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The 1860 Anderssen drop jaw Staunton is one of the harder patterns to find in playable condition, and originals in good order change hands for thousands. This reproduction puts the design back on a board you can actually use, carved in genuine ebony and antiqued boxwood with a 115mm king.
What marks the pattern out is the knight. The drop jaw carving sits in the same family as the 1852 Harrwitz knights, with an open mouth and a heavy brow that reads clearly from across the table. The bishops carry a vertical mitre, and every piece stands on a wide base that keeps the set stable under a sleeve.
These sit at the top of our luxury chess pieces collection. They are a set for someone who wants the Staunton lineage on display and is willing to give it a board built to match.
Reproductions of antique Staunton patterns tend to compromise in one of two places. Some keep the silhouette and shrink the bases to save timber, which leaves the pieces looking correct in a photograph and feeling wrong in the hand. Others carve well but weight lightly, so the set photographs better than it plays.
This one holds its proportions. A 48mm base under a 115mm king is generous, and the set is weighted with lead to 2,000g across 34 pieces. That combination is what keeps a tall king planted rather than top heavy, and it is the reason the pattern survives as a playing set rather than a shelf piece.
What you give up is subtlety of scale. This is a large set that needs a large board. If you want the same carving tradition at closer to tournament proportions, the smaller sets in our reproduction chess pieces range will suit you better.
The Staunton pattern was named after Howard Staunton, the strongest player of his day, and first produced by John Jaques of London in 1849. The design solved a practical problem: pieces that could be told apart instantly, turned in quantity, and stood up to being knocked. Rooks became solid castles, pawns were pared back, the king took a cross finial and the queen a coronet.
The 1860 Anderssen is a later variation on that theme, and takes its name from Adolf Anderssen, who was widely regarded as the world's leading player through the 1850s. The drop jaw knight is the identifying feature. Where the original Jaques knights were comparatively restrained, the Anderssen carving opens the mouth and deepens the brow, which is a harder shape to cut and a more expressive one to look at.
Weight is the first thing you notice. Lead is set through the bases, taking the full set to 2,000g, which averages around 59g a piece. The supplier notes a tolerance of roughly ten percent either way, which is normal for hand weighted pieces and worth expecting rather than being surprised by.
The light side is antiqued rather than left natural. A four step colour and rotational polishing process takes the boxwood to a darker, oxidised tone, closer to a century old set than a freshly turned one. The trade off is contrast: against the ebony this reads warmer and softer than a bright boxwood set would. The rooks and knights on the king's side also carry a stamped crown, which is a period detail and a genuinely useful one when you are setting up.
The number that decides your board is the 48mm king base, not the 115mm height. As a rule the base wants to sit at around 78 percent of the square, which puts these pieces on 60mm squares. That is larger than standard tournament sizing, so a board bought for a 95mm set will crowd them badly.
No board is included with these pieces. Our chess boards collection is filtered by square size, so you can match the 60mm requirement directly rather than working it back from the overall board dimensions.
The reason to buy this set is the knight. A drop jaw carving is harder to cut than a standard Staunton knight and it is the detail that carries the whole pattern, backed here by a 48mm base and 2,000g of weighting that keep a tall king stable. The honest caveat is scale and contrast: 60mm squares are bigger than most boards people already own, and the antiqued light side is deliberately darker than natural boxwood, so the two sides separate less sharply than a bright set. We would put this in front of a collector who wants the Anderssen lineage on a board they actually play on, rather than a buyer after maximum contrast for fast play.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
Squares of 60mm. That comes from the 48mm king base rather than the 115mm height, and it is larger than standard tournament sizing. A board made for a 95mm set will feel cramped.
No. This listing is for the 34 pieces only, including the two spare queens. Boards are sold separately and no storage box ships with the set.
The light pieces are taken to a darker, oxidised tone through a four step colour and polishing process, so they read as aged rather than freshly turned. It lowers the contrast against the ebony compared with a natural boxwood set, which some players prefer and others find harder to scan quickly.
A crown is stamped on the king's side rook and knight on both colours. It marks which side of the board those pieces started on, which is how they are referred to in notation as the king's rook or queen's knight.
Keep them out of direct sunlight and away from heat, which is what causes turned hardwood to crack. Dust with a dry, soft cloth and avoid solvent based polishes, which can lift the antique finish. The rest of our chess pieces collection is cared for the same way.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King height |
115mm (4.52 inch) |
|
King base diameter |
48mm (1.88 inch) |
|
Queen height |
93mm (3.66 inch) |
|
Queen base diameter |
46mm (1.81 inch) |
|
Bishop height |
79mm (3.11 inch) |
|
Knight height |
72mm (2.83 inch) |
|
Rook height |
64mm (2.51 inch) |
|
Pawn height |
57mm (2.24 inch) |
|
Dark pieces |
Genuine ebony wood |
|
Light pieces |
Antiqued boxwood |
|
Weighting |
Heavily weighted with lead, thick green felt bases |
|
Piece count |
34, including two spare queens |
|
Total set weight |
2,000g, with a hand weighting tolerance of about ten percent |
|
Recommended square size |
60mm |
|
Origin |
Hand carved in India |
|
Board |
Not included |
32 chess pieces in genuine ebony and antiqued boxwood
2 spare queens, one per colour
Chess board not included
Storage box not included
All products sold by Sterling Chess are backed by a 12 month limited manufacturer warranty. This covers manufacturing defects and cracking, and ensures every product is 100% genuine. If you need assistance, our team is only a call or email away.
Is shipping really free?
Yes — we offer free standard shipping on all orders across Australia, with no minimum spend. The price you see at checkout is the price you pay.
Are there any exceptions to free shipping?
No exceptions. Every order ships free, regardless of size, weight, or order value.
How long will my order take to arrive?
Orders are typically dispatched within 1–2 business days, with delivery times depending on your location. You'll receive tracking details by email once your order is on its way.
Do you ship to all areas of Australia?
Yes, we deliver Australia-wide, including regional and remote areas — all at no shipping cost to you.
Can I track my order?
Absolutely. As soon as your order ships, we'll email you a tracking number so you can follow its journey to your door.
What if I need my order quickly?
Get in touch before ordering and we'll do our best to help. Standard shipping is free, and we'll advise on the fastest available option for your area. To contact us, simply email us at support@sterlingchess.com.au, call (03) 7037 0931 or open the live chat.
Changed your mind? You can return unused, unopened items within 100 days of your order date, provided they’re in original packaging and resaleable condition. Sterling Chess will cover the cost of shipping return items under our 100-day free returns policy.
All Sterling Chess products are backed by Australian Consumer Law and include a minimum 12-month Australian warranty. If there’s an issue with your product, our team is here to help and will work to make it right.
Click here to view our full returns policy.
If you're shopping for a new chess set, you're in the right place—and here's why.
1. We know chess inside and out
At Sterling Chess, we're not just another online store. We’re chess lovers, players, collectors, and game night fanatics.
That means we care about quality, balance, and feel—and we only stock sets we’d use ourselves. From tournament-grade boards to handcrafted wooden pieces, we’ve got what real players want.
2. Unmatched variety for every player
Whether you're just learning or a lifelong grandmaster, we have something for you.
Looking for a folding set for travel? A stunning showpiece for your home? A kid-friendly set for your budding chess champion? We’ve got it all—and more.
3. Fast and FREE shipping on all orders
Shipping is FREE on all Sterling Chess orders.
We ship quickly from local and international warehouses, so you’re not waiting weeks to get your game on.
Most orders are packed and sent within 24–48 hours. Plus, you’ll get tracking updates every step of the way.
4. Customer support that actually helps
Have a question? Need help choosing a set? Our friendly team is ready to help—no scripts, no bots, just real people who care about your experience.
You can call our team anytime between business hours on (03) 7037 0931 or email us at support@sterlingchess.com.au. Alternatively, you can use our live chat during business hours to contact our helpful support team.
5. Thousands of happy customers
Don't just take our word for it—our reviews speak for themselves. Sterling Chess is trusted by thousands of players who keep coming back for more. Great products. Great service. No hassle.
6. Classic games, too
We're all about chess—but we also carry backgammon, checkers, poker and other timeless strategy games. If you love the classics, you’ll feel right at home.
Ready to make your move?
Choose a chess set that fits your style, skill level, and space—and enjoy the Sterling Chess difference. You’ll love how it looks. You’ll love how it plays. And you’ll love buying from a team that loves the game just as much as you do.
The 1860 Anderssen drop jaw Staunton is one of the harder patterns to find in playable condition, and originals in good order change hands for thousands. This reproduction puts the design back on a board you can actually use, carved in genuine ebony and antiqued boxwood with a 115mm king.
What marks the pattern out is the knight. The drop jaw carving sits in the same family as the 1852 Harrwitz knights, with an open mouth and a heavy brow that reads clearly from across the table. The bishops carry a vertical mitre, and every piece stands on a wide base that keeps the set stable under a sleeve.
These sit at the top of our luxury chess pieces collection. They are a set for someone who wants the Staunton lineage on display and is willing to give it a board built to match.
Reproductions of antique Staunton patterns tend to compromise in one of two places. Some keep the silhouette and shrink the bases to save timber, which leaves the pieces looking correct in a photograph and feeling wrong in the hand. Others carve well but weight lightly, so the set photographs better than it plays.
This one holds its proportions. A 48mm base under a 115mm king is generous, and the set is weighted with lead to 2,000g across 34 pieces. That combination is what keeps a tall king planted rather than top heavy, and it is the reason the pattern survives as a playing set rather than a shelf piece.
What you give up is subtlety of scale. This is a large set that needs a large board. If you want the same carving tradition at closer to tournament proportions, the smaller sets in our reproduction chess pieces range will suit you better.
The Staunton pattern was named after Howard Staunton, the strongest player of his day, and first produced by John Jaques of London in 1849. The design solved a practical problem: pieces that could be told apart instantly, turned in quantity, and stood up to being knocked. Rooks became solid castles, pawns were pared back, the king took a cross finial and the queen a coronet.
The 1860 Anderssen is a later variation on that theme, and takes its name from Adolf Anderssen, who was widely regarded as the world's leading player through the 1850s. The drop jaw knight is the identifying feature. Where the original Jaques knights were comparatively restrained, the Anderssen carving opens the mouth and deepens the brow, which is a harder shape to cut and a more expressive one to look at.
Weight is the first thing you notice. Lead is set through the bases, taking the full set to 2,000g, which averages around 59g a piece. The supplier notes a tolerance of roughly ten percent either way, which is normal for hand weighted pieces and worth expecting rather than being surprised by.
The light side is antiqued rather than left natural. A four step colour and rotational polishing process takes the boxwood to a darker, oxidised tone, closer to a century old set than a freshly turned one. The trade off is contrast: against the ebony this reads warmer and softer than a bright boxwood set would. The rooks and knights on the king's side also carry a stamped crown, which is a period detail and a genuinely useful one when you are setting up.
The number that decides your board is the 48mm king base, not the 115mm height. As a rule the base wants to sit at around 78 percent of the square, which puts these pieces on 60mm squares. That is larger than standard tournament sizing, so a board bought for a 95mm set will crowd them badly.
No board is included with these pieces. Our chess boards collection is filtered by square size, so you can match the 60mm requirement directly rather than working it back from the overall board dimensions.
The reason to buy this set is the knight. A drop jaw carving is harder to cut than a standard Staunton knight and it is the detail that carries the whole pattern, backed here by a 48mm base and 2,000g of weighting that keep a tall king stable. The honest caveat is scale and contrast: 60mm squares are bigger than most boards people already own, and the antiqued light side is deliberately darker than natural boxwood, so the two sides separate less sharply than a bright set. We would put this in front of a collector who wants the Anderssen lineage on a board they actually play on, rather than a buyer after maximum contrast for fast play.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
Squares of 60mm. That comes from the 48mm king base rather than the 115mm height, and it is larger than standard tournament sizing. A board made for a 95mm set will feel cramped.
No. This listing is for the 34 pieces only, including the two spare queens. Boards are sold separately and no storage box ships with the set.
The light pieces are taken to a darker, oxidised tone through a four step colour and polishing process, so they read as aged rather than freshly turned. It lowers the contrast against the ebony compared with a natural boxwood set, which some players prefer and others find harder to scan quickly.
A crown is stamped on the king's side rook and knight on both colours. It marks which side of the board those pieces started on, which is how they are referred to in notation as the king's rook or queen's knight.
Keep them out of direct sunlight and away from heat, which is what causes turned hardwood to crack. Dust with a dry, soft cloth and avoid solvent based polishes, which can lift the antique finish. The rest of our chess pieces collection is cared for the same way.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King height |
115mm (4.52 inch) |
|
King base diameter |
48mm (1.88 inch) |
|
Queen height |
93mm (3.66 inch) |
|
Queen base diameter |
46mm (1.81 inch) |
|
Bishop height |
79mm (3.11 inch) |
|
Knight height |
72mm (2.83 inch) |
|
Rook height |
64mm (2.51 inch) |
|
Pawn height |
57mm (2.24 inch) |
|
Dark pieces |
Genuine ebony wood |
|
Light pieces |
Antiqued boxwood |
|
Weighting |
Heavily weighted with lead, thick green felt bases |
|
Piece count |
34, including two spare queens |
|
Total set weight |
2,000g, with a hand weighting tolerance of about ten percent |
|
Recommended square size |
60mm |
|
Origin |
Hand carved in India |
|
Board |
Not included |
32 chess pieces in genuine ebony and antiqued boxwood
2 spare queens, one per colour
Chess board not included
Storage box not included
All products sold by Sterling Chess are backed by a 12 month limited manufacturer warranty. This covers manufacturing defects and cracking, and ensures every product is 100% genuine. If you need assistance, our team is only a call or email away.
Is shipping really free?
Yes — we offer free standard shipping on all orders across Australia, with no minimum spend. The price you see at checkout is the price you pay.
Are there any exceptions to free shipping?
No exceptions. Every order ships free, regardless of size, weight, or order value.
How long will my order take to arrive?
Orders are typically dispatched within 1–2 business days, with delivery times depending on your location. You'll receive tracking details by email once your order is on its way.
Do you ship to all areas of Australia?
Yes, we deliver Australia-wide, including regional and remote areas — all at no shipping cost to you.
Can I track my order?
Absolutely. As soon as your order ships, we'll email you a tracking number so you can follow its journey to your door.
What if I need my order quickly?
Get in touch before ordering and we'll do our best to help. Standard shipping is free, and we'll advise on the fastest available option for your area. To contact us, simply email us at support@sterlingchess.com.au, call (03) 7037 0931 or open the live chat.
Changed your mind? You can return unused, unopened items within 100 days of your order date, provided they’re in original packaging and resaleable condition. Sterling Chess will cover the cost of shipping return items under our 100-day free returns policy.
All Sterling Chess products are backed by Australian Consumer Law and include a minimum 12-month Australian warranty. If there’s an issue with your product, our team is here to help and will work to make it right.
Click here to view our full returns policy.
If you're shopping for a new chess set, you're in the right place—and here's why.
1. We know chess inside and out
At Sterling Chess, we're not just another online store. We’re chess lovers, players, collectors, and game night fanatics.
That means we care about quality, balance, and feel—and we only stock sets we’d use ourselves. From tournament-grade boards to handcrafted wooden pieces, we’ve got what real players want.
2. Unmatched variety for every player
Whether you're just learning or a lifelong grandmaster, we have something for you.
Looking for a folding set for travel? A stunning showpiece for your home? A kid-friendly set for your budding chess champion? We’ve got it all—and more.
3. Fast and FREE shipping on all orders
Shipping is FREE on all Sterling Chess orders.
We ship quickly from local and international warehouses, so you’re not waiting weeks to get your game on.
Most orders are packed and sent within 24–48 hours. Plus, you’ll get tracking updates every step of the way.
4. Customer support that actually helps
Have a question? Need help choosing a set? Our friendly team is ready to help—no scripts, no bots, just real people who care about your experience.
You can call our team anytime between business hours on (03) 7037 0931 or email us at support@sterlingchess.com.au. Alternatively, you can use our live chat during business hours to contact our helpful support team.
5. Thousands of happy customers
Don't just take our word for it—our reviews speak for themselves. Sterling Chess is trusted by thousands of players who keep coming back for more. Great products. Great service. No hassle.
6. Classic games, too
We're all about chess—but we also carry backgammon, checkers, poker and other timeless strategy games. If you love the classics, you’ll feel right at home.
Ready to make your move?
Choose a chess set that fits your style, skill level, and space—and enjoy the Sterling Chess difference. You’ll love how it looks. You’ll love how it plays. And you’ll love buying from a team that loves the game just as much as you do.
