Last week we published a history of the Staunton chess set, which was developed, in part, out of a need to standardize pieces for international competition.In a response on his blog, Jason Kottke ...

Chess fans today may not recognize this decorated thimble-shaped object, but a recently discovered 800-year-old game piece from Norway is actually a knight.

An 800-year-old chess piece was excavated at a site in Norway, covered with a unique pattern of circles. The piece depicts a horse-like figure, but in today's game it would be known as the knight.

While other pieces are carved in just a few minutes, a single knight takes two hours to produce. Less than 10 people are trained to craft knights for these championship sets.

If you bought a wooden chess set after watching “The Queen’s Gambit,” the price you paid was most likely dictated by just four pieces. The knights alone can account for as much as 50 percent ...