Red Sandalwood, Pterocarpus santalinus, is a rich aromatic and rare wood that was recently banned for export in its unfinished form. Now an outright ban on export is in place for finished products as well. Unfortunately the wood has been smuggled out of its native area to such an extent that it is now listed as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
Historically this wood was so highly valued that that it was once presented as a gift to King Solomon (c 920 BC). It was also traded to China and Japan throughout the centuries – between the 17th and 19th centuries the wood was so rare that in China it was reserved exclusively for furniture of the Qing Dynasty imperial household.
The deep red colour and fine grain patterns make Red Sandalwood an excellent medium for the presentation of luxury chess pieces.The tree grows in a few areas of India and Nepal, typically at elevations 750m above sea level in a semi-arid climate.
We do have a limited number of pieces available in some styles in our Regency Collection of Luxury Chess Pieces. Once our supply has been exhausted we will continue to offer both Ebony and Rosewood.
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The Regency Chess Company Canada is a proud sponsor of Chess In The Library. This student run program was founded in 2009 in Toronto, Ontario and is now run in Barrie, Ontario & Brampton, Ontario & Caledon, Ontario & Calgary, Alberta & London, Ontario & Newmarket, Ontario & Ottawa, Ontario & Victoria, British Columbia &Washington, DC, USA
We have provided a supply of our Standard Chess Pieces for Schools and Clubs with our thick and heavy Mousepad Roll Up Boards.
Chess In The Library! Providing the opportunity for you to learn, play and enjoy chess since 2009!”
Échecs dans la Bibliothèque! Nous vous donnons la chance d’apprendre, de jouer et d’apprécier d’échecs depuis 2009!
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These superb hand made chess pieces, produced from accurate and detailed laser scans of the original pieces, are licensed by National Museums Scotland.
Historians estimate that the original figures originated from what is now modern day Norway – circa 1100 AD. They remained undiscovered, buried on the Scottish isle for hundreds and hundreds of years. Eventually they were discovered in 1831 in a collapsed sandbank beside akin to the shoreline
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The original 91 pieces remain in the United Kingdom with some on display in The National Museum of Scotland, some in The British Museum. These accurate renditions allow you to own a piece of history.
We carry the official National Museums 32 piece set as well as the King, Queen, Bishop, Warder and Berserker, which may be purchased separately.
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Several years ago, on a mild winter night – around -2C, I drove over to pick up my then eight-year-old son from his friend’s house. Four or five kids were out playing shinny with one of the fathers, so I decided to join in … after 10 or 15 minutes of street hockey we reached the intermission. One of the kids went to the garage and brought out a chair and a school chess set with a vinyl board. The next thing you know the hockey players were huddled around the game for about a quarter hour … what would Don Cherry say?
I’m sure you heard the one about … going to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out … what about … going to a street hockey game and a chess match broke out?!
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German precision watch maker GARDE has not only made the world’s best analog chess clock – they also have a superb digital version. The case dimensions are: 8 5/8″ long x 4-3/4” high x 2-1/4” deep, with the diameter of the clock face at 2-1/2”. The LCD display is clearly visible at the acute angle of 160 degrees – perfect for a Tournament Director who is watching just before time control!
There are 4 simple function buttons on the base of the clock. The 20 standard settings, which are listed on the back of the clock (e.g. Standard, Fischer, Bronstein, F.I.D.E.) are pre-programmed – it is quite simple to understand after spending a few minutes going over the various settings and features. The 20 standard settings can also be used as starting points whereby you can customize the time controls – limitless possibilities …
This fine wooden contemporary clock is angled back 10 degrees from vertical for ease of view. For the casual chess player or the serious chess player who wants to play in style, this is certainly the most attractive digital chess clock on the market.
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I was invited to the best place in the world to play chess upon meeting a very interesting gentleman, a professor, at the Buda Castle, in of course – Budapest. I struck up a conversation with this refined gentleman upon seeing the F.I.D.E. (World Chess Federation) logo on his shirt. It turns out that he inaugurated a chess club in his home town … and one of its members, GM Peter Leko, went on to play in a World Chess Championship Match – the shirt was a gift from him. I accepted his invitation and made my way the following day to the Szechenyi Thermal Baths (http://www.szechenyifurdo.hu/).
There is simply no experience quite like playing a chess match is the warm soothing waters fed by a natural hot spring. The excellent Hungarian foods and drink certainly did no harm. Our match was tied when my expert level opponent suggested “just one more game” – which I, also of expert level, duly won – which our course led to another game – which my opponent won. At that point he declared that he “must go” and our match ended in a tie. We agreed to a rematch .. that has yet to take place – but what a great event to look forward to.
I also enjoyed playing in one of the famous highly competitive First Saturday series of tournaments in Budapest – where there were awards on display won my the late great Geza Maroczy. This event turned out to be the only time I have played in conditions at 38C. In one game I managed to draw a much stronger player, a highly rated FM – but I think he wanted relief from the heat more than anything else – although I did completely equalize against his exchange variation versus my King’s Indian Defense … not a great day to play out a long endgame!
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The Garde brand, from Ruhla-Uhren in Germany, is the gold standard (in wood!) for analog chess clocks. The first Garde chess clock was used in the Berlin International festival in 1951. It was the last non-digital clock to be used in a World Championship match – in 1993 by Garry Kasparov of Russia and Nigel Short of England.
This classic chess clock has evolved over the years to it’s modern contemporary form – light coloured wood against a grey clock border, bright red flag and turn indicators, black hour and minute hands, and a clear white clock face.
Over the years this brand has proven to be durable, reliable and accurate. Along with it’s bright attractive form, what more could you ask for in this type of traditional chess piece?
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After a lot of hard work, learning and just plain fun, we are Up and Running! online as of September 2013! The idea for the site came to me when I was researching material for my website www.chessquotes.com.
As part of my natural curiosity, I began to look at the business of online chess retailing around the world. I started to produce my own site, but I lacked the resources and expertise to produce a top class site. In order to further understand the market I sold chess clocks and plastic chess sets on eBay – across Canada from PEI to Vancouver Island to the Yukon Territories.
When I came across The Regency Chess Company of England’s website it immediately struck me as nothing less than … extraordinary, the best in the world. I came to think that my background in organizing tournaments, teaching and playing chess – one of my passions in life – would complement the expert photographic, web design and marketing expertise at Regency. I was right. After spending quite a while getting to know each other we decided to open in Canada … and here is where we are. To be continued!
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