Staunton Style
I understand Staunton style as generic category for tournament chess sets, more or less closely modeled on the pattern pioneered by John Jaques and Nathaniel Cooke from 1949 onwards. The pattern has been interpreted in different ways by chess piece manufacturers all over the world - and has tolled the bell for other patterns like Regency, Austrian, Russian, Czech, St. George or other styles in chess piece design.
British
British tournament set
A large (king 100 mm/4 ") boxwood set of obviously british origin, heavily weighted, with some distinctive features:
- uncut knobs on kings,
- oversize bishops with large cut,
- two piece knights slightly shorter than the rooks,
- a concave sweep on the queen and king stems.
Staunton sets - in fact most good chess sets - usually have a harmonic "steeple" from the highest pieces down to the rooks. This is a bit altered in this set - which nonetheless feels well - black pieces are only lacquered, not ebony.
British Staunton with glass-eyed knights
Large (king 105 mm - 4 1/4 ") tournament set in a british made felted box with lock. Heavily weighted, lovely finish on the boxwood - and glass eyed knights - barely visible on the 3.picture. Red marks on one knight and rook each side. Something in the outline of the knights head leads me to speculate if this might have been by a major british name - Whitty, BCC ? On the other hand , The good condition, overall impression - and glass eyes! - suggest early 20th century...
Bulbtop
British playing set, bulbous king top, fruitwood or boxwood, no felting , 19th C, slightly concave bases, patina galore. The blackpieces are ebony - some breaks! - except the knight heads! Kings stand 86 mm (ca. 3 1/2 ").
Old English
Fruitwood (pear?)/rosewood, 19th C, kings 67 mm, in between St. George and Staunton style, contained in an old Pascalls sweets tin with the proviso "Sweets make Your life sweeter".
Boxwood/ebony set
Very small set (king 63 mm - 2 1/2 "), in boxwood and ebony, neatly finished. Distinctly printed red crowns on one rook and knight each side - very fine knights head - it might even be a Jacques set (Lasker type ca. 1885). Ebony shown through minor break - "dropped" jaw of one knight - no felt.
"Melange" Set
Fruitwood set - brown as a melange coffee, this set is either british with french elements, or french masquerading as british via the St. George's Cross! Not weighted, partly felted (moth-eaten), king stand 76 mm. Knights have a very toothy appearance....
German
GDR Set
Varnished chess pieces from the days of the former GDR - with a plastic head to the two-pieces knights, almost undistinguishable. kings stand 76 mm
BK playing set
Well finished sets (2 of them), king 65 mm, crosses metal /wood stuck into aperture!, king height 65 mm, felted - from between 1940 and 1960.
German Ruins
Rest of a 19th C german playing set - unfortunately pretty much what is left. king stand 90 mm, pieces have rests of old felting, no weight.
Bohemia
Bohemia pieces in a false leather box, with A.v.Rolland logo, ca. 1970, weighted and felted. Notably the "chicken" head on kight - thesets in larger size at one time were the standard equipment in the German Bundelsiga - kings 72 mm.
French
Lardy Sets - see here
Glass-eyed Chessmen
Chessmen in natural and brown exotic wood - with small eyes- actually ceramic. the light queen is from a different largepored wood, stands out sharply! Kings 70 mm high
Larger glasseyed set
Tournament size (king 87 mm), this set from olivewood is much better finished - and weighted. Knights eyes are actually opaque ceramique. Natural wood colours - chessmen are made from tropical wood - teak and some species akin to olive wood.
2 x Slim Stem chessmen
At 64 and 67 mm kings height, one set is much more substantial than the other. Probably Chavet or Roz as makers. Felted.
Tall Boxwood set
Stylized knight head, no felt (prewar) - king 87 mm.
Common Set
Very common set - in all sizes - knights head same as in common Regency sets - king 72 mm certaily older, a good 50 years.
Tête simple.....
The simplest of all french desin«gns - boxwood, kings at 56 mm - from the 50ies. Very coimmon - one bishops lacks the cut!
Russian (Soviet Union)
Russian Staunton
Russian standard Staunton set from the - 60ies? - with interesting features. first , the kings are not the same height (82mm / 81 mm), secnd , they must have been handvarnsihed by somebody with a sloppy brush - brown has slopped over onto the light pieces, some pieces are difficult to ascribe to either side (see center pawn). Thrid , they are weighted and felted - filials are painted.
Recent Playing Set
Recent (80ies) playing set, weighted /feloted, king at 88 mm, well finished - white knight started out as a black one and then turned his coat out - happens all the while in politics....
Yugoslavia
"Novisad" set
Interesting older set (ca. 1960), with stylized knights - unfortunately incomplete - king stand 87 mm, bishop must have had a spearate opposite-colour finial stuck in, felted. These sets were made in Novisad and came to prominence b
Austrian
Nekvasil Staunton
Rough coffeehouse set, Vienna 50ies - 80ies, king 89 mm, pinewood, unweighted, oil paper pads. The tradtional Austrian/ East Europe opposite colouring of bishop tops is maintained - uncut finial on kings, useful for exporting to Muslim countries, or in multicultural ambientes!
Nekvasil Staunton-Club format
Coffeehouse set - large version - with queen and Kings from Old Austrian Set. Such mixups were not uncommon in club and coffeehouse routine. King size 110 mm - compare the minor pieces between this and the smaller format
Aren't you overwhelmed by the subtle elegance and transcendent beauty of these sets?
Indonesian
Tournament Set
Large playing set (kings 110 mm), most likely ffrom Indonesia, both sides in natural woods, with transparent varnish, felting and no weight. Good simple set from ca. 1970 - onepiece knights!
Philippines
Tournament pieces
Excellent tournament set in traditional Filipino style, dark side in a local hardwood similar to tiger ebony, lighter side in teak like wood. Kings stand 103 mm - pieces are felted - weighting is superfluous in these authentic sets, as the wood is very heavy, and the bottom bulge gives excellent stability. Nice steeple as well - these sets are not rare, but older sets like this one are better finished.
Huge Chessmen
As most Staunton sets, these were/are made in several sizes - this is probably the largest size, with kings at 174 mm (7 "). Pieces this large are easier to move on the floor, or on a lowslung table between armchairs - in any case the set arrived with a neatly sewn black and red wool board! This set is probably from the 50ies - compare with a second set of the same size - check which one is more attractive or better made!
American
"Lowe" chessmen
Compact chessmen in hardwood, weighted/felted - as far as I know, commercialized by Lowe in NY - kings stands 70 mm - a tattered leather wrap-around box also contains a folding leather board!
Horn chessmen
Small hardwood chessmen, king 74 mm, probably interwar years.
Small playing set
Very modest playing set, hardwood, king stands 69 mm
Old American
Old and well made boxwood playing set, non-denominational!, with spiretops on kings, very rustic knight, boxwood - king stands 70 mm - the old slitedtop box that contains them has rest of a sticker of a shop in "Chester, NY".
