The discovery took place in Scotland, on the Isle of Lewis. A local worker noticed that a sand bank had collapsed and went to take a look. He saw a partially buried chest which he quickly unearthed and opened. Inside the chest were the original chess pieces.

The Lewis chessmen are the source of much debate, and indeed some fierce arguments. When the original discovery was made a total of 78 chess pieces were found inside the box, obviously more than is needed for a standard game of chess. Some have argued that the pieces were never intended to be used as chess pieces but for another ancient game instead. It is however generally agreed that they are chessmen, and if they were not originally, they certainly are now.

It would seem that the person who made the originals was quite a forward thinker. By making 78 pieces instead of the usual 32 he has helped to smooth, although not eradicate, a continuing feud which relates to where in the world the originals will be kept.

At present the full 78 pieces are split between various museums, but all remain in the United Kingdom which seems to somewhat annoy those who believe they should be returned to Norway, where they were made. Indeed those people seem quite irate about the name of the chessmen too. It’s fair to assume nothing will change in relation to the name and the whereabouts of the chess pieces.

These days you can buy very good reproductions of the original chessmen, indeed thousands of sets have been produced around the world. The design of course if out of copyright, so sets can be produced by anyone. There is however one official set produced by the National Museum, Scotland. This set has been made from precise laser scans of the original pieces and is the closest you will find to the originals.

The Isle of Lewis Chessmen

The origin of a chess set is an important factor when choosing which one to buy. Ultimately the set is as good as the people that made it and the materials they used. Indeed why should it’s location have an effect on it’s quality? Most of us know that when it comes to consumer goods a little bit of discrimination is required if we are going to buy the best we can find.

Most chess sets available in Britain are imported, very few sets are actually made here and those that are tend to be very expensive. Firstly lets look at India, thought to be the home of chess India has a deep history of making chess sets. A country rich in natural resources and high quality timbers that are ideal for making chess sets. The chess manufacturing in India is established and developed, many factories exist making chess sets and experienced carvers create some beautiful chess pieces from inside their own homes.

The internet has helped to make Indian chess sets readily available by establishing good long distance relations with UK chess sellers and Indian brokers of chess products.

Next on our list is Poland, well not just Poland but other places in Eastern Europe as well, now part of the EU. The Polish have a history of craft manufacturer and are well known for making some unique and very ornate chess sets. They use decorative wood burning and staining to enhance the look of their sets. In past decades the Eastern European sets were often seen as a cheap alternative to British or Western European made products. The goal posts in quality moved when a new force in mass production came along in the form of Chinese production.

The Chinese manufactures were good at copying the designs from India and Europe. With rock bottom labour rates and raw materials the Chinese manufacturers offered excellent prices. They aimed their products at the customers who had previously imported from the eastern sides of Europe. Evidence can be seen of this in the form of Chinese versions of classic Polish chess sets. With fast production times and low prices the Chinese began churning out chess products at a rate of knots.

While things may have appeared grim for the Polish suppliers, their designs being mass produced for a fraction of the cost there was one factor the economists had not foreseen. Quality was slipping in the Chinese quarters often with some diabolical results. All of a sudden the market was awash with 1000s of cheap chess sets. The growing internet shopping culture made them easy to sell, the less honest sellers often posting up photos of the original Polish set while shipping the Chinese version.

Large department stores stocked 1000s of sets bought for a couple of pounds and sold for a couple more. It seemed the chess market was in trouble, with intense pressure on price and what seemed like a never ending source from China. Speculation was abound about the effects that rising quality standards in China might have on the Polish and Indian sets.

It seems the birth of the mass produced copy did not spell the death for the older industries. Quite the reverse in fact. While the cheap Chinese copies flooded ebay and the bargain basements the discerning among us sought out the genuine article, the very products that had been copied to death by the Chinese. What had previously been considered the budget sets from the poorer side of Europe were now considered the genuine article.

The ‘Made in China’ badge became something of a stigma and best avoided if at all possible, while a set made in the new Europe gained a new set of credentials. It seems there will always remain a home for the cheap Chinese produced chess set. Yet the demise of the quality crafts from other parts of the world was not to be.

There is a common misconception among many people that you can buy a genuine Staunton chess set. Indeed it’s not uncommon for people to think that there is a chess manufacturer called Staunton who make and sell chess sets. The reality is quite different. Back in the 1800s there was a problem emerging among chess players. The problem was caused by a huge variety in the styles of chess pieces. It meant that a Russian player facing an English opponent might become confused if he cant tell the difference between the pieces. Indeed it was becoming such a problem that the style of set used could affect the outcome of the game.

There was one man, Howard Staunton, who decided enough was enough and that a standardization of chess pieces was needed if the world was going to compete at chess. Staunton was an amazing chess player of his time, indeed between 1843 and 1851 he was considered he finest chess player in the world. Many people believe that Howard Staunton designed the set himself, in fact he must have spent his time improving his chess moves instead.

He did favor one particular set however, which had been designed by Nathaniel Cook, the brother in law of the owner of Jacques of London, a prominent chess manufacturer of the time. Jacques produced the set that Cook designed and it was this set that Staunton so loved. He endorsed this style of set as the standard by which all chess sets should be made in the future. The familiar pieces that we now take for granted as the typical chess set was now set in stone it seemed.

There are still chess sets being made in other ornate styles that bear no resemblance to Cooks design, indeed when one looks at them it easy to get confused about which pieces are which. No such confusion exists when one sees a Staunton chess set. Even a non chess player instantly knows which piece is which.

Jacques of london still make chess sets today, so one could argue that if there is a Staunton company then they are the closest thing to it. Since then many other companies have created amazing versions of Staunton chess pieces. In some cases costing thousands of dollars a set.

There is no doubt that Howard Staunton would be delighted to see what his endorsement has brought about. It seems to be the case that forever more this classic design will remain the standard which we all associate with a proper chess set.