Check or Czech? - the Czech Club Pieces
presented at the 18th CCI World Congress in Prague 2018 by
Nicholas Lanier
In the second half of the century, the Czechs were experiencing a national revival on all fronts. Both the Czech language, legends and mythology, old literary founts, where being revived, researched and compiled, and the renovation of the arts in accordance with the international trends went hand in hand with the rediscovery of the bases of Czech culture. This flexing of the national identity took place in a quite open contest with the overpowering German culture and Austrian domination, under whose dominance the Bohemians had lived for several hundred years. A good part of this strong cultural tug-of-war took part in Prague, with its populations split between German speakers, Czechs and a large Jewish population, generally lined up on the German side of the culture border. In Bohemia - as in Vienna with its large population of Bohemian origin, the German and the Czech elements were inextricably interlaced, both culturally as through family mixtures. Large parts of Bohemia and Moravia had large majorities of German (or rather Austrian) inhabitants, for historical reasons (see map). While in the capital many Czechs spoke and mastered German, or Germans the Czech idiom, the situation was quite different in the regions of predominantly Czech or German population. Who aligned in which camp was a matter of family and education - the borders between were fluent .For example the great language reformer and literature historian Josef Jungmann considered himself a Czech, while writers like Max Brod, Gustav Meyrink or Franz Kafka wrote in German. The composers Smetana , Dworzak and Janacek were important members of the Czech National movement, and by preference chose popular melodies and themes from the country's history. The great writers Karel Capek and Jaroslav Hasek chose to write exclusively in Czech. In many ways, the Czech element was leading a cultural guerilla war for the use of the Czech language in daily life - f.e. in public offices - and small rubs and confrontations on the language were a constant feature of everyday life in Habsburg Bohemia.
Prague in those days abounded with cultural movements of all respects – modernism, naturalism and realism all vying or mingling with the nationalistic and political tendencies of local politics . Following the re-organisation of the city after 1948 - demolition of the massive baroque and medieval fortifications, the building of bridges, railways, and the channeling of the Moldau river - the capital was in the midst of an unprecedented building boom, with public buildings and apartment blocks being put up at a dizzying rate in those spaces freed by the tearing down of bastions and glacis. The building splurge, coupled with the general growth of industry and trade in a situation of situation of peace, brought thousands of new families to the city, and new quarters and developments were built to house these arrivals. The population doubled between 1848 and 1900 - and from 1900 till 1925 rose by 250 % ! (1) Good days for construction and real estate, as for architects, artists and city planners. One of the people who certainly profited from these heady times was the sculptor Bohuslav Schnirch – he is the focus of our little sketch as he designed the Czech Club Chess Men.
Prague in those days abounded with cultural movements of all respects – modernism, naturalism and realism all vying or mingling with the nationalistic and political tendencies of local politics . Following the re-organisation of the city after 1948 - demolition of the massive baroque and medieval fortifications, the building of bridges, railways, and the channeling of the Moldau river - the capital was in the midst of an unprecedented building boom, with public buildings and apartment blocks being put up at a dizzying rate in those spaces freed by the tearing down of bastions and glacis. The building splurge, coupled with the general growth of industry and trade in a situation of situation of peace, brought thousands of new families to the city, and new quarters and developments were built to house these arrivals. The population doubled between 1848 and 1900 - and from 1900 till 1925 rose by 250 % ! (1) Good days for construction and real estate, as for architects, artists and city planners. One of the people who certainly profited from these heady times was the sculptor Bohuslav Schnirch – he is the focus of our little sketch as he designed the Czech Club Chess Men.
Bohuslav Schnirch - sculptor and chess organizer
Who was Bohuslav Schnirch? Lets take a closer look at the man and his works. Schnirch ( 1845 in Mala Strana quarter in Prague) was born into a family with numerous engineers among them – one of them, Fredrik (Bedrich/Friedrich) lived in Vienna and was a prominent builder of chain-held bridges. Bohuslav studied in Graz, Vienna and Munich under prominent teachers like Josef Bauer, Franz Melnicky and Max Wiedenmann, before undertaking a two year stay in Italy, from 1871 – 1873, which opened his eyes for him – as happens to anybody confronted for the first time with the magnificent array of Renaissance art and architecture. From then on his artistic career proceed in close accord with the classical examples he had seen, using historical and romantic motives and classical and realistic forms.
Prague in the second half of the 19th century was in the throes of hectic building activities, new buildings were rising up everywhere, the city walls were replaced by boulevards, bridges over the river were built, and apartment houses rose in a frenetic rhythm all over. Since many of the new buildings were decorated profusely with sculptures, sgraffiti, reliefs and other adornments, and statues of eminent Czech personalities of the past were conceived and installed in squares, along rivers and in public parks – there was plenty of work and orders for competent artists. Schnirch turned into the prevailing winds, and rose to become one of the main artists in public places, competing and rivaling with his great contemporary Josef Myslbek.
Schnirch works can be found on many public and private buildings in Prague – the three-horse group (triga) symbolizing Victory on top of the National Theatre, St. George on the roof of the Central Post Office, and the reliefs on the front of the Arts and Crafts Museum, and two statues on the top front of the former Prague Savings Bank on the Old Town square. Schnirch even was in contention for the highly important statue of King Vaclav on the Vaclav Square square – but in the end the design of his main competitor Josef Myslbek was chosen and executed. Schnirch was much solicited, and in fact so successful, that he could afford to put up a palatial house of his own in Neo-Renaissance Style which is still there to visit in the Visegrad district. Many more works by our artist are visible in Prague – Prague is full of Schnirch, in fact we even have a small rondo in marble on a house wall in the admittedly rather long road where the Congress Hotel is situated. (2)
Who was Bohuslav Schnirch? Lets take a closer look at the man and his works. Schnirch ( 1845 in Mala Strana quarter in Prague) was born into a family with numerous engineers among them – one of them, Fredrik (Bedrich/Friedrich) lived in Vienna and was a prominent builder of chain-held bridges. Bohuslav studied in Graz, Vienna and Munich under prominent teachers like Josef Bauer, Franz Melnicky and Max Wiedenmann, before undertaking a two year stay in Italy, from 1871 – 1873, which opened his eyes for him – as happens to anybody confronted for the first time with the magnificent array of Renaissance art and architecture. From then on his artistic career proceed in close accord with the classical examples he had seen, using historical and romantic motives and classical and realistic forms.
Prague in the second half of the 19th century was in the throes of hectic building activities, new buildings were rising up everywhere, the city walls were replaced by boulevards, bridges over the river were built, and apartment houses rose in a frenetic rhythm all over. Since many of the new buildings were decorated profusely with sculptures, sgraffiti, reliefs and other adornments, and statues of eminent Czech personalities of the past were conceived and installed in squares, along rivers and in public parks – there was plenty of work and orders for competent artists. Schnirch turned into the prevailing winds, and rose to become one of the main artists in public places, competing and rivaling with his great contemporary Josef Myslbek.
Schnirch works can be found on many public and private buildings in Prague – the three-horse group (triga) symbolizing Victory on top of the National Theatre, St. George on the roof of the Central Post Office, and the reliefs on the front of the Arts and Crafts Museum, and two statues on the top front of the former Prague Savings Bank on the Old Town square. Schnirch even was in contention for the highly important statue of King Vaclav on the Vaclav Square square – but in the end the design of his main competitor Josef Myslbek was chosen and executed. Schnirch was much solicited, and in fact so successful, that he could afford to put up a palatial house of his own in Neo-Renaissance Style which is still there to visit in the Visegrad district. Many more works by our artist are visible in Prague – Prague is full of Schnirch, in fact we even have a small rondo in marble on a house wall in the admittedly rather long road where the Congress Hotel is situated. (2)
Chess life in 19th century Prague
Chess live in Prague for the most part took place in coffee houses – the order to the attendant: “Bring us a two coffees (or beers) two sandwiches and a chess board and set!” was standard in the Café Slavia, even more so in the Café Union and other establishments of this sort. But chess was also split along the cultural and language divide – in 1867 the first Chess Club in Prague (probably in all of Bohemia) was formed – the German Prague Chess Club, operating in the inn “U ceske Koruny” (At the Czech Crown! ) . It would not take long until the Czechs decided to form their own chess Club – in 1884 the Cesky Spole Sachovni (Czech Chess Club) was founded, with Bohuslav Schnirch as driving force who became its first president . In 1888 he went one step further in co-founding with other peers the Czech Chess Association - of which he also was elected president. (3)
In the course of the eighties Schnirch found it necessary to provide his club with a proper chess set in a different style – the prevalent coffeehouse chess men were a Vienna invention, therefore the oppressors” chessic" imposition, Regency was french and impractical and Staunton pieces a British creation. – a new chess set responding to the national spirit of Czech Chess players was needed. Schnirch’s set was presented with due publicity, and propagandized avidly in the magazine Zlata Praha (Golden Prague) - there were no chess mags in Czech around in those days, chess players had to subscribe the German, Austrian ,French or English chess magazines. All in all, in the greater game of national self assertion and confrontation with the overpowering German influence the Schnirch design might be considered as a small but lasting pawn move in the ongoing contest for supremacy. And according to Nimzovich, the pawns "are the soul of the game".....
Chess live in Prague for the most part took place in coffee houses – the order to the attendant: “Bring us a two coffees (or beers) two sandwiches and a chess board and set!” was standard in the Café Slavia, even more so in the Café Union and other establishments of this sort. But chess was also split along the cultural and language divide – in 1867 the first Chess Club in Prague (probably in all of Bohemia) was formed – the German Prague Chess Club, operating in the inn “U ceske Koruny” (At the Czech Crown! ) . It would not take long until the Czechs decided to form their own chess Club – in 1884 the Cesky Spole Sachovni (Czech Chess Club) was founded, with Bohuslav Schnirch as driving force who became its first president . In 1888 he went one step further in co-founding with other peers the Czech Chess Association - of which he also was elected president. (3)
In the course of the eighties Schnirch found it necessary to provide his club with a proper chess set in a different style – the prevalent coffeehouse chess men were a Vienna invention, therefore the oppressors” chessic" imposition, Regency was french and impractical and Staunton pieces a British creation. – a new chess set responding to the national spirit of Czech Chess players was needed. Schnirch’s set was presented with due publicity, and propagandized avidly in the magazine Zlata Praha (Golden Prague) - there were no chess mags in Czech around in those days, chess players had to subscribe the German, Austrian ,French or English chess magazines. All in all, in the greater game of national self assertion and confrontation with the overpowering German influence the Schnirch design might be considered as a small but lasting pawn move in the ongoing contest for supremacy. And according to Nimzovich, the pawns "are the soul of the game".....
Who made these sets?
In the early days till World War I , Schnirch must have worked with a central Prague turning/cabinetmaker workshop – but it is likely that the design would have been adopted by others. From 1927 – 1948 (when the communists expropriated the shop) sets were made by and for Krasna Jizba (4) – an arts &crafts enterprise , designing, producing and selling furniture and home furnishing via their shop in Central Prague, mainly made in their own workshop.
Another name from the past is of a company called FIDET – which produced both Czech Club style as coffeehouse chess sets – FIDET might have continued after the change of regime in to the 60ies. (5) After the takeover by the communist regime all businesses were either nationalized or expropriated, and the design would have fallen into the “public sphere” where anybody could replicate it. The major maker of the chess set in the original style after the 2.World War seems to have been the Woodworking Company of Frydlant in Northern Bohemia, which stopped making these sets after 1990, due to the severe shakeup of the Czech economy. But in theory – any turner could have made these sets before WW II.
In the early days till World War I , Schnirch must have worked with a central Prague turning/cabinetmaker workshop – but it is likely that the design would have been adopted by others. From 1927 – 1948 (when the communists expropriated the shop) sets were made by and for Krasna Jizba (4) – an arts &crafts enterprise , designing, producing and selling furniture and home furnishing via their shop in Central Prague, mainly made in their own workshop.
Another name from the past is of a company called FIDET – which produced both Czech Club style as coffeehouse chess sets – FIDET might have continued after the change of regime in to the 60ies. (5) After the takeover by the communist regime all businesses were either nationalized or expropriated, and the design would have fallen into the “public sphere” where anybody could replicate it. The major maker of the chess set in the original style after the 2.World War seems to have been the Woodworking Company of Frydlant in Northern Bohemia, which stopped making these sets after 1990, due to the severe shakeup of the Czech economy. But in theory – any turner could have made these sets before WW II.
Highlights
In the early years, craftsmen in various quadrants must have been inspired by the Czech Club Set Design - some opulent productions testify this interest. And even after WW I, the set would have been produced - possibly in even greater numbers - due to the import restrictions and the postwar poverty. Most likely - concrete evidence is lacking - the set was also made in other parts of the newly arisen Czechoslovak Republic.
In the early years, craftsmen in various quadrants must have been inspired by the Czech Club Set Design - some opulent productions testify this interest. And even after WW I, the set would have been produced - possibly in even greater numbers - due to the import restrictions and the postwar poverty. Most likely - concrete evidence is lacking - the set was also made in other parts of the newly arisen Czechoslovak Republic.
Postwar drabness
The postwar years did not add any improvements to the the design and quality of these sets, rather the contrary. The sets – made in fe the woodworking factory in Frydlant or in other companies – became stereotyped, knight heads in plastic appeared, and even complete plastic sets in Czech National Club Style. Most likely – the Soviet planned economy having been assiduously copied onto the Czech reality – companies had the freedom to produce games and chess sets without control, permitting a bit of free income for the makers.....Club sets were generally made in 4 sizes, the tallest being intended for actual competition, with the kings standing 110 mm high. Czech Club sets were never weighted, the wide base being considered sufficient to warrant stability...
The postwar years did not add any improvements to the the design and quality of these sets, rather the contrary. The sets – made in fe the woodworking factory in Frydlant or in other companies – became stereotyped, knight heads in plastic appeared, and even complete plastic sets in Czech National Club Style. Most likely – the Soviet planned economy having been assiduously copied onto the Czech reality – companies had the freedom to produce games and chess sets without control, permitting a bit of free income for the makers.....Club sets were generally made in 4 sizes, the tallest being intended for actual competition, with the kings standing 110 mm high. Czech Club sets were never weighted, the wide base being considered sufficient to warrant stability...
Plastic Versions
In a time when plastic - both in the East as in the West - enjoyed a high reputation as the material of the future, progress materialized, some plastics company produced entire Club sets in plastic, with variations, and subject to the dictates of the materials and the machinery used....Some plastic companies saw fit to produce complete plastic sets in presentation cartons for the toy trade, and warehouses. The motive being that this was free income which was not covered by the severe rules existing in a planned economy – in other words the sales return went into the company till.
In a time when plastic - both in the East as in the West - enjoyed a high reputation as the material of the future, progress materialized, some plastics company produced entire Club sets in plastic, with variations, and subject to the dictates of the materials and the machinery used....Some plastic companies saw fit to produce complete plastic sets in presentation cartons for the toy trade, and warehouses. The motive being that this was free income which was not covered by the severe rules existing in a planned economy – in other words the sales return went into the company till.
Design questions
There is quite a lot of literature on B. Schnirch, as an important artist of the fin de siecle, detailing his inspirations, sketches and drawings for artworks etc. I do not know if a special study on the process of designing his chess set has been undertaken, but I strongly doubt it.
What would have been the inspirations of Bohuslav Schnirch? Most likely furniture decorations – the flame or fruit finials formed an integral part of buildings, beds, wardrobes and porcelain cupboards in his days . Certainly the forms of existing chess pieces – but which? The Schnirch design is in strong contrast to Austrian coffeehouse forms with their multiple collars, although some coffeehouse sets do sport the tall slim stems of the Czech Club sets main pieces.
But another Austrian set – namely the Schlechter-Lasker chess set – comes to mind, which most likely has some ancestry in Edinburgh sets (6) We might like to imagine a development line which would lead from Edinburgh Uprights, to Austrian Uprights, to the Czech Club Set, to the Eastern Uprights (which I like to term Soviet Uprights although they might be from some other Eastern country) , to the Art Deco Uprights of recent Soviet days. The temptation to imagine or find such a line of continuity – all chess set design in a way suffers from copying and plagiarism – is overwhelming – but the evidence, unfortunately, is rather nebulous....
There is quite a lot of literature on B. Schnirch, as an important artist of the fin de siecle, detailing his inspirations, sketches and drawings for artworks etc. I do not know if a special study on the process of designing his chess set has been undertaken, but I strongly doubt it.
What would have been the inspirations of Bohuslav Schnirch? Most likely furniture decorations – the flame or fruit finials formed an integral part of buildings, beds, wardrobes and porcelain cupboards in his days . Certainly the forms of existing chess pieces – but which? The Schnirch design is in strong contrast to Austrian coffeehouse forms with their multiple collars, although some coffeehouse sets do sport the tall slim stems of the Czech Club sets main pieces.
But another Austrian set – namely the Schlechter-Lasker chess set – comes to mind, which most likely has some ancestry in Edinburgh sets (6) We might like to imagine a development line which would lead from Edinburgh Uprights, to Austrian Uprights, to the Czech Club Set, to the Eastern Uprights (which I like to term Soviet Uprights although they might be from some other Eastern country) , to the Art Deco Uprights of recent Soviet days. The temptation to imagine or find such a line of continuity – all chess set design in a way suffers from copying and plagiarism – is overwhelming – but the evidence, unfortunately, is rather nebulous....
Last of the Mohicans
When the tables turned in then Czechoslovakia in 1989 – remember the East Germans clambering over the fence of the West German embassy in Prague or wading through the Neusiedler See in Austria? – the Frydlant Woodworking Company like many other state-owned ventures ran into trouble, soon stopped producing these chess sets, and then stopped alltogether. Grandmaster Karel Mokry, who runs a chess shop in Moravia and on the web – www.chessbookshop.com – jumped into the breach, as he could not provide his club clients with wooden chess sets any more – and managed to convince a local woodworking shop to continue making Club sets.
Of course, this is a bit of shameless propaganda for a great chess person.....who is providing a vital service to the country's chess players and clubs... let alone collectors. Mokry has the chessmen made in Size III and IV nowadays, they are close to the original in pale ash or maple wood - he also orders oversize sets made, or single pieces as elegant prize trophies – I would suggest You get some soon....
(c) Nicholas Lanier 2018
When the tables turned in then Czechoslovakia in 1989 – remember the East Germans clambering over the fence of the West German embassy in Prague or wading through the Neusiedler See in Austria? – the Frydlant Woodworking Company like many other state-owned ventures ran into trouble, soon stopped producing these chess sets, and then stopped alltogether. Grandmaster Karel Mokry, who runs a chess shop in Moravia and on the web – www.chessbookshop.com – jumped into the breach, as he could not provide his club clients with wooden chess sets any more – and managed to convince a local woodworking shop to continue making Club sets.
Of course, this is a bit of shameless propaganda for a great chess person.....who is providing a vital service to the country's chess players and clubs... let alone collectors. Mokry has the chessmen made in Size III and IV nowadays, they are close to the original in pale ash or maple wood - he also orders oversize sets made, or single pieces as elegant prize trophies – I would suggest You get some soon....
(c) Nicholas Lanier 2018
Notes:
1) History of Prague, in: Wikipedia
2) dozens of Schnirch works can be found per google, and found in any printend Guidebook for prague
3) acc. to https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohuslav_Schnirch
4) personal information by GM Karel Mokry
5) also thx to GM Karel Mokry
6) this info was provided by Michael Ehn, chess antiquary in Vienna
1) History of Prague, in: Wikipedia
2) dozens of Schnirch works can be found per google, and found in any printend Guidebook for prague
3) acc. to https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohuslav_Schnirch
4) personal information by GM Karel Mokry
5) also thx to GM Karel Mokry
6) this info was provided by Michael Ehn, chess antiquary in Vienna