Home   Add A Shop   Contact Us   Bookmark Us Be Sure to Vote for our Kid Artwork!                                                                      Home Crafty Shops Kid Contest Crafty Ideas Craft Shows Crafty Topics Crafty Talk Magazine Subscribe Unsubscribe View Current Issue     View More Info Our Crafty Shops Bev's Doll Clothes Crafty Shop Flying Designs Flags Treasures In My Home Candy Cards Ink Virginia College Embroidery Signs By Debi The Country Porch Paint By Rhoda Count Your Blessings The Art of Chess ~ Chess History & Designing The Staunton Chess Set Drawing of the king piece in a Staunton Chess Set The ancient game of chess not only tests the intelligence of its brilliant players, but it also acts as a muse for many talented artists. During the 6th century, the people of India developed the earliest form of the game of chess, called Chaturanga. Chaturanga spars four opponents on a board decorated by 64 squares alternating from black to white. Other similarities between Chaturanga and the modern day game of chess include giving specific powers to each playing piece and a determining a win by the fate a single focal playing piece. Later soldiers, tradesmen, and other worldly travelers spread their love of chess across many continents. First, the people of India introduced the game of chess to the Persians, then the Arabic people. Finally to the Europeans after the Christian Crusaders, led by Queen Isabella of Spain, conquered the Moors and regained control of Spanish Cordoba. In keeping with their Islamic beliefs, the Moors did not use human figures as representations of their chess pieces. In contrast, the Europeans shaped the pieces into the human forms we know today that were inspired by the important medieval political figures of their time, such as the King, Queen, Bishop, Knights, Rook or castle, and pawns or peasants. The Queen of Chess : While the King is the most valuable chess piece in the game of chess, the Queen is the most powerful because it has the freedom to to move in any direction it chooses which includes up, down, left, right, or diagonal and on any color. Ironically, the Queen did not make an appearance in the game of chess until the Europeans added their flavor to the ancient board game during the 15th century. Consequently when the Europeans added the Queen, they in turn eliminated a chess piece invented by the Arabians, called the Vizier. The Queen's ability to move anywhere on the chess board effectively reduced the time it took to complete a typical chess match. Ironically, the addition of a feminine chess piece and the shortened time to complete a chess match made the game unsuitable for upper class female players. Many scholars believe Queen Isabella of Spain inspired the addition of the Queen as a chess piece. As did many mideaval queens, Queen Isabella was undeniably viewed as a power public figure who even outshined her husband, King Ferdinand. The famous painting, Surrender of the Moors, portrays how Queen Isabella joined her victorious troops, who as part of the Christian Crusades, recaptured Spanish Cordoba from the Moors, an ancient Islamic society. Historians also reference the famous Spanish Queen as Christopher Columbus's benefactor for his infamous voyage to America in 1492. Surrendor of the Moors The Staunton Chess Set - The Standard Chess Set Design : By the early 1800s, the game of chess reached amazing popularity around world with international chess tournaments that helped signigfy champions as Chess Masters. Many different designs, such as St. George design chessmen, followed by the Calvert, Edinburgh, Lund and Merrifield designs presented many problems for chess players meeting for chess matches on an international level. For instance, the pieces tended to be too tall and frequently toppled over. Above all, more unfairness prevailed because some players did not recognize the chess pieces sometimes used in competition because many widely different styles were available at the time. Therefore, the world of chess was begging for a more stable and universally accepted chess set design. Three innovative men, Nathanial Cook, John Jacques of London, and Howard Staunton, worked together to introduce a chess set as a highly marketable solution to the international chess set problem. Using his architectural background, Nathanial cook presented his chess set designs to his brother-in-law, John Jacques, a London manufacturer of fine games. In the interest of lower manufacturing costs, John Jacques simplified Cook's chess set designs making the lines more streamlined and less ornate. As a marketing tool, Howard Staunton, known as a Shakespearian scholar, author, and British Chess Master entered into the equation by outwardly endorsing the chess set that was christened with his famous name in a London newspaper prior to the Staunton Chess Set's launch into stores in 1849. To top it off, in 1924, the World Chess Federation selected the Staunton Chess set as the chosen chess set to be used in future international tournaments. Chess Sets For Show Not Play : While the Staunton Chess sets offer a sense of uniformity and a chance to produce the game for the masses, other artists design chess sets more for show than play. In most cultures, the society perceives the display of an expensive chess set in one's home as a sign of wealth and sophistication. Many fancy chess sets are made with marble instead of less sophisticated materials like plastic or wood. Some people order ornate glass chess sets crafted by the famed glass blower artists living on the Island of Murano located off the coast of Italy. Glass chess pieces tend to be very fragile and easily broken, so their owners usually never even play using these chess sets. More Crafty Topics Crafty Mothers Oragami Art Vegetable Art Haunted Art Olympic Art Art of Love Art of Chess NYBG Holiday Train Show Is the Art of Crafting Lost? Jackie Bouvier: Her Artistic Side Easter Egg Art Easter Egg Art Bamboo : Environmental Art NYC Holiday Train Show George Seurat Turtle Art Russian Ice Slides Irish Royal Claddagh Cool Stuff Birth of the Chess Queen The Chess Pieces Kid's Book of Chess and Chess Set Interesting Facts and Trivia About Art of Chess 1. The first image of chess on a stamp was marked by a a set of 172,000 stamps issued in Bulgaria commemorating the 1947 Bulkan Games of which Chess was a competitive sport along with bicycling, racing, basketball and soccer. 2. The pieces of Saint Genadio dating back as early as the start of the 10th century are known as the oldest chess pieces. These ancient chess pieces are made of ivory and are kept in the Mozarabic monastery of Pe–alba de Santiago, located in Spain. 3. Nathanial Cook registered his wooden chess piece pattern under the Ornamental Designs Act of 1842. 4. When teaching the game of chess to a beginner or a child, chess teachers suggest removing your Queen chess piece from the game to give the chess student and advantage without throwing the chess match to them. 5. Nathanial Cook patterned the Knight chess piece in his famed Staunton Chess set after the Greek horse of the Egin Marbles which was entered as an exhibit in the British Museum in 1806. Crafts related to Art of Chess How to Make a Chess Set How to Make a Chess Set Use the ancient paper making skill of oragami to make an inexpensive and easy to make chess set. Learn how to make a chess set Art of Chess Word Find Have fun finding the words related to the world of chess in our The World of Chess Word Find Words include from various chess moves such as : Checkmate Castling Stalemate Links to other Art of Chess sites 1. The Game of Chess at HalfPriceGiftSets.com - Learn about the history of chess, basics of how to play chess, and interesting facts about the game of chess as well as shop for discount collector chess boards sold in their online chess store. 2. Goddess Chess.com - Discover how women play and integral role in the history of the game of chess. 3. Chessopolis.com - Discover a wide variety of links dedicated to providing information about the game of chess.

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