Hi Lou, Great calculation of the Dubrovnik set. After using the CB chat, when I asked about the size, the answer given to me was a 3.75" King. The launch date is in October.
It's a shame to see a business shutting down. thechesspiece.com used to be the leaders of chess industry in the last decade, however, of what I've observed is that they never tried to update themselves. If I'm not wrong, they haven't updated their website since 2010.
On the contrary, HOS and chesshouse has beautifully countered the onslaught of Indian businesses. It would be better for Steve to sell off his business rather than shutting it down. But everyone has its own priorities. My best wishes with Steve!
There nothing new, just history repeating it's self ! why not get a piece of the pie !
As there say in the USA .
Lardy was an important french chess piece manufacturer, founded in 1890 in Dortan near Oyonnax in the French Jura, which closed shop in 1992. In the interwar years and even more in the 50ies and 60ies Lardy must have exported very large numbers of chess sets to the major market USA and England, where they were commercialized by games brands such as Cavalier, Drueke, Lowe,Sterling and others, as well as to smaller markets. This very likely contributed to forcing local makers like Drueke or Horn or other makers in the USA and Jaques in England to stop or reduce making quality wooden chess pieces.
Lardy was not the only french chess piece maker to flood the world with down to middle market chess sets - Chavet and others spring to mind. Their success in export markets like the USA, Great Britain and Germany heralded the arrival of the ascendent Indian manufacturers who in turn started to take away Lardy's market from them in the 60ies and 70ies.
Chess Bazaar continues to produce the quality to place it as one of the better and more reliable sources of Chess sets.