the United States, received the table on display, while International Master Nevzat Süer, who played Board One for Turkey, received the set. My chess set collecting obsession had its start a few months after I first learned the moves of the game. A few friends in my new neighborhood took the pains to explain the moves to me and I was addicted. I turned 16 in the fall of that year and, for my birthday, my mother gave me a nice set of wooden Staunton chessmen. These were nothing spectacular, just a good, solid, German-made weighted set of lacquered chessmen in a wood slide-top box.

While Jaques had introduced the standard of marking the kingside knights and rooks, this practice was soon copied by other manufacturers. This selection of chess pieces shows some of the sets that were popular in the United States during the 20th century as well as a unique interpretation of the set created during the 21st century. Founded in 1781, Asprey & Co. is a retailer of luxury home goods like this elegant ivory chess set. As the sellers of high quality and high priced items, this ivory set sold by them demonstrates a demand for grandeur within the confines of the Staunton design. Considered to be one of the most friendly and outgoing of American Grandmasters, Arthur Bisguier will be remembered for not only winning three U.S. Open Chess Championships, participating in two Interzonals and playing on five American Olympiad teams, but also as one of the great chess ambassadors.

My experiences with them have all been great but I haven't ordered from them in several years. I wonder if it would be worth putting your concerns in writing to House of Staunton, including your suggestion about hiring a new inspector. I think real craftmanship is hard to find today for many things, except for extremely high prices. The Mahogany veneer was very coarse and took away from what little luxury look it had. This was obviously a very cheap production and ment for lots of casual wear and tear.

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