The Steiner Series Luxury Chess Pieces - 5.0" King
The House of Staunton is proud to offer the Steiner Series Chess set. It features a 5.0" King with a 2.0" 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 House of Staunton is proud to offer the Steiner Signature Series Luxury Chess Pieces. It features a 5.0" King with a 2.0" diameter base. The Chess pieces are hand carved by our master artisans and crafted out of the finest woods. The Chess pieces are heavily weighted with English Leather basepads stamped with Frank Camaratta Signature under the King, luxurious billiard cloth base pads under the other pieces and a beautiful finish.
As with all of our Chess sets, the Steiner Signature Series 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 in 1993.
Product Specifications
More Information
ISBN
Does not apply
Chess Board Included?
The Chess Board featured is for photographic purposes only and must be purchased separately
The Kings Feature English Leather Embossed with Frank Camaratta Signature™
Median Set Weight
84.2 Ounces
Total Number of Pieces
34 Chess Pieces, including 2 Additional Queens (for Pawn Promotion)
History of the Chess Pieces
2016 marks the 50th anniversary of the Second Piatigorsky Cup tournament. It is no coincidence that the beautiful Limited Edition set you see before you is a tribute to the man responsible for the famous Piatigorsky Cup Tournaments, Herman Steiner. There can be no doubt that were Herman alive today he would have jumped at the opportunity to see his set remastered to the degree of precision embodied in this official House of Staunton Limited Edition Signature set.
For many, looking at this elegant chess set will instill a sense of déjà vu. It’s the knights that grab you. You’ve seen them before—you’re sure if it—but you’re not quite sure where or when. Was it at a tournament? An old photo? Perhaps. Was it something with Fischer? Maybe. Whatever the case you know there is something special about it . . . some historical significance.
And you would be right!
The set has a strong pedigree with a storied history. It was designed by the enterprising Hungarian-American International Master Herman Steiner, near the end of World War II in Los Angeles 1945.
Steiner’s association with Jacqueline Piatigorsky was a relationship of special importance to American chess history. As it turns out, it was also a relationship that catapulted Steiner’s chess set design into immortality.
Jacqueline took over Herman’s Hollywood Chess Group after his sudden death from a heart attack in November 1955, re-christening it the ‘Herman Steiner Chess Club’ in his honor. She also carried on Steiner’s legacy of promoting international chess events. It was always Herman’s goal to host an epic international tournament rivaling the legendary New York International of 1924.
It is hardly surprising, given his special relationship with the Piatiogorskys, that the Piatigorsky Cup tournaments of 1963 and 1966, as well as and the 1961 Fischer-Reshevsky match, had Herman Steiner written into their DNA - right down to the Herman Steiner Master Chess Sets!
One notable feature of Steiner’s pieces was their size. With 5-inch kings they were about a half-inch taller than other luxury sets, something that provided a stunning presence without being gaudy or obtrusive to game play. It is unclear how many sets were actually produced. The bulk of production work occurred between late 1946 to early 1947, with the first finished sets publicly displayed in the Spring of 1947 at Steiner’s club.
The first documented appearance of the set in the photographic record occurred in June 1947 with Steiner’s match against California master Harry Borochow. It is estimated that fewer than a hundred sets were ever completed, No more sets were ever made by family or anyone else.
Included with Purchase
Certificate of Authenticity
Engraved Registered Plaque
Individual Production Number
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Headquartered in the United States, The House of Staunton manufacturers the world's finest Chess equipment.
