BraRoe Chess Blog

To me there is no other chess I would rather play with than the Staunton chess set.  It is a classic and its design embodies the game of chess.  I’ve seen quite a few chess sets, with their different designs and styles of chess pieces, and always I come back to the Staunton.  How could I not?

For over one hundred and fifty years the Staunton chess set has been the favorite of anyone who is familiar with the game of chess. There’s reason most chess clubs and tournaments use the Staunton chess set.  It has a wonderfully classic design and a utility to its design that makes the pieces easy to handle.

Though Howard Staunton himself did not design the chess set, it was named after him for good reason.  In the middle of the eighteen hundreds, chess was becoming an increasingly popular past-time and he was seen to be the strongest of the competitive chess players at that time.  He loved the design of the chess set so much that he publicly endorsed it and when as far as speaking out against other chess designs for their inferior utility of design.  He was right in his opinion of other chess sets.  What other design has been so time-honored and long-enduring?

Fancy designs and novelty chess sets will never take the place of the Staunton chess set for me. The crown of the king, the beautifully carved equine head of the knight, and the fantastic battlement-like rooks will always be my chess pieces of choice.

Tags: Chess Sets, Chess Opinion //