Checkmate

Thats a tough call as they all seem to have simular features to the CB Knight IMO. Thanks for the pics.!

You think the same carvers did both FC and CB knights?  Curious now.

Luft, I should have mentioned, the pictures I posted of the classic Jaques chess pieces are from Alan Fresht's pamphlet entitled, "Jaques Staunton Chess Sets 1849-1939: A Collectors Guide". The pamphlet itself is out of print (I think), but you can download an electronic copy through Amazon. If you're a collector, or want to be, it's well worth having.

Never saw the Wiki piece, very cool indeed, especially the 20 knight variations.  

Yeah, that's pretty blatant. There are any number of vendors offering Jaques reproduction sets. Many of which look a lot closer to the original than the CB set.

What I can't understand is that Alan Dewey send CB pieces to be reproduced & the Knight did not turn out as it should have. Its no big deal for me as the Jaques 1849 looks great to me. I understand how some might be upset that ordered this set though.

Just a reminder to everyone:

You can buy the earlier prototype Knight design from Chess Bazaar to go along with the rest of the set.  Just email Vikram and he will set it up. 

I have no issue with the set itself, it looks very nice. Just don't sell it as a 1849 replica (i.e. an exact copy) when it obviously isn't. Don't promise what you can't deliver. Or, to use a more colorful expression, "don't piss down my back and telling me it's raining." But, to each his own -- if you're on fire, I guess either will do.

I wish they make a smaller version (something like 3.5")  as this one is way too big to play with.

I wrote to them about this, and they wrote back that they are working on a set in this size.

@SteadyRolling - Great news. Thx.

ChessBazaar’s 1849 Jaques Staunton.  Set #22 arrived at my home yesterday. After FedEx notification on my iPhone, I ran back from work to scoop it off the porch, suddenly sure that my normally honest and calm neighbors were sneaking over with itchy fingers.  I was just sure they had caught the bug and were jonesing for my long awaited 4.4”

What a deal! -- MUCH prettier than the photos, much.  I wasn’t prepared for such solid well-built beauty, and with a gorgeous tan.  Voluptuous and heavy.  Quality? The ebonies say it loud, black and proud.  And this is a lot of ebony for the price!

By Vikramjit “Vik” Singh with technical guidance from Master Turner and Chess Restorer, Alan Dewey this is a high-quality reproduction of the Jaques set that started it all.  Is it a perfect replica?  Of course not. 

To see the differences just compare it to you own, original, 1849 Jaques Staunton 4.4”.  Don’t have one?  Well, neither do I.  Sure, it looks a bit different from the original Fersht photos, but in collecting antique Jaques sets, one comes to accept that no two sets of pre-1885 knight sets are alike.  Often the individual knights, original to the set, are different one from another.  I find these 19^th Century inconsistencies charming, just as I am totally charmed by Vik and Dewey’s creation. 

If you did have an original 1849 Jaques Staunton, I promise you would not be setting it out to play with your friends.  It is just too rare.  You probably couldn’t touch one for $349, and I mean that literally.

This set plays well on my 2.75” board, and is passable on my 2.5” boards.  I like the larger board for play with all my 4.4” sets, and I just love the powerful clunk from moving these heavy pieces --- a beautiful, well-balanced set.  Lovely to look at, lovely to hold, count me as already sold.

BTW, if you want to learn something about antique chess sets and collecting, just Google “ChessSpy YouTube” and let the charming and whimsical Alan Dewey educate you () .

I Like 2.5" for this set. In fact I got a special one made with Paduck & Maple with a walnut trim.  Was kind of like a prototype, made the border too wide 2" which adds 4" to the 20" board. 

SPAD your review is very well put.  Couldn't have said it better. 

say hello to set number 9:

finally received my set - decent club-size set, nicely turned, overall pretty pleasing, and at that price point, a worthwhile purchase. My dislikes would have to be the stamping (too large), the knight (too large), the pawns (too large). Also, I would have preferred the set without the antiqued finish. I know many people here care about the weight. I have no clue how much the set weighs, but I campared it to a HOS club-size Lasker repro, and to an actual vintage clubsize Jaques (a Tarrash from around 1870) and all three sets felt like the weight was comparable.

Overall, a pleasing set at a decent price. Just don't think of it as a 1849 Jaques reproduction.

Here's a comparison of the set's knight and royals against an actual vintage Jaques:

Nice looking set for the price imo.

Thanks for the comparison pics. Nice study room also. I see all them pretty boxes in the back. (wipes away the drool)