Chess Pieces
The game of chess is a battle between two opposing sides. Much of the inspiration for novelty chess sets is derived from the many conflicts of past history, especially ancient and medieval history. Add to these the stories of battles, or the fight between good and evil that forms the basis for many myths and legends, novels and films.
Generally where it is agreed that the fight is between the good and the bad, you will find that the white chess pieces are represent the side we want to win, and the black pieces are the evil opposers!
A popular story in English culture is the legend of Robin Hood. The Robin Hood theme chess set lines up hero Robin, Maid Marian, Little John and Friar Tuck and all the Merry Men opposite the hated and despised Sheriff of Nottingham with his cronies and his army.
Helen of Troy makes the perfect Queen and a pair of Trojan horses feature appropriately as the knights as they line up against the might of Sparta in the set drawn from probably the most popular story in Greek mythology.
Character Chess sets from literature
The stunning Lord of the Rings Chess Set from the Studio Anne Carlton is based on the characters taken from the movie "The Fellowship of the Ring". Gandalf the Grey is the white King figure standing against the black Saruman. Gandalf leads Aragorn, the dwarf Gimli, Frodo Baggins, Sam wise and Hobbits in the battle against Saruman who is accompanied by Ringwraiths, Lutz and various Orcs. It is a set to grace the home of any Tolkein fan, but they will need to put aside any hope of the game reaching the same outcome every time they play, or even the conclusion being a victory for Gandalf!
The Lewis Carroll masterpiece "Alice in Wonderland" with it's memorable Victorian illustrations lends itself to a work of art in the form of a themed chess set, again from the celebrated SAC. In this case the characters on each side of the board, the King, Alice, The Mad Hatter, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee with a row of White Rabbits for pawns are identical in all but color. Naturally when designing a themed chess set, one has to be selective as the number of pieces is limited. It just has to be Alice. The Queen of Hearts just will not fit in the lineup!
Themed Chess Pieces from History
Historical subjects lend themselves well to chess sets, for example the Crusades, Richard the Lionheart, and the Battle of Waterloo, 1815. The sight of the Duke and Duchess of Wellington with the Prince of Orange and their troops in red facing the Emperor Napoleon beside Josephine and Marshall Blucher with their army all in black really brings the event to life. Women did accompany their men folk to battle in Europe in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century and they certainly did not take part in the fighting, remaining instead in the nearest towns. But this is chess, and you have to have a Queen!
Egyptian Chess Set
Egyptian art is always appealing and the majesty and awe surrounding their God-Kings is legendary. There is no mistaking which piece is the chess knight in the beautiful hand painted Egyptian Chess Set by SAC.
Samurai Chess Set
Japanese Samurai Warriors are noted for their courage and their self-respect. They were noble and honourable, and would prefer to die at their own hand by Hara Kiri than be captured or lose their lives in a shameful manner. This is unlikely to happen in a game of chess of course.
Novelty Chess Sets
As well as the historical and themes from literature, some may favour a gothic fantasy themed chess set featuring faeries or mythical dragons.
All the themed chess sets described can be regarded as novelty sets by serious chess players who would be inclined to prefer a traditional Staunton set for play. They do however meet a need that was satisfied by the Staunton design in its day, that of being a decorative work of craftsmanship for a corner of the home, on display at all times.
The Diamond Jubilee Chess Set
2012 is an important year from the UK. Not only are we hosting the Olympic games but it's also the Diamond Jubilee year of Queen Elizabeth the second. An officially approved commemorative chess set has been created by Studio Anne Carlton to mark this historic occasion and we are delighted to be authorised stockists of this amazing product. The set is produced in limited numbers and will only be available to buy from late October 2011 and throughout 2012 or until stocks last.
