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Frequently Asked Questions|
^ top 1. How do you choose the right size squares to match your set to a board?The proper square size for a set of properly proportioned Staunton chessmen is such that the width of the base of the King should be 78% of the width of a square. So, divide the King's base diameter by 0.78 and you get the proper square size. You can increase the square size by 1/8", but the square size should not be any smaller. For example, a Staunton King with a base diameter of 1.75" would require a square size of 1.75"/0.78 = 2.25". Hence, you should use a chessboard with either 2-1/4" or 2-3/8" (+1/8").^ top 2. Are solid black pieces preferable to rosewood?Black pieces are NOT preferable to rosewood. It is a matter of personal choice. Both are used in tournament play. Black wood sets are more common that rosewood wood sets, but they are generally less expensive (except, of course, for ebony pieces). Ebonizing is the process of turning wood (in our case, the boxwood) black to resemble ebony. It is much less expensive and is difficult to distinguish from real ebony without close examination. Ebony is a strong, expensive but brittle wood. Rosewood is an excellent wood for chessmen; it is very resilient and does not chip very easily.^ top 3. How do I take care of my new set and/or board?Chessmen should be lightly waxed and buffed once or twice/year, using only a high quality paste wax with a cotton cloth or cheesecloth - never use a liquid polish. A chessboard should never by dry-wiped. Any good quality furniture polish and a good cotton cloth or cheesecloth will work. Avoid polishes that contain silicone. Also, use the wax sparingly. In both cases, allow the wax to dry before buffing. Use only a paste wax such as MinWax, sparingly, once or twice a year. DO NOT USE A LIQUID WAX!^ top 4. Why are some sets (and boards) so much more expensive?Many items determine the cost of a chess set. Ebony is more expensive than rosewood, which is, in turn, more expensive that boxwood, etc. Next, the quality of the Knights. A set of finely carved knights can represent up to 50% of the total cost of a chessmen. Then, the quality of the turnings, the finish and the uniformity also add to cost. Most Indian-made sets are relatively inexpensive. They are almost always of very poor quality. They will have burn and tear marks, burrs, poor finishes, etc. The Indian manufacturers also have no regard for U.S. and International copyright laws, and will make counterfeit copies of most anything on the market. But, you get what you pay for. Finally, look at the storage box. A very high quality box can have a value of several hundred dollars or more. Most Indian-made sets come in very inexpensive boxes, hence can be marketed significantly below a high quality chess set housed in a fine box.^ top 5. What if I lose or break a piece? Can I get replacements?We keep a large inventory of spare pieces from each cutting of our chessmen, so spares and replacements are always available. This is a significant expense for us that other sellers do not have.^ top 6. How do I order House of Staunton products?Our products can be ordered on-line, by fax, or via telephone. Since many of our products can be ordered to your specifications, sometimes a phone call is most appropriate. Please see: Contact Us, and Information Request.^ top 7. Can a fitted case be purchased seperately?The fitted case is $279 plus $26 s&h. It is much cheaper to order it as an upgrade when the set is purchased. This way you don't end up paying for two boxes. We can exchange it for the original box, assuming it has not been damaged, for the diference in price of the original box + $26 s&h.^ top 8. How can I best insert the cross into the king?Generally, you twist and seat the cross. However, the "wings" of the cross can break off rather easily, if you twist too hard. If it does not seat easily, you can use soap or wax to lubricate the shank. If it is too loose, a small bit of paper can be used to help wedge it tight. It is better not to glue it in, because then it is very hard to fix if it breaks. And it is almost always better to replace a broken cross, than the entire piece.^ top 9. Please distinguish between Ebonized and ebony. Is this as durable as ebony??Ebonizing is a process of turning wood black. In this case, we dye the boxwood black to resemble ebony. Ebony is a very hard, dense, and expensive black wood. Ebony is much stronger than boxwood, but is more brittle, so it does not withstand impacts as well. The Ebonizing can wear off on the sharp corners and details in time, but it is easily restored.Ebony pieces are far more sought after and ebony sets more collectable than most other woods. ^ top 10. What does "Out" mean on the Price page?Items marked "Out" are currently out of stock, but are still in production. Please call or email for expected availability dates.^ top 11. What does the term "triple-weighted" mean?The term "triple weighted" has little meaning. It is a term pirated (read: brainless copying, something they are quite adept at) by the Indian manufacturers from the Drueke Company. Drueke used the term single, double and triple weighted to designate whether its hollow plastic chessmen had one, two or three metal slugs glued into the base for weight.If you want to know the weight of a chess set, ask the distributor or manufacturer for the weight in ounces. We offer that courtesy to allow customers like yourself to determine whether the chessmen you are contemplating purchasing are weighted to your liking. ^ top 12. Do you take credit cards?We accept all major credit cards, PayPal and BillPoint. To place an order, you can email us your shipping and billing information, along with a daytime phone number, using three separate email transmissions for security. Or you can phone 256.858.8070 or fax 256.851.0560 the information to us. We are on Central Time. Finally, you can mail us a check or Money Order, payable to The House of Staunton, Inc.; 8160 Highway 53 North; Toney, AL 35773; USA.^ top 13. What do you think about digital clocks?Regarding the digital clock, I patented the time-delay clock. I never liked the idea of the game of chess being decided strictly by the clock, so I "invented" the time-delay concept and programmed it into the clock. The one thing I really like about the digital clocks is that they are absolutely "fair" - no slowing down one side and speeding up the other!14. What is your return policy?You have one week (7 calendar days) from the date your package is delivered to decide if you want to return an item. If you decide you want to return the item, it is subject to the following conditions:
15. The product I received is damaged - What do I do?You have one week (7 calendar days) from the date your package is delivered to notify us that the item you received is damaged. Once notified, we will replace the item at no charge to you. Please note that in the case of Chessmen, where each piece is hand carved and unique, we require that you send us back the damaged piece first. This is to insure that the grain/coloring/cut of the replacement piece is identical to the one you are replacing.If you notify us after the one week time period has ended, we will only issue replacement items for merchandise that is covered by a manufacturer's warranty, such as Excalibur Game Time II Chess Clock. All House of Staunton products, including Chessmen, Chessboards and Bags are sold as-is and do not come with any warranty beyond the 7-day replacement guarantee. ^ top16. The item I am purchasing is a gift. Do you have gift wrapping or cards available?While we do not have gift wrapping available, we do have full-color customizable gift cards that can be inserted into the package at no cost. Please let us know at the time of purchase and we'd be happy to help you. We have cards of all types available, including Birthday, Graduation, Hanukah and All Occasion Gift Cards. Click here for an example.17. The Item I am purchasing is custom made and requires that I make a deposit. What is your policy regarding such deposits?The House of Staunton offers a wide selection of Custom-made Products that are available for purchase. This includes our Signature Contemporary Chessboards and our 40,000 year-old Mammoth Ivory Chessmen. Because these items are not typically carried by the House of Staunton and are 'custom made', we require that a deposit of 50% of the price be made at the time of purchase. Once the deposit has been received, your production order will be placed in the queue.If you later decide that you do not want to purchase the custom-made item, you will receive a House of Staunton store credit equal to the full amount of the deposit. The store credit can be used to purchase any items offered by the House of Staunton. We are sorry, but no refunds can be given on deposits. 18. I have a coupon that I would like to redeem at the House of Staunton. Can it be combined with any other discounts, promotions, or purchases made through 3rd parties?Occasionally, the House of Staunton sends out coupons to our customers as a thank you for their continued patronage. These coupons can NOT be combined with* Any other discounts - such as other coupons and price matching * Any promotions - such as free gifts or free shipping. * Any purchases made through 3rd parties, such as eBay, Amazon.com and House of Staunton resellers. Thank you for understanding. 19. What is the visual difference between Lacquered and Polished Sets? How different does Black Lacquer look compared to Ebony and Ebonized ChessmenThe lacquered Chessmen have a high gloss finish, compared to the other Chessmen... 20. What is the difference between the Collector Chessmen and the Imperial Collector Chessmen.The difference between the Collector Chessmen and the Imperial Collector Chessmen are the Knights included in the set. The Collector Chessmen feature the legendary Jaques of London Knight design, which is modeled after the noble steeds from the Greek Parthenon (Elgin Marbles) and are unsurpassed in beauty and craftsmanship. The Imperial Collector Chessmen feature our Imperial Knight design, which features a down turned head, flowing mane and offers breathtaking level of detail.
21. Can I see "swatches" of the various woods that House of Staunton Chessmen are crafted from?22. What are your policies regarding International Shipping?Please be advised that we will only ship Internationally via FedEx International. We WILL NOT ship via any other means, such as US Postal Airmail or US Postal Surface/Economy. This is necessary to meet the PayPal requirement that all sellers be able to provide PROOF OF DELIVERY on all shipments. FedEx offers world-wide guaranteed delivery with 5 business days, is fully insured and fully trackable via FedEx.com. The International shipping costs on this item start at $20.00 US Dollars and could be as high as $200.00 US Dollars.Please note that any additional fees that may be applicable, such as Duties, GST and VAT, etc., are NOT INCLUDED in the shipping costs. These fees are your responsibility. Please contact your local Customs Officer to determine if any additional fees are applicable IMPORTANT NOTE: While we will ship via US Postal Priority to overseas military personnel, eg. APO/AEO addresses, these packages can not be tracked and the House of Staunton will take NO RESPONSIBILITY for the package being delivered. Once the package leaves the United States, the US Military takes responsibility for the package and they do not offer any means to track or have delivery confirmation. All we can do is provide you with proof that it has shipped in the form of a US Postal Service receipt. By requesting that we ship to an overseas military address, you are accepting full responsibility for the package arriving in good condition. If you do not accept these terms, we'd be happy to ship the package via FedEx International to you, but this will be significantly more expensive. ^ top23. I have seen House of Staunton Chess Sets advertised on other websites made out of a wood called Sheeshamwood. What is this?Simply put, Sheeshamwood (or Sheesham) is another name for Golden Rosewood. Some retailers refer to our Golden Rosewood Chess Sets as Sheeshamwood because it is a more exotic sounding name and it gives the appearance of exclusivity.^ top 24. I purchased a set of used House of Staunton Chessmen. Could you please clarify House of Staunton's customer service policy with regards to used Chessmen and Chess sets purchased from unauthorized resellers?The House of Staunton customer service policies applies only to customers that purchase brand new House of Staunton-brand products either directly from the House of Staunton or one of our many authorized resellers. Our policy does not cover the purchase of used Chess sets nor does it cover the purchase of our products from unauthorized resellers. As a result, the warranty is not transferable since such transfer would only take place through the sale of a used Chess set. Please keep this in mind when considering the purchase a used House of Staunton Chess set on the Internet. One of the things that you lose when you purchase a used HOS Chess set for a much lower price than a brand new Chess set is our industry leading customer service.If you do purchase a used set or a set from an unauthorized reseller and there are missing/damage pieces, we will NOT send out free replacement pieces. We would be happy to sell you replacement pieces, but it would be unreasonable to expect us to be responsible for a used Chess set. While this may seem like a silly question, one that doesn't really need to be stated since it should be obvious, we were recently contacted by an individual who purchased a several year old used HOS Chess set and expected us to replace the missing and damaged pieces free of charge. Caveat Emptor! ^ top 25. Can you please tell me more about the Isle of Lewis Chessmen?Best estimate is that the Lewis Chessmen were discovered in the Spring of 1831. There were 78 pieces in all, carved in Morse ivory (Walrus tusk) which are thought to belong to eight or more incomplete chess sets. The British Museum, last count, houses 67 of these. The remainder are in the Edinburgh National Museum. The details of the armor and costume were used by experts at the British Museum to estimate the age of the chessmen to be from the later part of the twelfth Century (1150-1170 AD).Because we are talking about pieces from eight or more different chess sets, there is some "Artistic License" in determining which pieces belonged to which set. There are actually two versions on the market today. One depicts identical corresponding figures in the light and dark armies. The nicest and most popular of these is marketed by Studio Anne Carlton in the U.K. Originally made in the UK, production has since moved to China. In the other variant, the corresponding characters are represented by different figures. Such sets are offered by Jaques of London. Those sets are also produced in China. All these sets are stone resin composition. Other materials have been used over time. For example, we have a very rare set, made in 1852, where the pieces are Bronze plated metal. ^ top 26. Why did the House of Staunton's mailing address change?The House of Staunton's long established mailing address, 362 McCutcheon Lane, is a road-side mailbox that the company has used since we first opened our doors. Unfortunately, we recently had a number of instances where returned packages were removed (stolen) from our mailbox without our permission. We've reported these thefts to the US Postal Service, but there is very little that they can do to stop such mischief. These thefts have caused a major headache for both us and those customers whose pieces were stolen, which is one instance included a irreplaceable antique chess piece. To avoid this from happening in the future, we have discontinued the use of that mailing address and are now using a secure Post Office box to receive all packages. Our new mailing address is:The House of Staunton, Inc. Please direct all US Postal Service packages to this above address. If you wish to send a package via UPS, FedEx or any other carrier that requires a physical address, please send it to:The House of Staunton | ||||
The House of Staunton • houseofstaunton.com |
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