The House of Staunton is proud to offer the Prokofiev Series Wooden Chess Pieces. A full club-sized Chess set, it features a 4.6" King with a 1.7" diameter base. The Chess pieces are hand carved by our master artisans and crafted out of the highest grade woods. The Chess pieces are heavily weighted with a beautiful finish. The Prokofiev Series is yet another outstanding addition to the Camaratta Collection. Kings come with Embossed Leather with "The Maestro" Frank Camaratta Signature on the base pad.
As with all of our Chess sets, the Prokofiev Series exemplifies a perfect combination of distinct beauty and functionality. It has been designed to withstand the rigors of practical play while maintaining an elegance which has become the hallmark of a House of Staunton chess set. The design, quality and craftsmanship of this set is UNMATCHED by any set of Chessmen in its price range. Nothing even comes close!
The Chessmen are new and each set consists of 34 Chessmen, including four Queens, a standard that was introduced by The House of Staunton in 1993.
The Prokofiev Chessmen
With its long, spired finial, the Prokofiev
King measures 4-5/8 tall and has a 1-3/4”
Base. This is the equivalent of a 4-0” tall
King with a standard Formeé cross. The
pieces are heavily weighted and each of
the chessmen is cushioned atop a green
baize base pad. The chessmen are available
in Olivewood and Ebony as well as Red
and Ivory Lacquer. The pieces play and
display best on chessboards with 2-1/4”
squares.
In 1937 a match was arranged between the great composer, Sergey Prokofiev, and
legendary violinist, David Oistrakh. Ten classical games were to be played at the
Master of Art Club in Moscow, with Grandmaster Vladimir Alatortsev arbitrating.
It was the peak of the chess rivalry between the two music titans. The Prokofiev
chessmen offered here are an accurate reproduction of the actual pieces used in the
match
Background
The name Prokofiev needs little introduction. Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev,
(1891-1953), was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered
numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the
20th century, which include Igor Stravinsky, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Among his
best-known works are the 3rd Piano Concerto, the third and fifth symphonies, as
well as composed family favorites, such as the ballet Romeo and Juliet. As to
David Oistrakh, his virtuosity as a violinist ranked alongside Fritz Kreisler and
Jascha Heifetz.
Prokofiev was also a passionate chess player who became friends with world chess
champions José Raúl Capablanca, whom he defeated in 1914, and Mikhail
Botvinnik. Former World Chamion Mikhail Botvinnik had this to say about
Prokofiev.
