Original Jaques "Reykjavik" Staunton c1972

The set made famous by the 1972 World Chess Championship match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky, held in Reykjavik, Iceland (dubbed the "match of the century"*).  Though there have been many reproductions made since, including the lovely commemorative "Geoffrey Parker" set, this one is an original Jaques set, contemporaneous to the match.  I have a later Jaques reproduction, which is rather comical in its interpretation of the knights (see photograph), though the rest of the pieces are reasonable approximations (albeit with slightly "off" dimensions).

An original set and signed board, both actually used in the 1972 match, came up for sale in 2011 at auction, achieving a handsome $67,500 hammer price.  Photos from the auction house show that the white king is stamped "Jaques" on one side - not the familiar "Jaques London", and my set has the same stamping...with the "London" appearing on the opposite side (which is not shown in the limited auction house photographs).  The lovely Jaques Dunhill Fischer-Spassky (Geoffrey Parker) sets of 1976 have the more familiar "Jaques London" stamp.

The set is heavily weighted, with the 9.5cm (3.75") kings weighing a little over 100g. Some of the pieces have a rather pronounced and lovely grain to the wood. I had bought the box separately at auction, in the optimistic and unrealistic hope of one day finding the right pieces to fit inside - and, much against the grain of the usual experience collectors face when making such foolish purchases, it paid off.  A set was up for sale, the seller having separately sold the box (I know, I know...tut tut).  The box which was originally with the set was in a very poor state indeed (with big chunks of wood missing from around the hinges and a detached lid), but I was able to confirm that it was identical to the one I had acquired.  A fortuitous match made in heaven, and it was very pleasing to give the now orphaned pieces a home once again.

*Of course, the other fairly major event of 1972 (for me) was my entry into the world.