An Opening Word

This distinctive-looking set is known as a Ganine (ga-neen’) “Gothic” Tournament Edition chess set. It was designed by sculptor Peter Ganine, most likely in 1947 given the copyright marks on the box and pieces. I first remember seeing a set similar to this (made of a ceramic material) set up on the living room coffee table in the home of Jim and Gloria Johnson back in the early or mid-80’s. At the time, I found it peculiar and thought that it must be rather difficult to distinguish one piece from another with such similar facial features. But in the past few years, I’ve gained an appreciation for the artistic eccentricity of the set and decided to try to add one to my collection.

Peter Ganine designed another chess set known as the "Conqueror" chess set. Rather than a collection of heads, the set consists of tall, thin statuesque figures that, while distinctly different from the Gothic set, share a quality of eccentricity.

Details about the Ganine “Gothic” Chess Set

The “Gothic” set came in two versions: the Salon Edition and the Tournament Edition, the latter being much more rare. The Salon Edition was smaller – perhaps 75% the size of its big brother – and came with an unremarkable folding chessboard. The pieces were made of white (or ivory-colored) and black plastic and were quite glossy. The Tournament Edition was noticeably larger and feels big for a chess set, with the King standing about 4.5" tall. Initially, I reported here that the tournament edition did not come with a board because I had never seen any sold with an accompanying board. However, I have now seen a few sold with what seems to be an original board, albeit another unremarkable folding cardboard one.

One thing I have noticed about the Tournament Edition is that it seems to have been available in a small variety of what I will call "finishes" (although I'm sure that's not quite the right word for it). Both the Salon and Tournament editions were available in a glossy black and equally glossy white or sometiimes ivory. But you can see that my set has almost a grain-like texture or stain, along with some coloring to add depth and dimension to each piece. I have seen another Tournament Edition that looks like the plastic had some marbling characteristics to it. They’re definitely unique in their own rights.

UPDATE: Thanks to Harold C. for pointing out that I neglected to mention relative sizes in terms of actual dimensions. He says the King in the Salon Edition stands about 3.5". Here's a table of the heights of the Tournament pieces:

The King's base is 1.5" in diameter. So for those of you who may have been wondering about actual sizes, there you have it. Thanks again, Harold, for bringing this to my attention!