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The Selenus chess set is a style of
The Selenus chess set is a style of chess set
A chess set consists of a chessboard and White and Black in chess, white and black chess pieces for playing chess. There are sixteen pieces of each color: one King (chess), king, one Queen (chess), queen, two Rook (chess), rooks, two Bishop (chess ...
, in use before the standardization of chess pieces that happened after the Staunton chess set
The Staunton chess set is the standard style of chess pieces, recommended for use in competition by FIDE, the international chess governing body.
The journalist Nathaniel Cooke is credited with the design on the patent, and they are named afte ...
was launched in 1849 by games manufacturer John Jaques of London
Jaques of London, formerly known as ''John Jaques of London'' and ''Jaques and Son of London'' is a long-established family company that manufactures sports and game equipment.
History
Dating itself from 1795 when Thomas Jaques, a farmer's son ...
. The Selenus sets were typical of Germany and Northern Europe and are named after Gustavus Selenus Gustavus may refer to:
*Gustavus, Alaska, a small community located on the edge of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
*Gustavus Adolphus College, a private liberal arts college in southern Minnesota
*Gustavus (name), a given name
**Gustavus, the ...
, the pen name of Augustus the Younger, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg
Augustus II (10 April 1579 – 17 September 1666), called the Younger (german: August der Jüngere), a member of the House of Welf was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg. In the estate division of the House of Welf of 1635, he received the Principal ...
, author of the Chess or the King's Game
''Chess or the King's Game'' (german: Das Schach- oder Königsspiel) is a book on chess. It was published in Leipzig in 1616 under the name of ''Gustavus Selenus'' ("Gustavus" being an anagram of "Augustus" and "Selenus" referring to the Greek mo ...
(German: Das Schach- oder Königsspiel), an important chess manual published in the 17th century. The standard included delicate lathe turned bases and shafts and tiers with circlets resembling crowns. Pieces were distinguished by heights, the number of tiers and sometimes by symbols.
These chessmen are also called Garden Chess Sets because their theme frequently consisted of "formal flower gardens" - Kings and Queens were Fountains; Bishops and Pawns were flowers; Knights were gentle horses; and Rooks became civic towers instead of battlements. In England they were frequently called Tulip Chess Sets.
See also
*Dubrovnik chess set
The Dubrovnik chess set is a style of chess pieces influenced by the Staunton chess set and used to play the game of chess. These chessmen are considered to have significant historical importance and are regarded as a timeless design classic. ...
*Makonde chess set
Makonde chess sets are made by the Makonde tribe of south-west Tanzania and Mozambique who have for centuries been greatly skilled in wood carving and Makonde art is a distinctive style. Chess sets were originally made for export to Europe but t ...
*Staunton chess set
The Staunton chess set is the standard style of chess pieces, recommended for use in competition by FIDE, the international chess governing body.
The journalist Nathaniel Cooke is credited with the design on the patent, and they are named afte ...
References
Chess sets {{Chess-stub