Whittington Chess Set

A mahogany portable Whittington Chess Set with bone chessmen and squares made of box and rosewood.

The board is hinged to the middle with brass swing hooks to lock the two halves together when not in use. When opened, the interior also has a hinged flap to each side which keep the chessmen in place during travel. Not only do they cover the pieces but they also enclose the opening to the long side. The pieces have pegs to locate them to central holes to each square or for the taken pieces to be housed in the rosewood boarder to the board.

There is no maker's mark to the set and a number of companies probably made their own version. The Army & Navy CSL advertised the set in their catalogues from as early as 1883 (if not before) and described it as 'The Whittington Portable Chess, Folding Flaps. For railway travelling'. They also noted it was made of polished mahogany with bone men. It could be bought in 3 sizes of either 8, 10 or 12 inches square. This is the small sized set. John Jacques are also known to have retailed the Whittington Chess set.

If your game is interrupted, the flaps can be fold back over the pieces to hold them in their positions until resumption. This Chess set can still be used, as it was first intended. Circa 1900.

The packed size is given.