SAC Lewis Chessmen Set
The Lewis Chessmen were discovered in 1831, on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland by a local shepherd. He found a small chamber of dry-built stone about 15 feet below the top of a sandbank that had been partially washed away by the sea. The chessmen discovered within the chamber are probably the most famous in gaming history and are the oldest complete set of chessmen ever found. Made from walrus tusk, the most recent evidence suggests they are of Norwegian origin and date back to the twelfth century.
The Lewis pieces are on display in the British Museum and in the Museum of Edinburgh but you can own a little piece of history yourself by buying a replica quality Lewis Chess Set. This set is made by SAC from ground stone resin and the design closely follows the original pieces. King height is 95mm and it should suit a board with 50mm squares.
Click on the picture for a larger version
For a selection of matching chessboards, see the bottom of this page.
| Click image to enlarge | Change to $  Change to €  |
UK pounds (ex.VAT) |
Pounds (incl. VAT) |
Typical ETA in wkg days |
Add to basket |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAC Lewis Chessmen (without board) |
£55.23 | £64.90 | 1 + transit time | ||
 | SAC Lewis Chessmen with folding board in Presentation Box |
£90.13 | £105.90 | 1 + transit time | ||
For an immediate quote and ETA, add to the basket & select your location. |
You have the option of selecting a chessboard to your taste from our range of quality matching chess boards.
| SAC High Gloss Finish Chessboard - 50cm 
From £74.90 | SAC Matt Silk Finish Chessboard - 50cm 
From £67.90 | SAC Walnut & Sycamore Chessboard 
From £49.90 |
| SAC Wenge & Maple Chessboard 
From £49.90 | SAC Walnut & Sycamore Folding Chessboard 
£57.90 | SAC Profile Edge Chessboard - 50cm 
From £69.90 |
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The Origin of ChessA great deal has been written about the origins of chess and there is still a lot of debate on the subject. The earliest clear ancestor of chess is shaturanga or chaturanga which was invented by a 6th century Indian philosopher. It was a battle between four armies each under the control of a Rajah (king), two players being loosely allied against the other two and and each containing 4 corps - Infantry, Cavalry, Elephants and Boatmen. The board of 64 squares used for shaturanga, was borrowed from an earlier game called ashtapada, which was a race game played in ancient India. Under Hindu law, gambling became forbidden early on in the Hindu civilisation and, to avoid the gambling laws, shaturanga players dispensed with the dice. Another early modification was the merging of the allied armies into a single army making the game a two player form and duplicating the pieces, both developments which have survived until today. Other changes also occurred and the resulting game was called shatranj. There are three versions of the story of arrival of shatranj in Europe - did it come from the Saracens via Spain, from the Byzantine empire as a present to Charlemagne or was it brought back from the Middle East by Knights returning from the Crusades? Nonetheless in Europe, the game developed into modern European chess now played worldwide while in China, Japan, Burma, Thailand and Korea, other variants became just as popular. You can learn more about the History of Chess from The Online Guide to Traditional Games. |