The Collector Series Plastic Chess Pieces - 3.75" King
Product Code: MENCOL375
Description
"Crafted to replicate the design and proportions of the original Staunton pattern Chessmen, registered by Nathaniel Cooke in March of 1849 and first manufactured by Jaques of London in September 1849"
The House of Staunton is proud to offer the Collector Series Plastic Chess set. This full-tournament sized Premium Plastic Chess set features a 3.75" King with a 1.75" diameter base. The Chess pieces are the heaviest sets on the market with felt base pads on the undersides of the Chessmen.
The Collector Series Plastic Chess set has been crafted to replicate the design and proportions of the original Staunton pattern Chessmen, registered by Nathaniel Cooke in March of 1849 and first manufactured by Jaques of London in September 1849. The distinctive feature of this set is the the open-mitered Bishop and Knight design, which is modeled after the noble steeds from the Greek Parthenon (Elgin Marbles.)
History of the Chess Pieces
As with all of our Chessmen, the Collector Series Plastic Chess set 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.

The increased interest in the game of Chess, particularly in international play during the late 18th century and early 19th century, brought about a renewed demand for a more universal model for chess pieces. The variety and styles of the conventional form begun in the 15th century had expanded tremendously by the beginning of the nineteenth century. Some of the more common conventional types popular during the period included the English Barleycorn chess set, the St. George chess set, the French Regence chess set, and the central European Selenus chess set. Most pieces were tall, unweighted, easily tipped and cumbersome during play. But their major disadvantage was the uniformity of the pieces within a set. A player's unfamiliarity with an opponent's set could tragically alter the outcome of a game.
By the early decades of the 19th century, there was a great need for a chess set whose pieces were easy to use and universally recognized by chess players of all backgrounds. The solution emerged in 1849 with the introduction of a new pattern Chess set that was registered by Nathaniel Cook and manufactured by the firm John Jaques of London. The Chess Set, which had the endorsement of the British Chess Champion Howard Staunton, became known as the Staunton Chessmen and were soon the standard on which most tournament playing sets have been made. That traditional is proudly continued on to this day by the The House of Staunton.
Reviews

Customer Reviews
- Excelentes piezas Review by Juan
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Rating
Si se hablara de un aspecto desfavorable, serÃa que el tablero a usar debe ser mas bien grande! (mÃnimo escaques de 2,375 pulgadas x 8 = 19 pulgadas = 48,26 cm. ancho de tablero) y que para ir y venir las piezas ocupan algo de espacio y son pesadas, por lo que piezas mas manejables en esas situaciones serÃan elegir piezas con el rey con máxima altura de 3,75 pulgadas o inferior (también para juegos blitz! (ajedrez rápido)), en mi opinión, pero todo es cosa de gustos! (Posted on 10/21/2019) - Great fun! Review by Mark
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Rating - Highest possible recommendation Review by Dorian
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In the future i would like to see House of Staunton offer different plastic designs for the knight as i would love to buy a german style knight or a rio biggie knight in plastic.
A plastic zagreb style set of chessmen would also be appreciated. (Posted on 1/6/2019) - Perfect! Review by Jeongwon
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When the piece was delivered, I was contacted by e-mail to know that one of the pieces was damaged.
They responded very quickly and kindly.
Thank you HOS! (Posted on 7/16/2018) - Plastic Collector Review by RCM
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Product Details
Yes | |
Chess Board Included? | The Chess Board featured is for photographic purposes only and must be purchased separately |
Material(s) | Plastic |
Weighting | Quadruple Weighted |
King Height | 3.75'' inch / 9.53 cm |
King Base Diameter | 1.75'' inch / 4.44 cm |
Recommended Chess Board Size | 2.25" inch / 5.7 cm, 2.375" inch / 6.0 cm |
Basepad Material | Billiard Cloth |
Median Set Weight | 51 ounces |
Total Number of Pieces | 34 Chess Pieces, including 2 Additional Queens (for Pawn Promotion) |