Echiquier chiffré/lettré 50 x 50 cm

This wonderful set of pieces has been made with anjanwood (it's like rosewood), the pieces are handcrafted, felted and double weighted. 

A total of 34 pieces (2 extra queens). Size of king is 10.50 cm and diam. of 4.5 cm

The board is handmade in Italy and it is a very hight quality product. It is walnut burr wood, the light squares are crafted form the maple veneers and, complete with the high gloss finish. Chess board is 54 cm and each square is 5.5 cm

It is the perfect companion of the supreme set of pieces.

The English Defence (1 d4 e6 2 c4 b6) is a dynamic, counter-attacking line, initially investigated by English grandmasters. Black aims to set White difficult problems to solve at the very earliest stage of the game. Black’s play is provocative – aiming to lure White into establishing a big pawn centre. This is a risky strategy as White falls behind in development and Black switfly becomes very active. However, if White’s response is more circumspect then Black can often manoeuvre into favourable structures reminiscent of positions arising from the Nimzo-Indian Defence, the Queen’s Indian Defence or even the Dutch.

José González provides an excellent analysis of this complex opening and carves out a powerful repertoire for Black covering all lines after 1 d4. It is possible for White to avoid the "English battle" by playing either 2 Nf3 or even 2 e4 (a rare move for 1 d4 players but seen occasionally). Gonzalez champions an aggressive variant of the Dutch against 2 Nf3 and outlines a simple but effective French Defence repertoire to counter 2 e4.

• A complete repertoire for Black to counter 1 d4.
• The question and answer approach provides an excellent study method.   318 pages

History: In the 1950s and 1960s the Zagreb chess set was one of the most popular chess sets used at the major international chess tournaments. It gained popularity when it was used in the World Championship Candidates Match that was held in Bied, Zagreb in 1959. Design & Quality:   Appropriately weighted and felted these pieces are very stable on board and a pleasure to touch and feel, size of king is 8,8 cm.  For this set we choose a classical walnut board of 50 cm with square of 5 cm.

This 1,000-piece puzzle is part of a collection featuring major European cities, in this case Brussels, the capital of Europe, and its "Grand - Place", reputed to be "the most beautiful square in the world" (dixit Victor Hugo). You'll be able to recreate the Town Hall. Dimensions 49 x 68 cm.

Le tarot à jouer classique Grimaud.

The variation of the French that starts 1 e4 e6 2 d4 d5 3 Nc3 (or 3 Nd2) 3 ... dxe4 is often called the Rubinstein Variation. It is a great way to simplify the position and ensure that the middlegame battle rewards strategic understanding rather than rote memorisation of opening moves. It is also a very useful weapon to defuse the attacking intentions of aggressive White players who plan an all-out assault in the main lines of the French Defence. 367 pages