Description
Reproduction Jaques Anderssen Chessmen
Offered here is a set of Reproduction Jaques Anderssen Chessmen, It is an exact rendition of the Anderssen Style Staunton Chessmen as they appeared in 1856. This is a weighted tournament-size set featuring a 3-1/2″ King with a 1-3/4″ diameter base. Each of the chess pieces rests atop green English baize base pads. These Reproduction Jaques Anderssen Chessmen are accurate – right down to the impression of a red king’s crown on the summits of one Knight and Rook from each army to designate the Kingside piece. The image provided shows the reproduction and the original Jaques Anderssen chessmen. See if you can identify the original! The set being offered is crafted from antiqued Boxwood and pure Gabon Ebony. The Chessmen are new. Each set consists of 34 Chessmen, including four Queens to facilitate Pawn Promotion, now a standard that was introduced by Mr. Camaratta over 25 years ago. Note the masterful workmanship of the Knights, which are derived from the noble steeds whose visages are captured in the Parthenon frieze (expropriated between 1801 and 1812 by Thomas Bruce, 7th Lord of Elgin and since referred to as the Elgin Marbles). This distinctive, finely detailed Knight head is the hallmark of a true Staunton design.
The reproduction Anderssen Chessmen are turned and hand-carved by our master artisans and crafted out of the highest grade woods. The design of the 1856 Anderssen Chessmen exemplify a perfect combination of distinct beauty and functionality. They have been designed to withstand the rigors of practical play while maintaining an elegance which has become the hallmark of all Frank Camaratta creations. The chessmen are accompanied by a correct Facsimile orange-yellow Manufacturer’s label. A premium Mahogany storage box and suitable chessboard are available.
The Reproduction Jaques Anderssen Chessmen play and display best on a chessboard with 2-1/8″ or 2-1/4″ squares.
Some Background.
Karl Ernst Adolf Anderssen was born on July 6, 1818 in Breslau, Germany (now Wroclaw, Poland). He is considered to have been the world’s leading chess player for much of the 1850s and 1860s. Anderssen learned to play chess from his father at the age of nine. Anderssen worked as a professor of mathematics at a local college. Although he loved chess it was only considered a pastime, not his profession.
Anderssen was very successful in European tournaments from 1851 to 1878, taking first prize in over half of the events in which he played. Anderssen ranks as one of the top five players from 1851 to shortly before his death in 1879. Anderssen’s finest performance was the famous London Tournament of 1851. This is recognized as the first major tournament of the Modern Era. Anderssen triumphed in a knockout tournament boasting the 16 best players in the world. Although Wilhelm Steinitz is recognized as the first official world champion, the organizers of the 1851 London International tournament considered the winner of this premiere tournament to be the World’s Chess Champion.
That title was short-lived when Anderssen was quite soundly defeated by Paul Morphy in their 1858 march. However, Morphy abruptly retired from chess and Anderssen was again considered the World’s leading player. It is interesting to note that Anderssen achieved most of his successes when he was past 50 years of age.
Anderssen is famous even today for his brilliant sacrificial attacking play, particularly in the “Immortal Game” (1851) and the “Evergreen Game” (1852). Steinitz rated Anderssen as one of the two greatest attacking players of his time. An unassuming man, Anderssen was one of the most likable of chess masters and became an “elder statesman” of the game.
Anderssen died on March 13, 1879, in his hometown. The Deutsche Schachzeitung noted his death in 1879 with a nineteen-page obituary. His cause of death was a heart attack. Anderssen’s grave is now at the Osobowicki Cemetery.
