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The Collector Series Plastic Chess Pieces - 3.75" King
Product Code: MENCOL375
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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
- Great fun! Review by Mark
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Originally I bought these as "beater" pieces to take to the park and pretty much use and abuse. After delivery I was so impressed that I'm a little careful as to whom I play with them! They are of outstanding quality, heavily weighted and take abuse well. For the price point one couldn't ask for better. If your in the market for regulation, authentic pieces these FIT the Bill! Should last for years to come (Posted on 1/11/2019)Rating - Highest possible recommendation Review by Dorian
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I recently bought these chessmen thinking i wanted something better than the chess sets you can buy at the local toy store or supermarket. I didnt have hundreds of dollars to spend just on chessmen, so i "settled" for buying these plastic chess pieces. I liked that they were weighted and i liked 3.75 inch size, but i resigned myself to having a chess set that wa sonli marginally better than what i already have. I WAS SO WRONG! When i the chessmen came in the mail and i opened them up i could not believe the high quality of these pieces. This set of chessmen is truly remarkable. They look beautiful--the design on these has been carefully made even though they are plastic. When you get them on the board you can tell right away that these pieces are serious chessmen not toys. They feel great in the hand not awkward, and they have a wonderful heft to them. They make a very satisfying soft clacking sound when you put them on the board. Even though they are plastic I could easily see myself using these pieces as my longterm- "go to" pieces. If you are hesitating as to whether or not to purchase these chessmen please do yourself a favor and just purchase them. You will not regret your purchase. House of Staunton is to be commended for paying as much attention and care to their economy designs as they do to their luxury wooden designs. You will not feel cheated with this set.Rating
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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Beautiful appearance and Suitable weight to play.Rating
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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This is the nicest plastic design available. It's classic, just perfect. (Posted on 6/28/2014)Rating
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Product Details
| Yes | |
| Chess Board Included? | The Chess Board featured is for photographic purposes only and must be purchased separately |
| 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) |
