Official Staunton's New Leuchars Reproduction

Some of the earliest Jaques chessmen were marketed by W. Leuchars, who overstamped his last name over the Jaques of London stamping. House of Staunton has produced one seemingly fine reproduction of a Leuchars set. Recently Official Staunton began offering its version, which I have acquired.

It's a gorgeous set, an excellent reproduction of its original exemplar, heavily weighted, and well finished. Like the originals, kingside rooks and knights are stamped with a king's crown, and in homage to Jaques of London, the bases of the kings are stamped "Official Staunton." The kings are 3.75" tall. The bases are broad, and the stems of the kings, queens, and bishops are slender, making for both  a well-balanced aesthetic and stable play. While I can play many of my 3.75" sets on a 2.375" board, the pawns on in this design really are too small for this. The set looks better on a 2.25" board like the House of Staunton Jaques-style board I've photographed it on.

A very handsome set, well-suited for play, and a good reproduction.