KING ARTHUR FANTASY CHESS SET w/BOARD 9382 Pacific Giftware
This legendary King Arthur Set is abound with dragons and magical spheres ruled by 3.5" King Arthur. This collectible chess set is cast in designer resin and hand painted for an ancient statuesque look to each piece. The set comes with a stunning glass chess board with frosted white etched squares and knotwork designs.

THE ORIGINS OF CHESS The oldest written references of chess to date originated in what is now northern India or Afghanistan sometime before 6OO AD, but there are also unverified claims that chess existed as early as 100 AD. From the medieval period chess was referenced in courtly tales, but the two earliest surviving printed books on chess belong to the 15th century: "The Game and Player of the Chesse" printed by William Caxton in 1474 (and incidentally only the second book ever printed in English), and a "Repeticion" (or discourse) by a Spaniard named Lucena in 1497. Certain rule-changes were later introduced in the 16th century to make chess play a more dynamic, and in 1561 bishop Ruy Lopez (1530-80) published a treatise marking the beginnings of what is termed modern chess.