John Jaques 4' 1850 Staunton Chess Set

boxwood	chess games	chess history
chessmen	design success	english leather
exquisite design	gold block	horses head
john jaques	mahogany case	marble sculpture
natural colour	page column	parthenon in athens
staunton chess pieces	staunton chess set	staunton chess sets
wartime production

John Jaques Staunton Chess Pieces were born, and to quote from a famous book on early chess 'Throughout it's history, nothing made such an impact on the design of chessmen as the introduction of the English Staunton Chess Pieces'. Simple symbols were used for each piece, a crown for the king, a coronet for the queen, a mitre for the bishop and a castle for the rock. The horses head for the knight was taken from marble sculpture on the Parthenon in Athens and the pawn was based on the Freemasons Square and Compasses. The set was launched in late 1847 with quite a fervour having an entire front page column of the Morning Herald dedicated to it. With this free press and superlative design success was virtually guaranteed and within 10 years nearly all important chess games were played with Staunton Chessmen, which is still the case today. Staunton Chess Sets have been produced continually by John Jaques from 1847 up to the present day, except during wartime. Production ceased on ivory sets in the early 1930s, but Boxwood sets continued right up to the outbreak of the war. After the war it was almost impossible to obtain ivory or ebony, but production recommenced using Boxwood only and black staining and black polishing for the black pieces. This brings us to the original Staunton pieces produced today by Jaques. These are made in exactly the same materials and to the same specification as the original Boxwood and Ebony sets and they are polished by hand, with no lacquering being used. This brings on the natural colour and feel of the wood. The craftsmanship of this 4' set matches that of the larger Jaques sets and exhibits the same exquisite design. Each piece is fitted with handmade English Leather cushions with beautiful gold block Jaques branding. The set is stored in a solid mahogany case and the case is lined with the finest English woollen baize. The John Jaques 4' 1850 Staunton Chess Set allows you to relive a piece of chess history every time you remove it from your beautiful cabinet. A Limited Edition of 500 sets, each set has a numbered replica of the original 'Jaques Staunton Chess' label signed by the current company Directors, and if you send back the return part of the registration certificate your name will be added to the Jaques Staunton Chess History Archives. This set comes complete with a beautiful handmade inlaid wooden chess board, specially made for this set. Dimensions: The King is 4' Tall and the other pieces descend from him.