Howard Staunton: Chess Set Pioneer

Imagine a chess piece, any piece will do. Odds are, your mental image of a chess piece follows the traditional Staunton design. Staunton chess pieces have simple, turned shapes with a flared base and a more elaborate knight’s head design. While you may be familiar with the design, the story of how it came to be called the “Staunton” is less well-known. The Staunton chess set, launched in 1849 as a collaboration among three men, has perhaps become the most enduring piece of celebrity merch of all time.

An Unlikely Beginning

Howard Staunton didn’t start his life in a posh nursery in London or a country house. Born in 1810 into a working-class life, Staunton had a scrappy upbringing and little early education. While there were rumors that he was the illegitimate son of the Earl of Carlisle, his childhood showed no signs of secret patronage. History has lost his birth and baptism records. On his marriage license, he listed a “William Staunton” as his father. Given his fascination with William Shakespeare, it could have been a nod to his literary hero as much as a claim of parentage.

Howard Staunton had a rough-and-tumble childhood on the streets of London. He never passed his exams to matriculate from secondary school. While he claimed to have attended Oxford, he was never a member and did not receive a degree. He did act in Shakespeare productions around Oxford, so it’s likely he was part of the student community. His turns on the boards in Shakespearean plays were some of his fondest memories.

The Road to a World Championship*

Staunton wasn’t a child chess phenom. He developed a serious interest in chess at age 26, around 1836. He was an adult prodigy and quickly broke through on the London chess scene. In 1843, he won most of the games in a series against Pierre Saint-Amant. Saint-Amant was considered the top European player of the time, and Staunton declared himself the “world champion” after his victory.

While many agreed, there was no official body to rule on the matter, hence the asterisk. Opinions were quite mixed in the rest of Europe. Despite the controversy, Staunton enjoyed some recognition as the world’s strongest player until the London International Tournament in 1851. It’s fair to say that his play was far ahead of his time. He had a mastery of positional play that his opponents generally did not, and his games seem almost modern as a result.

The Staunton Chess Set—Merch for the Masses

During the height of Staunton’s celebrity, chess was spreading into coffeehouses and working-class homes. The ornate chess set designs that were in favor, such as the tall, slender Biedermeier, had delicate parts that didn’t hold up well to a rougher, faster style of play. Serious chess players were clamoring for more durable and travel-friendly sets.

In 1849, the traditional Staunton design was launched by Jacques of London, the premier sporting goods manufacturer in London. The new chess pieces did away with the delicate ornamentation of more genteel sets, favoring a simple, turned design with little ornamentation and wide bases. There is some uncertainty about the actual designer. While John Jacques manufactured the set and had designed others, a publisher named Nathaniel Cooke filed the patent. Staunton may have had input on the design, but he seemed primarily a celebrity endorser and advertiser. Staunton’s signature adorned the original storage box, and a facsimile is still applied by Jacques of London today.

Staunton used his platform as a chess journalist and celebrity to shamelessly promote the new sets. No doubt he believed the new set solved many of the problems serious chess players had with previous designs. While we don’t have any of the contracts, we can assume he benefited financially from lending his name to the new sets. Along with that obvious financial motive, however, Staunton did much to promote chess as a game for everyone, and this modestly priced set certainly democratized chess equipment.

Why Has The Staunton Dominated Chess Design?

The standard Staunton design has been the enduring favorite in chess for several reasons. It’s ubiquitous. You can find it in cheap, mass-produced hollow plastic or luxurious ebony and boxwood Staunton figures. It’s been top of the heap for many decades due to its ease of manufacture, playability, and classic aesthetic. This is truly a case where form and function met, got married, and lived happily ever after.

Lower cost is one of the reasons Staunton sets were so popular when introduced. As chess became more mainstream, demand for an inexpensive, sturdy set skyrocketed. The standard Staunton design starts with a turned base and minimal carving, making it durable and easier to mass-produce. This cost-effective set could be made quickly and efficiently to meet higher demand at a lower price point.

Staunton pieces set the standard for playability. This set design aims to meet players' needs rather than interior design. Staunton pieces have few fragile embellishments to break during fast, spirited play. The wider base is more stable with weighting, making it even more secure. They feel good in your hand and stay where you put them.

The last reason Staunton sets have remained the far-and-away favorite is their classic aesthetic. Each piece is instantly recognizable. No matter where a player is from, they can sit down and play a Staunton set. The common flared bases create a harmonized whole. Even if you don’t know the Staunton name, you would recognize it as a classic chess set. Good design has staying power, and ~175 years later, the Staunton is one of the best designs out there.

Current State of The Staunton Chess Set

Staunton design is everywhere, from budget sets to high-end luxury sets. Staunton sets come in every material you can think of, from wood to stone to glass to 3D-printed polymer filament. Original Staunton sets were affordable for working-class people, and there continue to be sets perfect for those who don’t want to break the bank on a chess set. Chess tournaments use weighted plastic Staunton sets, like this triple-weighted, tournament-approved Staunton set: Deluxe Chess Set Combination. These pieces travel well in the included case, and they’re durable enough to last for many years.

Staunton is the international standard in chess as well, with FIDE adopting the Staunton design in 1924 for all sanctioned play. Luxury variations on the Staunton were designed for famous matches, and reproductions such as the Gilded Zagreb '59 Series Chess Set, Box, & Board Combination faithfully commemorate them. Sets used for international play around the time of the 1959 World Candidates Championship Match are the models for this beautiful reproduction.

Chess collectors have a wealth of choices, with fine historical reproductions or newer designs like the Sultan Series Luxury Chess Set. While all these designs share the classic Staunton elements, there’s a lot of room for personal taste in the choice of materials and boards. Exotic woods, metals, and even precious gemstones have been used to create Staunton masterpieces. The Staunton chess set shows no sign of abandoning its top spot.

The Legacy of Howard Staunton

A Long Decline

The high point of Staunton’s chess career was undisputably 1843, when he reigned as the world champion in popular opinion, a position he enjoyed until 1851. Unfortunately, his health was already causing him problems in 1843, when heart palpitations interrupted his matches with Saint-Amant. Debilitating heart problems plagued him for the rest of his life. At times, he was unable to take the physical strain of play.

He organized the London International Tournament in 1851 to showcase the strongest players of the day (including himself, of course). Although several leading players of the time were unable to participate, it was billed as an international world championship. Staunton placed a disappointing fourth after losing to the eventual winner, Adolf Anderssen of Germany. While Staunton didn’t “defend” his world champion title, this tournament was a great contribution to chess as the first modern international tournament. Its success was in large part due to Staunton’s managerial skill.

In 1958, Paul Morphy, the American prodigy and champion, issued an invitation for a match to Staunton. Morphy was only 21, but he was the strongest player of the time. Staunton initially accepted, but after numerous rounds of insults, the match never happened. Morphy did play and beat Adolf Anderssen, and it’s unlikely Staunton would have prevailed. Rumors flew that he’d been afraid to be defeated by the American. This episode was the somewhat disappointing coda to a successful and distinguished chess career.

Chasing Another Muse

Howard Staunton was a highly respected chess columnist and writer. His chess column in the London Times ran for most of his life. While his writings could veer into self-serving or vitriolic, he contributed much to the serious study of chess. “The Blue Book of Chess,” an instructional book by Staunton, is still in print to this day.

As Staunton’s health became too fragile for competitive chess, he turned his significant writing talent to the analysis and critique of Shakespeare’s plays. When he died in 1874, he was working on this scholarly pursuit at his desk. Scholars still hold these writings in high regard.

A Lasting Impact

Howard Staunton was a larger-than-life personality during the Golden Age of Chess. More modern tactics may have eclipsed his contributions to strategy and gameplay, but his role in the design and marketing of the most widely used chess pieces in history will see his name live on. If he were alive today, he’d probably write about it in his column as a singular triumph, and who could argue?