Drueke 5" King set #38 w/box :) !!

Hi All - I am new to the site and have been playing here a little over a month. I just thought you might like to see the set I just picked up. It's the RARE Drueke #38 with 5" Kings. The pieces are in great shape with no cracks and original felt. Though the felt was a little dirty it cleaned off brilliantly by dabbing some packing tape on the bottom of the pieces. I think the box decal is a rarity in and of itself. I would like to find a way to remove a little of the fade from the black (dark brown) pieces but I don't want to use anything harsh. Anyway I hope you enjoyed this post. Cheers  

A fine and mighty chess set.  I would not do anything to the black until you've had it a while and made long considerations about the matter. 

Do you have a corresponding 3" squares chess board?

Hi . I think you're correct as people like unrestored original condition more than anything. I didn't even know they made a board that had larger squares for these pieces. Probably as hard to find as they were . The search begins . Thanks -Ron 

Really nice Thanks for sharing

I don't know if Drueke made a 3" board.  These pieces may have been paired with a 2.5" board. 

I own a 4.8" King chess set and it pairs very well with the 2.75" board I made.  For a 5" King set I would possibly go up to 3".

I like this set a lot.  

If you're planning on using it in tournaments, though, be aware that it is a little bigger than either FIDE or US Chess regulations permit.  

You can read the FIDE rules on equipment standards here:  https://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/Standards_of_Chess_Equipment_and_tournament_venue.pdf.  Essentially, the king can max out at 110% of 9.5 cm (that max is about 4-1/8 inches, roughly).

Unfortunately, US Chess does not have its rulebook online.  However, Rule 40B states in relevant part that "The king's height should be 3-3/8 to 4-1/2 inches (8.66 to 11.54 cm)."

I apologize; I'm not trying to be a downer.  And, again, I think it's an awesome set.  I'd just hate for you to bring this to a tournament and have the opponent - or arbiter - complain.

How much did you pay for the 5-inch Drueke, Ronbo710?  Just curious.  When 5-inchers show up on eBay you have to take a second mortgage out on the house.  Take a look.

 This one did not sell.  Keep a hold of yours.

A very nice acquisition. Drueke made a 2.75" board that would go nicely with your set. I've seen them periodically on Ebay.

That is something special.

If you are serious about using something to clean up the pieces, just a suggestion , maybe someone from the Martin guitar company could steer you to a safe solution.

IMO any chessboard over 2.5" is just too big to play chess on.  I'm saying like 'really' play chess(at your highest level).  I own a 2.75" board with a huge 4.5" set, and also a 3" board with a 6" set.  The 6" set is a beauty, but when it comes down to 'vision' for play, it is laughable at best.  The 2.75" isn't as much of a joke, but it is still just a touch too big.

I would agree, BigKingBud.

By the way, the height of a king matters less than the diameter of its base when choosing a proper board.  If I remember correctly, the general rule I learned from Frank Camaratta, former owner of House of Staunton, is the base of a Staunton-pattern king should be around 78 percent the size of the square.  Conversely, the square should be 28 percent larger than the base of the king.

Ignoring the style of board and rather busy burl-wood in the second photo, which arrangement looks best to most of you, the first photo of a 4-inch tall, 1.8125-inch base Staunton displayed on a 2.25-inch square board or the second photo where the same set is displayed on a 2.375-inch board?

The difference doesn't appear to be major, but it's more so in person.  The burl-patterned wood in the second photo is also more dominant in person.  It's a nice piece of furniture, but I wouldn't buy one as distracting again; it's not the best for play.

Well, to me the first board make the King and Queen look a little crowded but the Knights and Bishops look lost on the second board.

Donlt know if it is the distance being different, but it may be that.

Good observation, Rsava.  The knight and bishop are slender and have noticeably smaller bases than the other pieces.  For better or worse, this is characteristic of the HOS Capablanca.  I happen to like the slenderness of the stems.

Hi - I wouldn't dream of using these pieces in a tourney. FAR TOO RARE 

Hi- Many Thanks and I will keep a lookout. Cheers -Ron 

LOL Nope.  I have a larger 2.75" vinyl board but I don't intend to ever use these for play. Maybe Analysis though. They're far too rare 

Ronbo710:

I missed your comment about the faded look of the dark brown pieces.  I don't know if there is anything you can do about that, but a set this rare -- and it is if you read my previous post -- ought to be preserved.

Regarding preservation, if the surface of your pieces is hard, smooth plastic like the more common, traditional 3-5/8-inch Drueke, you might consider Renaissance Wax, which is used by the British Museum for their treasures.  I use it on my tournament-sized wood sets.

If you purchase the wax, I suggest trying it on a small section of the base of a pawn first.  It may change the mat look a bit, but it may also help take away from the faded appearance.  Unfortunately, I can't be more specific, but I've used it on the small, peg-in, ox-bone pieces of a Whittington-pattern travel set to good effect.

All the best,
Bob

Well...I suppose this is obvious but there are other occasions to play chess than in tournaments.  I think it would be a shame to never play a single game with them.  Even the earliest known 4.4" Jaques Staunton Chessmen, the "old no. 8" owned by Sir Alan Fersht marched into battle one more time in the 21st century. 
(Jon Crumiller and Garry Kasparov pictured)

Hi - Thats a GREAT pic. I wish they would have used a vintage clock however. Reminds me of my buddy's '57 Chevy ... with a cd changer. I will probably use the set for analysis as I finally earned my first pair of reading glasses after turning 50 a couple years ago. 

That is an amazing picture!