Howard Staunton was a chess authority who organized many tournaments and clubs in London, and was widely considered to be one of the best players in the world.

But the Staunton quickly would surpass them all. To say nothing of the regional and cultural variations. Prior to its invention, there were a wide variety of popular styles in England, such as The St George, The English Barleycorn, and the Northern Upright. The Staunton chess pieces are the ones we know and love today, the ones we simply think of as chess pieces. In 1849, that challenge would be met by the “Staunton” Chess Set. By the 19th century, chess clubs and competitions began to appear all around the world, it became necessary to use a standardized set that would enable players from different cultures to compete without getting confused. Thus, the original chessmen, known as counselor, infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots, became the queen, pawn, knight, bishop, and rook, respectively. Originally conceived of as a field of battle, the symbolic meaning of the game changed as it gained popularity in Europe, and the pieces became stand-ins for a royal court instead of an army. As the game proliferated throughout southern Europe in the early 11th century, the rules began to evolve, the movement of the pieces were formalized, and the pieces themselves were drastically transformed from their origins in 6th century India. Over the centuries that chess had been played, innumerable varieties of sets of pieces were created, with regional differences in designation and appearance. Prior to 1849, there was no such thing as a “normal chess set.” At least not like we think of it today.

Pieces in chess names