The Staunton chess set is made up of a particular type of chess pieces to play chess. The style is used for competition. The design was created by Nathaniel Cook and was named after the chess player Howard Staunton. The pieces are the standard pieces of use.
The Staunton pieces look like columns with wide bases and felt covering the bottoms. Knights look like horses. The king has a stylish closed crown and a cross pattee. Queens have a coronet top with a tiny ball. Rooks resemble castles and bishops look like a western style mitre. Pawns being small are topped by a round ball.
The Staunton set got it’s stamp of approval from FIDE, the World Chess Federation, because in 1924 it was selected as FIDE’s choice of set, for use in all international chess tournaments.
The Staunton Pattern Chessmen… Nothing can heighten your chess-playing experience more than the feel and weight of a finely crafted Staunton chess set. Since its inception more than one hundred and fifty years ago, the Staunton pattern for chess pieces has become the standardized hallmark of modern chess. The House of Staunton is proud to carry on this tradition by producing the world’s finest Staunton Chessmen. Crafted from the finest timbers and 40,000 year old Wooly Mammoth Ivory, these miniature masterpieces are heavily weighted, felted, and have been meticulously handcrafted to replicate the design and proportions of the original Staunton pattern chess set that was first made by the firm John Jaques and Son in 1849.