18" Mark of Westminster Ebony Hoplites Executive Staunton Chess Set

This chess set is shown on our 18" Wengue and Maple Executive Style Chess Board but several wood options are available to best suit your personal style and taste. Each color currently available is shown. Chess pieces made in India. Chess board made in Spain. Deluxe humidor style storage box optional.

Mark of Westminster Chess Pieces are the paradigm of perfection in wood staunton chess piece design. The premier chess pieces by Mark Of Westminster have been known for their heirloom quality. Each chess set is exclusive, with a printed certificate of authenticity that serves as a lifetime warranty for natural defect. Each chess piece is hand-carved, weighted, has felt bottoms, extra queens, and the signature Mark of Westminster Logo beneath the king.

The Hoplites design brings a classic, tournament style look of the king and queen with a more elaborate knight. These chess pieces are Ebonywood and Boxwood, which can suit virtually any board color, however Walnut, Teak, Wengue, and Ebonized chess boards are most popular.

Ebonywood Chess Pieces are the prize choice of many chess aficionados. The purest ebony has little grain, and is jet black in color. Ebony is an extremely rare and hard wood, and is often seen in heirloom quality chess pieces. Boxwood Chess Pieces are the near universal standard for 'white' chess pieces in hand-carved sets. It is a fairly easy wood to work with, and shows off good detail.

The Executive chess boards by Mark of Westminster are premier, furniture quality, real-wood veneer inlays. This style, available only through the Mark of Westminster line, maximizes the square to border ratio in order to fit a larger square on a smaller table. It also has a sharp black pinstripe, enabling the board to go with nearly any decor. Less than 100 of these chess boards are produced annually and each comes with a certificate of authenticity with serial number.

Wengue is the closest natural wood you will find to a true Ebony, although still more on the brown side. Pure black ebony is very difficult, if not impossible, to make into a veneer, so Wengue is commonly used to make a very dark chessboard. Wengue is a tropical wood from africa, with a heartwood that dark brown, nearly black, with fine, closely spaced, very dark veins and white lines. The combination of white bands against the dark wood with black streaks gives Wengue a very attractive appearance. The grain is fairly straight.