Napoléon
Chess set

Since its creation in India more than a millennium and a half ago (5th century), chess has become known as more than a game. A real tool for military strategy, a metaphor for human relations, and finally the witness of a certain genius, the game of chess is also a real work of art.

It is said that the origin of the iconic game dates back to the 5th / 6th century. After the death of the prince of the Gupta Empire on the battlefield, his brother found a way to depict the scene to their grieving mother with the help of a "ashtapada" game board, then used for various hobbies. From its creation, the ancestor of the chess game was already used to represent reality, combat, battle, like any work of art.

The game was then known as "chaturanga" - a Sanskrit word meaning "four divisions" - before it got the name "chess" that is still used today when it arrived in the Persian Empire.

The actual word derives from the term "shah" meaning king, and "shah mate" meaning checkmate, or literally "the king is helpless". The two teams, or camps, were then red and black.

After the Islamic conquest of Persia in the 7th century, chess was introduced to the Arab world, gaining its role as a tactical simulation and thus becoming a rich source of poetic and literary imagery. Learned figures such as diplomats and messengers used chess terms to describe political powers. The ruling Khalifs were avid players, and the historian Al-Mas'udi considered the game a testament to human free will, as opposed to games of luck.

Medieval trade then brought the game to the Asian continent, where many local variations developed. For example, in China, the pieces were placed between the tiles of the board, in the manner of the native strategy game "Go”. In Japan, the captured pieces of the opponent could be used against the original holder.
However, it is in Europe that chess began to take the modern form that we know today. Around the year 1000, the game entered the royal education and the black colour was changed for the white colour, in order to correspond to the feudal and Christian mentalities.
The pieces were real allegories for the different social classes, very divided and hierarchical, and with precise roles.
The pawns were at the time carved in ivory, heavy and massive, sometimes representing real works of art. However, there were also pieces made of wood, silver, crystal, ebony, amber or jasper.
Fun fact: the game was briefly banned in France by the Church because the Christian moralists considered that people spent too much time playing it.

In the 15th century, the form we know today was almost identical:
- The relatively weak "advisor" piece was changed to the much more powerful "queen" piece, probably due to the emergence of women in power.
This change radically altered the pace of the game, and as other rules were introduced, strategies multiplied; and Chess Theory was born.
The Enlightenment era popularized the game in the more modest and common households; the game was seen as an expression of creativity, encouraging boldness and dramatic moves.

This aspect of chess reached its peak in the "Immortal Game" of 1851, when Adolf Anderssen organized a checkmate by sacrificing his queen and two rooks.
Finally, the emergence of formal chess competition in the late 19th century affirmed that strategic calculation would prevail over dramatic play. Therefore, along with international trade, chess gained a new geopolitical importance. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union devoted significant resources to cultivating chess talent, to dominate the world championships for the rest of the century.

Chess also reflects on the rise of artificial intelligence and the struggle of the machine against man: in 1997, the Deep Blue software won the game against Garry Kasparov and marked the first victory of a machine against a human champion.

6 types of pieces make up the game:
- The King: Very vulnerable, it cannot defend itself. It is the opponent's main objective, the one for which "checkmate" is reserved. It can only move one tile at a time, in any direction (except for castling).
- The Queen: Appeared during the Middle Age, she is the only female figure in the game. She can move any number of tiles vertically, horizontally, or diagonally, but cannot jump over a piece. She is one of the "heavy pieces" with the rook.
- The bishop: two per team, moves any number of tiles, only diagonally. One bishop is placed on a white tile, and the other on a black tile. They can only move on their starting colour’s tiles. It is part of the "minor pieces" with the knight.
- The knight: two per team, the knight moves in an L shape, i.e. two tiles in a vertical or horizontal direction, then one tile perpendicularly. The knight is the only one who can jump over a piece. It is one of the "minor pieces" along with the bishop.
- The rook: two per team, the rook moves any number of tiles horizontally or vertically. It is one of the "heavy pieces" along with the queen.
- The pawn: There are eight pawns per team. The pawn moves one tile at a time. When it reaches the last row of the board, it is promoted to another piece (knight, bishop, rook, or Queen).
Each team then has a total of 16 pieces at the start of the game. The traditional piece patterns known to us all today come from the late 19th century and the "Staunton Chess Set".

This set reunites the table, the two stools, the game board, and the 32 pawns.

The different components of this exceptional set (table, stools, chessboard) are also available separately.

For any personnalization demand, please contact us via our contact form.

Design : Baroque

Precious finish : Shimmery gold

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