Dream Green is proud to bring you Noble Celts Chess by award-winning game inventor and artist, Don Green.
See also a history of the prohibition against cards and other games
Religion and Chess by Bill Wall
Chess (shatranj) was a legal issue after Mohammad died in 642 A.D. In 655 his son-in-law, Caliph Ali Ben Abu-Talib disapproved the game for his sect of Muslims because of the graven images.
In 680 the 50th rule of canons was interpreted as forbidding chess. But the caliphs themselves played and had chess players in their circle of influence. Legal scholars debated the merits of chess. It was legal to play chess if not played with items of chance (dice) and there were no betting or gambling on chess.
It was still disapproved in 725 by Sulaiman ibn Yashar but still popular among caliphs, especially when they moved their capitol to Baghdad in 750 and took their top chessplayers with them.
The caliph al-Mahdi wrote a letter to Mecca religious leaders to give up gambling with dice and chess in 780, but he died in 785 and caliph al-Rashid came to power who was an avid chess player.
By 810 the top chessplayers in the world were known and recognized and all had sponsors by powerful caliphs. In fact, the word Grandmaster was introduced by caliph al-Ma'mun in 819 AD.
Chess was getting serious in India as well but tolerated. By 900 there was a problem of players actually wagering fingers in their chess matches - you lose, you cut off a finger.
The Egyptian al-Hakim banned chess in Egypt in 1005 and ordered that all chess sets and pieces be burned in Egypt.
Chess had picked up in Europe and pretty soon many of the clergy was spending more time playing chess than saving souls. In 1061 Cardinal Damiani of Ostin forbad the clergy from playing chess. He died in 1072 and chess was resumed in his domain.
By 1093 the Eastern Orthodox church condemned chess. The Church stamped out chess in Russia as a relic of heathenism.
In Europe some members of the clergy thought that receiving a "check" in chess was similar to committing a sin which one was able to redeem. A checkmate was similar to committing a sin that was perishable, and thus deadly.
By 1100 chess was accepted as a regular feature of noble life in England. It was even a knightly accomplishment to play chess in 1106 under Petro Alfonsi. Chess was played by the upper classes and excluded women from playing the game.
By 1115, the emperor of the Byzantine empire was a chess addict. Despite that, it was still being banned in the churches up to 1125. John Zonares, a former captain of the Byzantine imperial guard, became a monk and issued a directive banning chess as a kind of debauchery.
St. Bernard (1090-1153) forbade his knights templars from playing chess.
Chess become more popular during the crusades, but Alexander Neckam, a British author, condemned chess as being frivilous.
By 1195, the Jews were seriously involved in playing chess, but Rabbi Maimonides included chess among the forbidden games for jews.
In 1197 the Abbot of Persigny was warning folks not to play chess.
In 1208 the bishop of Paris, Odo Sully, banned chess in Paris to his clergy.
It was also forbidden in Worcester, England in 1240 by the religous leadership.
In 1254 St Louis of France restricted chess to laymen. Provinical councils were forbidding chess in France (Beziers).
King Henry III (1207-1272) instructed the clergy to leave chess alone "on pain of durance vile."
In 1291 the Archbishop of Cantebury, John Peckman, was forbidding chess. He threatened to put anyone on a diet of bread and water if they played chess.
Priests were forbidden to play chess up to 1299. The Clementine Kormch wrote a series of directions of priests. It included no chess play.
Chess was forbidden in Germany in 1310 after the Council of Trier.
In 1322 the Jewish rabbi Kalonymnos Ben Kalonymous condemned chess. By 1328 the Jewish laws were intrepreted by some Jewish leaders that chess could be played, but not for money.
Chess was still forbidden in Germany up to 1329 after the Synod of Wurzburg.
Charles V (1337-1380) of France prohibited chess.
In 1380 William of Wickham (1324-1404), founder of New College, Oxford, and Winchester College, forbade chess. He was the Bishop of Winchester and the Chancellor of England twice.
Charles VI (1368-1422) of France continued to forbid chess. He later became unsane.
In 1405 John Huss (1369- ), Bohemian religious reformer, sought repentance for loss of self-control at the chess table during a game in Prague.
In 1416 the Jews of Forli, Italy relaxed a bit and forbade all games of chance except chess.
In 1420 Werner von Orseln, the Grand Master of the Knights of the Teutonic Order, abandoned the prohibition of chess on the grounds that chess was a proper amusement for a knight.
By 1476 chess was being played in France again under Charles the Bold.
In 1495 the Inquisition saw victims of persecutions stand in as figures in a game of living chess. The game was played by two blind players. Each time the captured piece was taken, the person representing that piece was put to death.
By 1500 chess was a recognized pastime for Jews on the Sabbath.
In 1549 the Protohierarch Sylvester wrote that those who play chess shall go to hell and be accursed on earth. This was documented in his work Domostroi (Household Goverment), a book of principles of family life. This was the first printed book in Moscow.
In 1550 Saint Teresa of Avila, a Spanish conventical reformer, mentioned chess in her writings to illustrate ethics and chess. The Church authorities in Spain proclaimed her patron of chessplayers.
In 1551 Czar Ivan IV (1530-1584), Ivan the Terrible, of Russia banned chess.
The leading clerics compiled the Stoglav Collection (council of the Hundred Chapters) in 1551, which prohibited chess in Moscow. This same document prohibited shaving as well as beards were said to imitate the visage of God and to distinguish Orthodox males from women.
In 1575 a plague hit Cremona, Italy. Afterwards, all games were considered evil and the cause of their troubles. All games but chess were banned.
Chess was still banned in Russia in the 17th century. In 1649 Czar Alexei (1629-1676) found some players playing chess and had them whipped and imprisoned.
The Puritans were against chess and discouraged chess play.
Religious leaders who have played chess include Thomas Becket (Archbishop of Cantebury), Charles Borromeo (Bishop of Milan), Pope Gregory VI, Pope Innocent III, Pope John Paul I, Pope John Paul II, Pope Leo X, Pope Leo XIII, Cardinal Richelieu, and Billy Graham.
In 1981 chess was forbidden in Iran as it encouraged gambling (haram). The chess players went underground with their boards and pieces. In 1988 the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (1900-1989) issued a religious decree (fatwa), permitting chess play for Muslims as long as it was not played for the purpose of gambling (haram) and it does not delay the obligatory prayers or neglects other duties. The Ayatollah changed his mind after admitting that chess had its high educational and intellectual values. Chess made a comeback, spawning chess parks, chess palaces, and chess masters. In 2000, an Iranian became a world chess champion. In October, 2000, the World Girls' Chess Championship for 12 and under was won by Atousa Pourkashian of Iran at the tournment held in Madrid, Spain. Iran also produced a recent World Boys' Under 10 Champion. Today the Chess Federation of Iran occupies one of the best buildings among all sportive federations in the country. All over the country there have construction of chess clubs.
Prior to the Ayatollah, Iran, under the Shah, was the only Islamic country that organized chess and participated in chess tournaments, including the 22nd chess olympiad in Israel in 1976 (in Haifa).
In 1996 chess and other clubs were banned from some high schools in Salt Lake City, Utah. Most of the school board is Mormon which condemns homosexuality. Rather than let gay high school students form an organization, they banned all nonacademic clubs. School board members said federal law gave them only two options: allow all extracurricular clubs or eliminate them all. Some 30 clubs, including the chess club, are banned for 1996-97.
The Taliban believed chess was a form of gambling and distracted people from saying thier prayers. When the Taliban caught people playing chess, they would burn the chessboard and pieces and put the players in jail. For five years (1996-2001), Afghanistan was the only place in the world where playing chess was illegal. It was banned by Mullah Mohammad Omar, the supreme leader of the Taliban. geovisit();
<img src="http://visit.geocities.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1188482959" alt="setstats" border="0" width="1" height="1">
Earliest Chess Books and References
by Bill Wall
Allusions to chess first began to appear in Sanskrit literature in the 7th century. Sometimes the only reference is not to chess but to the chess board, or ashtapada. This could be a chess board or an older Indian race game played by dice on an 8x8 board. Ashtapada in Sanskrit means having 8 legs. The term was used for a spider, a legendery bing with 8 legs, and a game board.
Perhaps the first reference to game pieces that could be chess or a similar game is found in Vasavadatta by Subandhu (550-620). It was written in Sanskrit around 600 AD. This was a romantic story which tells the story of Princess Vasavadatta (daugher of King Pradyota) of Ujjaini falling in love with King Udayana of Vatsa. There is a description for chessmen (nayadyutair) and chess squares (koshthika) on a two-colored chess board. The game itself was probably Chaturanga (not mentioned by Subandhu), the earliest precursor of modern chess. Chaturanga in Sanskrit means four parts. In India, an army platoon had four parts - elephants, chariots, soldiers on horseback, and foot-soldiers.
Perhaps the first reference to Chatrang (later becoming shatranj), the Persian word for chess, was The Karnamak-i-Artakhshatr-i-Papakan (The Records of Ardashir, son of Papak). It was a text to honor Ardashir (Artaxerxes), the founder of the Sassanid Kingdom, who ruled Persia from 226 to 241. It was written around 600 in Pahlavi (Middle Persian). The text mentions that Ardashir was skilled at Chatrang.
Around 620 Harshacharita (memoir of Harsha) by Bana Bhatta (Bhattabana) was written in Sanskrit. It was a text to honor Harshavardhana (Harsha), an emperor in northern India from 606 to 647. There was a reference to the ashatapada board used in Chaturanga. Bana also wrote "Kadambari" which may have had several other references to chess.
Around 700 AD Xusraw Kawadan ud redag (Khosro, son of Kavad, and his page) was wrtten in Pahlavi. It mentions chess, ashtapada, and nard. Xusraw I (Khosro) was king of Persia from 531 to 579 AD. He was also known as King Chosroe I Anushiravan. In all likelihood, he was the man who received the first Indian chess set.
Perhaps the first reference to chess in arabic is Naqa'id Jarir wa-al-Farazdaq, a poem by al-Farazdaq (641-728). It mentions Baidaq, the pawn (foot-soldier) of shatranj. It was written around 728 AD.
Around 800 Chatrang-namak (Matigan-i-chatrang) was written in Pahlavi about the history of chatrang and the introduction of the game into Persia during the time of Khusraw I, who ruled from 531 to 578.
Around 840 al-Adli ar Rumi (800-870) wrote Kitab ash-shatranj (Book of the chess) in Arabic. This is a lost manuscript, but referenced in later works. It was considered the first comprehensive book dealing with chess. We know of it through referring manuscripts that preserved some of its texts and chess problems. The text included chess history, openings, endings and mansubat (chess problems). The collection had hundreds of chess problems. He also classified chess players into five distinct classes. He also found a system for sorting out the openings into positions, which he called Tabiya. His lost work may have also been the first to describe the knight's tour.
An Arabic book of Shatranj problems was written by ar-Razi, called Latif fi-sh shatranj (Elegance in Chess), written around 845. ar-Razi defeated al-Adli to become the strongest chess player in the world. He also wrote Kitab ash-shatranj, which has since been lost. All that has survived ar-Razi's book is a few opinions on the endgame and a couple of chess problems.
Around 850 Haravijaya (the Victory of Siva) by Rajanaka Ratnakara Vagisvara, was written in Sanskrit. The book is an epic which describes the defeat of demon Andhaka by Siva. It explained the four units of the old Indian army and the ashtapada, referring to chess. The four units were patti (foot-soldiers), ashwa (horses), ratha (chariots), and dwipa (elephants).
Around 875 Kavyalankara (A work on poetics) by the Kashmir poet Rudrata, written in Sanskrit, alludes to the knight's tour problem. It used a half-chessboard to cover all squares by a chariot (rat-ha or rook),elephant (gaja), and knight (turaga or horse).
Around 890 Abu-Bakr Muhammad ibn Yahya as-Suli (854-946) co-authored a book of problems (mansubat) and a book of openings (ta-biyat) for Shatranj, called Kitab-ash-shatranj (Book of Chess), volume one and two. He was assisted by Abu l-Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad as-Sarakhsi, a physician. One of his books contained the knight's tour on an 8x8 chessboard. as-Suli was the strongest player of his time, the world champion. One of as-Suli's book was a critique on al-Adli's book.
Around 920 Abu'l-Faraj ibn al-Muzaffar ibn Sa'id al-Lajlaj (900-970) wrote Kitab mansubat ash-shatranj (book of chess problems). It is another lost chess book. Manuscripts containing some of its contents have survived. He may have been the first person to analyze and publish chess openings. al-Lajlaj means the stammerer. The oldest chess game comes from a match between as-Suli and al-Lajlaj.
Around 920, the historian Abu Ja'far Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari (838-923) wrote Kitab akhbar ar-rusul wal-muluk. Included was a chess incident in 802 between Nicephorus, Emperor of Byzantium and the Caliph Huran ar-Rashid. He described another incident of how the caliph al-Mutazz was playing a game of chess when a messenger brought the head of his rival, al-Musta'in to him. The caliph paid no attention until the chess game was over.
In 947 Muraj adh-dhahab (Fields of Gold) by the Arabic historian Abu al-Hassan Ali ibn al-Husain ibn Ali ibn Ali ibn Abdullah al-Masudi (888-956) was written in Arabic. It was a history of chess in India and Persia. al-Masudi is known as the Herodotus of the Arabs. He was the first to combine history and scientific geography in a large-scale work. He wrote a 30-volume history of the world. He described 6 different variants of chess, including Astrological Chess, Byzantine round chess, Circular Chess and Cylinder Chess. He wrote about chess wagers in India, with the loser losing money or a finger or hand or more. He described the use of ivory in India to make chess pieces.
Around 1000 the first European text on chess appeared. This was the Versus de Schachis in the Einsiedeln, Switzerland manuscript. It was a 99-line Latin poem on chess. It described a chess board in two colors.
In 1008 a will of Count Ermengaud I (Count of Urgel in Spain) mentioned chess. He willed that his executors give his chessmen to the convent of St. Giles, for the work of the church.
The Shahnama (Book of Kings), the national epic of Persia, begun by Daqiqi (900-976) in 975 and finished by Abu'l-Qasim Mansur Firdawsi (940-1020) in 1011 was written in Pahlavi. It is similar to the Chatrang-namak. It tells how chess (satranj) was introduced into Iran from India. Ambassadors from India (Hind) came to Persia during the reign of Nushirwan (Chosroes I Anushirwan) with a chess-board and men. If the Persians could solve how the chessmen were set on a chessboard correctly, the Indians would pay the tribute to the Persians. If they could not solve this, India would no longer have to give tribute to Persia. In fact, if the Persians could not solve how the pieces were set up, Persia would pay tribute to India. The king's minister, Buzurjmihr, took the pieces home and discovered the secret in a day and a night.
Around 1030 the Tarikh al-Hind (History of India) by Abu'r-Raihan Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Beruni (973-1048), also known as Alberuni, was written in Arabic. It was a travel description which had the rules of 4-handed Chaturanga, played with dice.
In 1030 Ruodlieb was written. It was a German romantic poem written in Latin by a monk from the abbey in Tegernsee in Upper Bavaria. It is the first reference to chess (ludus scachorum) in German literature. A knight was in the company of an enemy king (either King Henry II or King Robert of France), which he beat at chess.
In 1058 a will of Countess Ermessind of Barcelona mentions chess. She left to St. Giles of Nimes her crystal chessmen.
In 1061 Cardinal Petrus (Pietro or Peter) Damiani (1007-1072) of Ostia wrote a letter to Pope-elect Alexander II and Archdeacon Hildebrand (later Pope Gregory VII) complaining about chess being played by the lay people. He urged the pope to forbid chess from the clergy and to punish the bishop of Florence (who later became Pope Nicholas II) who played chess at a lodging. Cardinal Damiani was later canonized and made Doctor of the Church. Damiani's efforts against chess placed chess on the list of games forbidden to the clergy.
Around 1110 the encyclopedia Manasollasa (Delight of the Spirit), by the South Indian ruler King Sovedeva, was written in Sanskrit. It was the first description of chess in South India. It gave a long list of games played, including chess.
In 1148 Rajatarangini (River of Kings) by Kalhana was written in Sanskrit. It was a chronicle of the kings of Kashmir. It alluded to 4-handed Chaturanga.
In 1148 Alexiad, a 15-volume history, was written. This was the first Greek reference to chess. This was a biography of the Byzantine Emperor Alexius Comnena (1050-1118) by his daugher, Anna Comnena, while in exile. She describes her father playing chess with friends in Book 12. She also says that chess was invented by the Assyrians. The Crusaders may have been exposed to chess from Emperor Comnena, and may have brought it back to England.
Around 1250 the Quaedam moralitas de scaccario per Innocentium papum (the Innocent Morality) was published. It may be the oldest of chess moralities. The world resembles a chessboard. Things are in black or white. The colors represent life and death, or praise and blame. It was first attributed to Pope Innocent III (1163-1216), a prolific sermon writer. Later, it was attributed to John of Wales (1220-1290), a Franciscan who taught at Paris and Oxford and was a chess player.
Around 1205 Wigalois by Wirnt von Gravenberg was written. It mentions Courier chess, played on a 12x8 board.
Around 1280, Jacobus de Cessolis (1250-1322), a Dominican from Lombardy, wrote Liber de moribus hominum et officiis nobilium. It is one of the earliest allegories and moralities pertaining to chess and it began as a sermon. Probably no other work of medaeval times was copied so much. It rivalled the Bible in popularity and number of printings. The sermon is divided into 4 books and 24 chapters. The first book deals with the origin of chess and the fourth book deals with the moves of the chessmen. The other books explain the pieces as symbolical of the feudal society. He attributes the invention of chess to Babylon during the reign of Evil-Merodach. Chess corrected the evil manners of this king and to avoid idleness. It is a version of the original Innocent Morality.
In 1283 Libros del Axedrez dados y tablas (Book of Chess and other games) was written for King Alfonso X (1221-1284), King of Castile. It was the first encyclopeida of games in European literature. The first of the 7 parts of the Alfonso manuscript is devoted wholly to chess, and contains 103 problems. It also includes descriptions of several chess variants.
Around 1340 the Gesta Romanorum was written. It is a collection of stories and moralities. Three chapters relate to chess.
Around 1350 Nafa'is al-funun (Treasury of the Sciences), a Persian encyclopedia by Muhammad ibn Mahmud al-Amuli (1300-1352), mentions chess. The first chapter describes the invention of chess in India. The second chapter deals with the derived games of chess. This source is the first to describe Timur's Great Chess.
In 1432 Johannes Ingold (1400-1465) wrote Guldin Spil. He writes about the 7 deadly sinds, illustrating each with a game. Chess represented pride and humility.
Around 1450 Panchadandachattraprabandha mentions chess without dice. The book was a tale of king Vikramaditya (380-413 AD).
In 1474 William Caxton (142201491) published the Game and Playe of the Chesse in English. It was translated from Jehen de Vignay's French version of the Innocent Morality. It was the 3rd book printed in English, after the Bible and The Recuell of the Historyes of Troye, and the first English book published in England. It was the first printed book in English to make extensive use of woodcuts for pictures.
In 1495 Libre dels jochs partits dels schacs en nombre de 100 from Francesch Vicent was published in Valencia. It is a lost book. The last known copy was seen in 1811. It mentioned the first modern move of the Queen and Bishop and was a book of chess openings. It was the first treatise on modern chess.
In 1497 Repeticion de amores e art de axedrez con CL Juegos de partido (Discourse on Love and the Art of Chess with 150 endings) by Luis Ramirez Lucena was written. It was the first surviving book with the modern rules of chess. Only 8 copies are known to exist. The book is the first to include the old rules of chess and the new rules of chess (most notably, the movement of the Queen).
In 1512 Questo libro e da imparare giocare a scachi et de li partiti was written by the Portugese player Pedro Damiano (1480-1544). It was the first chess book published in Italy (published in Rome). Damiano suggests that the game was invented by Xerxes, which is why chess is known as Axedrez in Spanish.
In 1513 Scacchia Ludus (The Game of Chess) was written by Marcus Antonius Hieronymus Vida (1490-1566), Bishop of Alba, in Latin. He is the first to mention Tower and castle (rook). The poem inspired Jones's Caissa, the goddess of chess. It describes a chess game between Apollo and Hermes.
In 1555 Olaus Magnus (1490-1557) published Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus (History of the Northern Peoples) in Rome. His book was the first comprehensive history of Scandinavia. He describes chess in the Scandinavian countries. It described Norse parents playing chess with the boyfriends of their daughters, and determining if they were good suitors by noting thier conduct during the game.
In 1561 Ruy Lopez (pronounced Rue-y Lopeth) de Segura (1530-1580) wrote Libro de la invencion liberal y arte del juego del Axedrez. He wrote the book in response to Damiano's book.
In 1597 Orazio (Horatio) Gianutio of Mantia wrote Libro nel quale si tratta della maniera di giucar a scacchi, con alcuni sottilissimi partiti, published in Turin. It contains 6 openings and a few problems.
In 1604 Alessandro Salvio (1575-1640) published Trattato dell'inventione et arte liberale del gioco degli scacci in Naples. It contained 31 chapters with chess openings.
In 1614 Arthur Saul published Famous game of Chesse-play. It classified different kinds of mate, including stalemate and scholar's mate, and fool's mate.
In 1616 Augustus, Duke of Brunswick-Luneburg (Gustavus Selenus) (1579-1666), wrote Das Schach-oder Konig-Spiel (Chess of the King's Game). It was published in Leipzig. It was the first German instructive chess book. Much of it was a translation of Tarsia's Italian version of Ruy Lopez's book.
In 1620 Gioachino Greco (1600-1634) writes on chess traps.
In 1656, Greco's work was being published by F. Beale in a book called The royall Game of Chesse-play. Sometimes the recreation of the late king, with many of the nobility. It contained chess traps and almost 100 gambits.
In 1689 Thomas Hyde (1636-1702) published Historia shailudii (History of Chess). This was the first scholarly account of the history of chess.
In 1690 B. Asperling (1650-1710) wrote Traite du Ieu Royal des Echecs and published in Lausanne. Openings are classified in an orderly way for the first time. Asperling was a strong player who could also play chess blindfolded.
In 1694, Thomas Hyde publishes De Ludis Orientalibus.
In 1735 Joseph Bertin (1695-1736) wrote The Noble Game of Chess. Containing Rules and Instructions for the Use of those who have already a little Knowledge of this Game. It was the first worthwhile chessbook in the English language. It contained opening analysis, 26 games, and useful advice about the middlegame.
In 1737 Phillip Stamma (1705-1760) published Essai sur jeu des echecs in Paris. It was a book containing 100 endgames with diagrams. It was the first book to use algebraic notation.
In 1745 Phillip Stamma (1700-1760) published his Noble Game of Chess. It contained 100 endgames and 74 opening variations. He had become one of the best players in England.
In 1748, at the age of 22, Francois-Andre Danican Philidor (1726-1795) published his Analyze du Jeu des Echecs (Analysis of the Game of Chess) in London. It was one of the most popular chess books of all time and made Philidor and the publishers wealthy. His book was the first chess book to be translated into Russian. This was the first book that organized the chess openings. He was the first to number each move and its reply with the same number.
In 1913 H. J. R. Murray wrote A History of Chess, published by Oxford University Press. It is 900 pages long and the best reference to chess history.
For Show Not Play: Glass Chess Sets
The history of the game of chess is a fascinating story that begins around 600 AD. For centuries, scholars and historians have debated whether variations of the game were first played in India, Persia or China. Most authorities feel the closest ancestor to chess was an Indian game called “Chaturanga” which means the four divisions of the Indian army. It was a four handed game of war with the board as the battlefield. The pieces were figural chessmen, depicting the Indian army of elephants, horses, chariots and foot soldiers that protected the raja. There was no queen in these games. Her position was filled by the vizier, the minister to the ruler.
As the game of chess spread throughout the ancient world, the rules and shape of chess pieces changed. It was played in Persia in the 7th century and spread throughout the Arab world by the 10th century. Although the teachings of Islam only discouraged the representation of human figures in art, makers of Arabic chess sets chose to make symbolic, almost abstract chess pieces. The Islamic pieces were conventional and simplified and easy to use. It is believed that chess reached Europe through Spain after the peninsula was conquered by the Moors in 711 AD or through the northern trade routes. By the 10th century, chess was played all over Europe and the pieces again became figural, often representing medieval armies. The queen, for the first time, became the companion to the king, replacing the Indian and Arabic vizier. It would not be until the 15th century that the rules of chess were again revised and the queen was given her power to move around the board.
The first chess pieces were carved from ivory, bone, and wood. Later examples were made of ceramic, porcelain, gold, silver, bronze, pewter and glass. The earliest glass chess pieces were made during the Islamic Empire around the 9th century. Several small abstract examples exist in museums and private collections. One tiny piece, in the collection of the Corning Museum of Glass, was made from a dark opaque glass with red and green trailed decoration. Its simple design is in keeping with traditions of the Islamic religion.
The shape of chess pieces were figural in Europe and were made for centuries out of many materials other than glass. Elaborate representational sets made for presentation, not play, were popular during the 17th century. These ornate sets, often depicting scenes from literature and history, were status symbols of the wealthy. By the 19th century, fragile decorative glass chess pieces were created in Italy on the Venetian island of Murano. There seems to be little evidence of glass chess pieces being made in Europe before the 19th century. Due to the fragility of delicate glass chessmen, the sets were most likely never used. Glass chess sets continued to be made into the 20th century by glass companies and glass artists on the island of Murano and in Venice, Italy. The sets ranged from highly figural to abstract.
Probably the most recognized design of all chess sets is called the Staunton set. The Staunton set design was actually created and patented by chess makers John Jaques and his brother-in-law Nathaniel Cook in England in 1849. Howard Staunton was the English chess champion who won the equivalent to the world title match in Paris in 1843. Cook convinced Staunton to endorse the design. Staunton agreed, and the use of his name is believed to be the first commercial product endorsement. The shape, weight and all over feel of the Staunton set was so well received that it was selected in 1924 by the World Chess Federation for use in all international chess tournaments. The Staunton design was originally made from wood, but at least one factory in Italy made glass Staunton sets.
Other important glass companies made chess sets during the 20th century. The famous Waterford Crystal of Ireland made glass sets incorporating their elaborate cutting to differentiate between opposing sides. The Cristalleries de Saint Louis of France created clean angular chess pieces with sharp cut points on the crowns of the king and queen, distinguishing the opposing sides by frosting. Glass companies in Czechoslovakia and Austria also manufactured chess sets.
Some non-glass companies marketed their products in glass chess pieces. The most logical was the perfume maker, Mary Chess. Capitalizing on her name, she sold a variety of scents in chess pieces which, when collected, comprised a complete chess set. The Wheaton Glass Company of Millville, New Jersey produced the glass bottles and pressed figural stoppers for Mary Chess from 1946 to 1948. In the 1970s, Avon Products, Inc. sold several of their men’s colognes in a select group of opposing chess pieces. Plastic figural tops covered the lids of the simple bottles, creating the chess characters. Wheaton Glass Company also made glass bottles for the Avon chess pieces. The Italian distillery Mazzetti d’Altavilla in Altavilla, Monferrato, developed chess pieces as promotional items. To distinguish between the opposite sides, the decorative bottles were filled with two different Grappa flavors.
“Put togethers” is an unusual category of chess set collecting. For centuries, people who could not afford commercially made chess sets made up their own. Any type of material could be used from stones to sea shells. Glass “put togethers” have been made from salt and pepper shakers and perfume bottles. Although they appear a little curious, chess sets have also been created by putting together appropriately sized miniature liquor bottles. In the movie “Our Man in Havana,” produced in 1960, Alec Guinness played with a put together set of miniature liquor bottles. Another unusual glass chess set that looks like glass picks in sand was made by glass artist Dumitru Costea. His design was actually based on a type of chess set called the Dieppe set. Dieppe is a town in France where an ivory carving industry thrived during the 18th century. Chess sets of intricately carved ivory were a product of Dieppe, usually depicting French characters. Spike sets were made from the left-over ivory and were played in the sand.
There was an explosion of glass artists making chess sets during the late 20th century. Continuing the unusual subject matters for chessmen that became popular in the 17th century, today’s artists are only restricted by the limits of their imagination. Artist Milon Townsend has created sets ranging from fanciful insects to the dazzling New York skyline. Gianni Toso’s remarkable talent can been seen in his religious and Pulcinello sets. Tom Patti’s background of industrial design and understanding of the beauty of minimalism is reflected in the Jaeger set. Chess has also been used as a motif in glass. Large individual chess pieces have been made in Murano, Italy and at the Steuben Glass Works of Corning, New York. Artists such as Milon Townsend, Wendy Saxon-Brown and Maurice Heaton have used the theme of players contemplating their next move in their work.
Although glass was never a common medium for chess sets, its use for chessmen dates back for centuries. It would not be until the 20th century that glass artists designed fragile, imaginative glass chess sets, for show, not play.
Thanks to artist Gayle Adams at http://www.bygayle.com for painting and submitting these pictures of her Noble Celts Chess pieces. If you have painted yours please let us know and we will put them up.
The Lewis Chess Men (Article Source )
The 11th century Chess pieces (The Lewis Chessmen) made from walrus tusk and found on the beach in the parish of Uig on the Isle of Lewis (Hebrides) and now in the British Museum, were found in 1831 buried in a sandbank in the Isle of Lewis, the largest island of the Outer Hebrides (Scotland). The sea carried away the sandbank uncovering a mysterious building (a small brick oven) that had been buried under the sand.
Lewis Chessmen pieces
Carved of walrus ivory, they may have come from Iceland, although recent investigation suggests that the Lewis Chessmen may have originated in Trondheim, the medieval capital city of Norway, and home to the Norsemen during the eleventh and twelfh centuries who were the overlords of the Isle of Lewis. It seems that they brought the Chessmen with them from Norway when they voyaged to the island. Some authorities date them to the 12th century. There were four sets, not all complete.
According to legend, they were stolen by a sailor from a ship anchored in Loch Hamnaway soon after the year 1600. A shepherd known as Ghillie Ruadh murdered the sailor to get the treasure, but fearing discovery, carefully buried the pieces. A few years later he was hanged in Stornoway for another crime, and is said to have made a dying confession to the murder of the sailor.
A local peasant, Calum nan Sprot, working nearby found what he concluded to be a collection of Elves and Gnomes. The superstitious highlander flung down his spade and fled home in horror. Superstition in the Isle of Lewis had survived in a powerful form. Thus, when the peasant first looked at the group of singular little ivory figures, it was natural that they should appear as the pigmy sprites of Celtic folklore. However, he was induced by his wife to return to the spot and take the figures home.
He sold them to a local collector who realised they were Chessmen pieces. There were 78 pieces in all, belonging to eight or more sets. 67 are now in the British Museum and the rest in the National Museum in Edinburgh. Experts are unanimous in regarding them as "The most astonishing collection of ancient Chessmen in existence".