Welcome
This chess set is all about Cambridge and Oxford: generous and powerful founders and benefactors, inspiring academics, stunning surroundings, and an 800 year old university rivalry. The playing pieces were modelled on prominent figures and landmarks from each city by an award-winning sculptor, and designed as a set for elegant presentation and play. The playing pieces are hand cast in heavy resin and are hand painted.
The design process and original sculpting of the playing pieces spanned more than three years, completed in 2015. Read on to learn more about this beautifully crafted set.
The set is available to order in our shop.
About the set
Stunning architecture, beautiful gardens, and two of the most renowned universities in the world set the scene for this bespoke chess set.
The King and Queen pieces were chosen from benefactors – Cambridge: King Henry VIII of England and Lady Margaret Beaufort; Oxford: William Herbert, 3rd Earl of Pembroke and Queen Caroline of Ansbach. The Bishop piece was chosen to represent research and teaching – Cambridge: Sir Isaac Newton. Oxford: John Locke. The Rook pieces are inspired by towers as central to university life in both cities as the Rook is to chess. The movement of the Knight is captured by punters zigzagging down the river. Last but not least, the Pawn, the quintessence of what both cities and universities are about: imparting knowledge to the next generation of students and inspiring new ideas and solutions.
Crafting the Set
Each set is hand moulded and painted from a set of master figurines created by an award winning sculptor. Find out how Oxbridge Chess was crafted from wax and inspiration into a unique set of high quality playing pieces.
The sculptor
Each master figurine was made by award-winning sculptor Shawn Slother. Shawn has worked for a variety of clients such as the Smithsonian Institute and the Martin Luther King Jr Foundation. He has done sculpts for the Musical Production “Les Miserables” in London, worked for film-studios like Warner Bros. and Disney and created awards for sport and social events.
The overall design and coordination of the set was carried out by Matthias Weichert, an architect local to Cambridge who founded Oxbridge Chess.
In the News
Oxbridge Chess has been featured on the local news and radio in Cambridge and Oxford. In this BBC radio interview, Susie Dent admires the Oxbridge Chess pieces and discusses the inspiration for the set with founder Matthias Weichert. At the time, we were raising funds to produce the first sets.
A selection of articles and interviews can be found on our In the News page.
Booklet: History of the Set
Browse the booklet to learn more about the history behind the pieces. This booklet is included with the Oxbridge Chess set.
Find out what the statue of King Henry VIII is holding in his right hand, what a 13th century tower has to do with Oxford student accommodation, and how punting is different in Cambridge and Oxford.
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