Vicki and John Swift generously donated this month’s Featured Chess Set to the collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame. The pair met while John was the director of the Webster Groves YMCA, and they married 46 years ago. Vicki embraced John’s love of the sport of falconry, or hunting with birds of prey. Their shared passion for the sport has led them to collect falconry-related artwork like this chess set. The Swifts donated a second copy of this set to The Archives of Falconry in Boise, Idaho.
Artist Al Ross celebrates the history of falconry in this regal pewter chess set. Noble kings, queens, bishops, and pawns are depicted as falconers, while knights bear shields featuring images of bird of prey. A raptor perches atop a rook. Ross, an artist who created works with a variety of wildlife subjects, specializes in depicting birds of prey. His own experiences as a falconer since age 13 inspire these sculptures.
