July’s Featured Chess Set is from the collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame. Since its creation in 1986, the World Chess Hall of Fame (WCHOF) has endeavored to highlight the history and cultural significance of the game of chess. The WCHOF’s collection is diverse and includes sets once owned by legendary players, mass-produced sets with lively pop culture themes, antique ivory sets, travel sets, as well as chess computers. Through these artifacts, the WCHOF illustrates how chess has evolved through its over 1500-year history.
Fifth Avenue Crystal
Tropics Chess Set
Date unknown
King Size: 3 ⅛ in.
Board: 14 x 14 in.
Glass
Collection of the World Chess Hall of Fame
In this tropics-themed chess set, swordfish and dolphins reign as king and queen. Their courts include parrots as bishops, seahorses as knights, seashells as rooks, and fish as the pawns. Though the World Chess Hall of Fame’s collection contains many playing sets once owned or used by the game’s greatest players, it also includes many sets meant for display rather than play like this one, which is made of glass.
