The Catalan Set
The Catalan Set (Joc Catalan) is a quite fascinating design dating back to the heady 20-ies when Barcelona was almost boiling over with the intensive economy and the artistic explosion known as Art Nouveau. Although numerous architects, painters, writers, sculptor, musicians, actors and composers distinguished themselves in those days, the preeminent name - and through his arts and crafts movement - father figure Antonio Gaudi
was the only one who achieved international acclaim and fame.
This set was presented in 1930 at the Barcelona International chess tournament - won by Tartakower - as "Catalan Set" - implying the newly emerging Catalan Nation had to have their own style of chess pieces! The set owed its existence to a crafts business called Casa Baqué, situated close to the Cathedral. Unfortunately shortly after the emerging Civil War cut short all Catalan cultural movements and activities, including chess - how many sets were made originally , is not known, but it can't have been a lot, and of those - close to nothing has remained.
In the 1980ies, one chess fan still owned a few broken parts of one of the original sets - and through the intervention of Chess historian and author Salvador Juanpere these pieces were shown to the principal chess piece makers in Catalunya at the Industrias de Ajedrez in San Pere de Torelló. The master turner undertook to remake a set in the old mold, using the rests and some designs, and considerably altering and amending the original pieces. The result is not a replica, but rather an improvement on a 30ies design, with strong traces of art deco, as present in manyfold form in the 1920ies art and architecture. These Catalan sets were turned by hand in boxwood - and were immediately copied by a plastic mold maker close by - chess piece designs are rarely protected against plagiarism - who proceeded to commercialize these chess men as the "Gaudi" set! Later in the 90ies, Indian copycats produced a reasonable close copy of this elegant chess set in sheesham wood!
The Catalan set by the Industrias de Ajedrez was made in a number of ca. 100 sets for a short run - it is therefore extremely rare, and will not be made in this form any more.
was the only one who achieved international acclaim and fame.
This set was presented in 1930 at the Barcelona International chess tournament - won by Tartakower - as "Catalan Set" - implying the newly emerging Catalan Nation had to have their own style of chess pieces! The set owed its existence to a crafts business called Casa Baqué, situated close to the Cathedral. Unfortunately shortly after the emerging Civil War cut short all Catalan cultural movements and activities, including chess - how many sets were made originally , is not known, but it can't have been a lot, and of those - close to nothing has remained.
In the 1980ies, one chess fan still owned a few broken parts of one of the original sets - and through the intervention of Chess historian and author Salvador Juanpere these pieces were shown to the principal chess piece makers in Catalunya at the Industrias de Ajedrez in San Pere de Torelló. The master turner undertook to remake a set in the old mold, using the rests and some designs, and considerably altering and amending the original pieces. The result is not a replica, but rather an improvement on a 30ies design, with strong traces of art deco, as present in manyfold form in the 1920ies art and architecture. These Catalan sets were turned by hand in boxwood - and were immediately copied by a plastic mold maker close by - chess piece designs are rarely protected against plagiarism - who proceeded to commercialize these chess men as the "Gaudi" set! Later in the 90ies, Indian copycats produced a reasonable close copy of this elegant chess set in sheesham wood!
The Catalan set by the Industrias de Ajedrez was made in a number of ca. 100 sets for a short run - it is therefore extremely rare, and will not be made in this form any more.
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