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Monday, November 14, 2011
Ex-world chess champion Anatoly Karpov puts up Belgian stamp collection for sale
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi everyone,
Not really chess news but then anything connected to one of the world's best chess players and former World Chess Champion Anatoly Karpov is news. Karpov has always been an avid collector, devoting the same relentless dedication to collectibles as he has to his chess. Like most of his classmates he collected pins and generated a collection featuring about 30,000 sport, Olympic and chess pins.
He also collects stamps however, and the first stamp in his collection was the USSR stamp celebrating 40 years of the Red Army in 1958. But it wasn't Soviet stamps which really grabbed Karpov's interest.
Karpov has himself appeared on stamps, such
as this one from Guinea
Instead Karpov's attention was drawn by colonies of the British Empire, and also stamps showing animals which could not be seen in Russia such as snakes, kangaroos or zebras. He has gone on to collect chess and Olympic Games stamps from the first modern Olympic Games in Athens, Greece (1896).
Karpov also has a range of stamps from the USSR, France, Monaco, and the Netherlands, but his most valuable selection is from Belgium and the Belgian Congo, of which he has the largest existing collection. The earliest stamps (until around 1869) are notable for their attractive designs. You can read more at this link.
Rare scented chess set & a Spassky signed board for sale at Bonhams chess & games auction
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi everyone,
Bonhams will offer a number of very rare and unusual items in the Chess Sets, Playing Cards and Games sale on the 14th September, taking place in the Knightsbridge saleroom. An unusual “Mary Chess” glass perfume bottle chess set is estimated to sell for £2,000 – 3,000. During the 1930s Mary Chess became synonymous with fine women’s perfume, and a selection of popular scents were bottled in glass chess pieces.
Together with a full set of unopened scent bottles, a number of letters written to Mary Chess Ltd are also included in the sale. The Queen Mother owned a similar set and letters from her lady in waiting and financier thanking Mary Chess for the “magnificent chess set” along with a letter from the Queen of Sweden’s lady in waiting thanking the company for the “useful and wonderful products” will all be offered with the scent bottles.
A Spassky-Fischer silver and silver-gilt
chess set. Photo: Bonhams.
A further highlight of the sale is a rare “Spassky-Fischer” silver and silver-gilt chess set designed by the American Director Cy Enfield in 1972. Best known for his 1964 film “Zulu”, starring Michael Caine, Endfield was commissioned to design set to commemorate the Chess World Championship of 1972 between Fischer and Spassky. Estimated to sell for £2,000 – 3,000, the set is one of a rare limited edition of six and is also signed by Boris Spassky.
Genius chess champion Bobby Fischer's personal collection of letters to be auctioned
Chess blog for latest chess news and chess trivia (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2011
Hi everyone,
Remember our earlier post about the Philip Weiss Auctions opening bidding for the chess set used in the 1972 World Chess Championship by Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky?
We have news that some private letters written by Fischer would also be auctioned along with the signed chess board. You can also try live online bidding.
As part of their April 2, 2011 auction in the 'Folkart, Native American, & Military' category, along with several other items, up for auction will be the 1972 World Chess Championship Chess Set used by Bobby Fischer & Boris Spassky (Signed by Both). This chess set was used in the legendary “Back Room” game of the Championship held in Reykjavik, Iceland. It was given to the President of the Icelandic Chess Federation in October 1972, and comes with Letter of Authenticity. Also a collection of personal letters from Bobby Fischer will be auctioned.
This nice article is about a souvenir legendary chess piece dating all the way back to 1897. Wow.
Christie’s has announced the sale of The Property of a Private Collector of Chess Sets and Game Boards, to be included in the Interiors sale at Christie’s South Kensington saleroom on 7 December 2010. The chess collection is to be sold by one of the founding members of Chess Collectors International, established in 1984, in Florida, USA.
A leading highlight from the collection is a very rare souvenir chess piece. Thought to be one of only a few surviving examples, this gilt-bronze piece by Carlo and Arthur Giuliano was made to commemorate the historical chess match played between The House of Commons in London and The House of Representatives in Washington D.C, by cable in 1897 (estimate: £4,000-6,000). Lasting two days, the match resulted in a draw, with each winning 2 ½ games each, and a souvenir chess piece is believed to have been presented to each player as a memento for having taken part.
Arranged by John Henniker Heaton, a British Conservative MP, and U.S. Representative Richmond Pearson of North Carolina, this is believed to have been the only match played between the two governments of the UK and US.
The matches were arranged as a fun pastime, but the players took them very seriously, with the Representatives documented as having received professional coaching beforehand. Cable matches were arranged soon after cable transmissions became available, the only drawback being the high cost for transmitting the messages.
The game of chess is documented to have been introduced to the ‘smoke-room’ at the House of Commons in the late 1880s, and was allegedly a very popular pastime for members. Several articles published at the time refer to a chess club, a petition for better chess boards and tables in the House, as well as lamenting the loss of the best chess players, due to members losing their seats during elections.
A number of the sets and boards on offer in the Collection featured in the famed exhibition catalogue “Schachpartie Durch Zeiten und Welten”, by Hans and Barbara Holländer. The catalogue documented the largest and most comprehensive exhibition dedicated to chess sets and related items ever staged, which was to celebrate the 175th anniversary of the Hamburger Schachklub – the oldest and largest chess club in Germany, established in 1830. For chess collectors around the world, the chance to acquire items which appeared in this book is a very rare and special opportunity, and one not to be missed.
Chess news and chess trivia blog (c) Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2010
Hello Everyone,
In a gesture meant for charity, World Champion Viswanathan Anand has given his World Champion gold medal to be auctioned.
The auction will include plenty of other sports memorabilia in the Indian city of Mumbai according to a BBC report. You can read more here.
The event will be held on October 29 and includes items donated by stars like Sachin Tendulkar, Roger Federer and others.
The proceeds will go to a charity which funds schooling for children in remote parts of the country. The auction has been organised by the charity's founder, Rahul Bose, a former national rugby player and a well-known Indian actor.
Organisers say they were "pleasantly surprised" when a variety of sports celebrities readily agreed to contribute towards the auction with their memorabilia.
More than 200 selected bidders will take part in the auction, which will be closed to the public. However, two days of free viewing of the items has been planned prior to the sale, which may become an annual event.
Mr Bose's charity, The Foundation - which has already funded schooling for children from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands - says that it will select another remote part of the country for the new funds.
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12th Women's World Chess Champion
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