Official Staunton's Piatigorsky Cup Reproduction Chess Set & History

Carl, owner of the Official Staunton Chess Company, has made a significant impact on this collector,  as witnessed by my many forums on his  fabulous Staunton sets. But his latest inroduction, The 1963-1966 Piatigorsky Cup Chessmen may be the most historic reproduction chess set ever made. A magnificent reproduction coupled with its historical significance make this a "must have" set for collectors and chess historians alike. 

 https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/staunton-reproduction-sets/products/the-piatigorsky-cup-reproduction-chessmen

Here's some history on the set:

In the mid-1940s, U.S. International Master Herman Steiner of Los Angeles, California designed a magnificent Staunton-style chess set, truly one of the best ever designed and made in America. The set featured a remarkable one-piece knight, refreshingly unique  from the typical  Staunton  two-piece pedestal knights most collectors are accustomed to. Strikingly, this historical set has not yet received the recognition it rightly deserves and remains undiscovered to many collectors. 

Nearly 20 years after its introduction, this exquisite set took the stage at two of the greatest chess tournaments in U.S. history: the 1963 and 1966 Piatigorsky Cup tournaments. In 1963, this charming set graced the hands of World Champion Tigran Petrosian, along with Paul Keres, Sammy Reshevsky, Svetozar Gligoric, Oscar Panno Miguel Najdorf, Pal Benko and Fridrick Olafsson. In 1966, it returned to the Piatigosky Cup for another “hands-on” visit with some of the world's best players including Boris Spassky, Bobby Fischer, Tigran Petrosian, Sammy Reshevsky, Bent Larsen, Borislov Ivkov, Miguel Najdorf, Lajos Portish, Wolfgang Unzicker, and Jan Hein Donner.

The Piatigorsky Cup set was undoubtedly a star in two of the greatest chess tournaments in U.S. history, sharing the limelight with some of the greatest chess players in the world. Although the original Piatigorsky Cup sets had 5" Kings, I feel collectors would be better served with sets featuring  4.4" Kings. Its an honor that Carl  and his  Official Staunton Chess Company have accepted my recommendation and is offering collectors a 4.4" reproduction of the greatest tournament chess set in U.S. history.

Here's some  pics of the set:

 The mahogany stain pieces are gorgeous!

Whelp ! There goes that tax refund 

Ron this historic reproduction will be a classic among collectors! 

I know Mike. Those Knights had me at hello !! 

yes Ron, the Knights are AMAZING!!

Then World Champion Tigran Petrosian and Paul Keres tied for first place in the 1963 tournament. 

Boris Spassky won the 1966 Piatigorsky Cup tournament with a score of 11.5. Bobby Fischer finished  second with 11 points. 

Sammy Reshevsky finished with 7 out of 14 in the 1963 event and 9 out of 18 in the 1966 event. 

Mr and Mrs. Piatogorsky  sponsored the historic 1963 and 1966 tournaments. The chess world is forever greatful. 

Then World Champion Tigran Petrosian and Paul Keres were co-winners of the 1963 event with a score of 8.5 out of 14

Tigran Petrosian, Miguel Najdorf and Sammy Reshevsky played in both Piatigorsky Cup tournaments.

Boris Spassky did not lose a single game in the 1966 event. Bobby Fischer lost three games.

Bobby Fischer and Bent Larsen had the most wins (7) in the 1966 event. But Larsen also had 5 losses. 

Very very cool pics!

I'm glad you enjoyed them,thanks

Nice pics Mike. Classic. Loved that era of chess. 

Thanks Mike

The famous chess sets used in the Fischer-Reshevsky match in 1961 and in Piatigorky Cup Tournaments 1963-6 were the design of Herman Steiner who died in November 1955.

Here's a close-up of a set from the early 1950s. The hands belong to Steiner and Sonja Graf.

Thanks Robert, you observations are right on! I totally agree with you. Aside from being  better  proportioned than the original knight, I think Carl's Knight is even more attractive and a better designed Knight than the original.  Carl deserves all the credit in  bringing my "dream set"  into fruition.  He's truly dedicated to bringing premum quality reproduction sets to collectors like us. On behalf of Carl I thank you for your nice comments. he will be pleased to hear your remarks. By all means, get this "must have" set, I'm sure it will be a classic!