The Zagreb '59 Series Chess Set - 2.875" King

"With a distinct European flair and styling, a stunning reproduction of one of the most popular chess sets used in the major international Chess tournaments during the 1950s and 1960s."

The House of Staunton is proud to offer the Zagreb '59 Series Chess set. A full library-sized Chess set, it features a 2.875" King with a 1.375"diameter base. The Chess pieces are hand carved by our master artisans and crafted out of the highest grade woods. The Chess pieces are heavily weighted with luxurious billiard cloth base pads and a beautiful finish. The design of the Zagreb '59 Chess set is an adaptation of the most popular Chess set used at major international Chess tournaments throughout the 1950s and 1960s, most notably the World Championship Candidates Match that was held in Bied, Zagreb in 1959.

The House of Staunton has taken several minor improvements to the design of the Chess set, including the ability to replace the ball finial (cross) atop the King with the more recognizable Formée cross to conform to modern Western tournament praxis. The Chess set comes with both styles of King finials (crosses) that are easily removable, allowing its owner to option to change between both styles. The Chess set has been designed to withstand years of use (and abuse), as it lacks many of the ornate details commonly found on Chess Sets that can be susceptible to damage in the heat of battle. For example, the Chess set features reinforced Pawn collars, stylized Knights and minimal Queen crenellations for unmatched durability. The Zagreb '59 Series Chess set is ideal for those that are interested in both the historical importance of the game of Chess, as well as those looking for an attractive Chess set that is both economical and durable.

As with all of our Chess sets, the Zagreb '59 Series Chessmen exemplifies a perfect combination of distinct beauty and functionality. It has been designed to withstand the rigors of practical play while maintaining an elegance which has become the hallmark of a House of Staunton chess set. The design, quality and craftsmanship of this set is UNMATCHED by any set of Chessmen in its price range. Nothing even comes close!

The Chessmen are new and each set consists of 34 Chessmen, including four Queens, a standard that was introduced by The House of Staunton over 10 years ago.

Material Used: Hand Carved

King Height: 2.875 (7.3 cm)

King Base Diameter: 1.375" (3.5 cm)

Total Set Weight: 31 ounces (0.88 kg)
Total Set Weight is for the standard 32 pieces and does not include the 2 Additional Queens

Total Number of Pieces: 34 (Includes 2 Additional Queens)

Recommended Board Size: 1.75" - 1.875"

Fischer, Tal and Petrosian - 1959
World Chess Champions

From September 6 to October 31 of 1959, eight of the world's strongest Grandmasters competed in a powerful quadruple Round-Robin Tournament, played in Bled, Zagreb and Belgrade, Yugoslavia, to determine the challenger for the crown of World Chess Champion currently held by Soviet Grandmaster Mikhail Botvinnik. The participants of the tournament were Mikhail Tal, Paul Keres, Tigran Petrosian, Vasily Smyslov, Svetozar Gligoria, Frederik Olafsson, Pal Benko and a 16-year old American named Robert James "Bobby" Fischer. This prestigious list includes 4 World Chess Champions.

Tal showed superior form by winning with 20/28 points, ahead of Paul Keres with 18.5, followed by Tigran Petrosian, Vasily Smyslov, Bobby Fischer, Svetozar Gligoria, Frederik Olafsson, and Pal Benko. Tal's victory was much attributed to his dominance over the lower half of the field; whilst scoring only +1 -3 vs Keres, he won all four individual games against Fischer, and took 3 3/4 from Gligoria, Olafsson, and Benko.

Although Bobby Fischer failed to win the Candidates Tournament, he finished a respectable fifth place and established himself as a legitimate contender for the World Chess Championship.

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