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Chess pieces Staunton

752 Views 0 Liked Posted on: 19-12-2019
By ESCACIMAT SLU
Staunton pieces correspond to the normalization of chess pieces. They are currently the type of pieces that are used in official competitions and in chess clubs. Its use is very standardized, so if you want some pieces to play daily, Staunton are the best option.
Its clean and simple design has never been matched, looking at the design of the pieces as modern today as it was in its introduction more than 150 years ago. Staunton parts are characterized by having a simple but elegant design. They are very comfortable to use since they have the perfect weight and size. This makes the harmony of the game and its vision adequate.
There are different pieces of Staunton today that are classified by the king's height. They are commercially divided into height ranges of the king's piece, in our filters you can see the most usual sizes. The standard king's height that is most used in official tournaments is usually between 97 mm and 100 mm.

modelo-staunton.jpg

What is the origin of Staunton Chess pieces?

During the first half of the 19th century, an increase in the global popularity of chess caused the demand for a uniform model of chess pieces. While the chess pieces that were in use at the time were very varied, they were decorative in nature and considered inappropriate for the game.
It is important to remember that chess has historically been enjoyed by the rich, a fact that is reflected in the artistic designs of the chess games that dominated the market. Although aesthetically beautiful, the chess pieces of the time were not very practical.
The chess pieces were expensive to produce, uncomfortable to use, prone to overturn and had such ornate details that they were unable to withstand the wear and tear of regular use. However, the biggest disadvantage of these chess games was the lack of uniformity of the pieces within a chess game. The lack of familiarity of a player with a particular chess game could affect the outcome of the game.
Complaints like these led to the search for a standard design of chess pieces. On September 1, 1849 an ornamental design for a Chess Game was registered by Mr. Nathaniel Cooke under the British Ornamental Designs Act of 1842.
Our research has led us to conclude that the basis for this new chess piece design was the Northern Upright chess game. On the basis of a very popular but very artistic chess game, Mr. Cooke was able to concentrate his energies solely on correcting those deficiencies. Ornamental features that were more susceptible to damage were removed, resulting in a chess game that was durable and less expensive to produce.
The diameter of the bases was widened to increase stability and the chess pieces were weighed with lead to minimize overturning. Prior to the commercial launch of these new chess pieces, Mr. Cooke convinced Howard Staunton to lend his prestigious name to the new design. Mr. Staunton was England's most famous chess personality and the unofficial World champion.

Staunton pattern chess pieces, as they were officially known, were commercially available on September 29, 1849 and quickly became the world standard of chess pieces. Its lower production cost brought chess to the masses and did much to popularize the game.
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