A page with some interesting facts and Chess lore for all.

 

Staunton Chess Men

On 12 April 2018 an exhibition opened in the World Chess Hall of Fame in St Louis titled “The Staunton Standard: Evolution of the Modern Chess Set”.

The story of the Staunton chess men started on 1 March 1849 when Mr Nathaniel Cooke (sometimes spelt Cook), the editor of the Illustrated London News, patented his design of chess pieces in terms of the Ornamental Designs Act of 1842.

The chess column in the Illustrated London News was written by the English Champion, Mr Howard Staunton.  On 8 September 1849 he promoted this new design of pieces.

The virtues of the new design of chess men were praised by Staunton.

“A set of Chessmen, of a pattern combining elegance and solidity to a degree hitherto unknown, has recently appeared under the auspices of the celebrated player Mr. STAUNTON. A guiding principle has been to give by their form a signification to the various pieces – thus the king is represented by a crown, the Queen by a coronet, &c. The pieces generally are fashioned with convenience to the hand; and it is to be remarked, that while there is so great an accession to elegance of form, it is not attained at the expense of practical utility. Mr. STAUNTON’S pattern adopts but elevates the conventional form; and the base of the Pieces being of a large diameter, they are more steady than ordinary sets.” (London Illustrated News 8 September 1849)

John Jacques of London (brother-in-law of Mr Cooke) produced these sets.   These sets were made available to the general public from 28 September 1849.  Staunton hand numbered and signed the first 500 handcrafted sets.  From then on the sets started to be known as the Staunton chess sets.

The design of the pieces were influenced by the neo-classical style which found its origin in the designs of ancient Rome and Greece.  The most famous example of this was the knight, which was based on the Elgin marbles found in the Parthenon.

The pieces were made of box wood and ebony and were weighted.  The bottom of the pieces were covered with felt.  The size of the king varied between 3,5 and 4,5 inches.

These pieces were used in the London 1851 tournament, which is regarded as the first international chess tournament.  The tournament was won by the German teacher Adolf Anderssen.

From then onwards this design became the standard design of chess pieces.  Before the Staunton sets there were differences in designs between countries and also continents.

From 1924 Fide declared these sets as their set of preference and the only sets which may be used in international competitions.

There are 17 derivative designs from the original Staunton chess men of 1849

(As an aside Jacques of London still produces beautiful chess sets and can be ordered and bought on the internet.  http://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/indoor-games/chess-sets/staunton-chess-set-leather-casket.html)

Below is a photograph of a reproduction of the 1849 set.