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Here is the email we received and the web address

Dear chess friends, I thought it would be appropriate to contact you to let you know that today I received the Teesside set, box, and board that I had purchased from the winner of the Tennant auction. It is a magnificent piece of history, and I wanted to assure you that the trophy will be very well cared-for and appreciated.

Best regards,

Jon Crumiller
Princeton, New Jersey USA
www.chessantique.com
(I am solely a collector, not a dealer, so my website is only for the benefit of antique chess collectors around the world.)

Also read - Ivory Chess Set - A report by Ernie Lazenby
 

Tees-Side Chess Association
Challenge Trophy 1886

This magnificent chess set was purchased by Tees-Side Chess Association on July 2nd 1886 for the price of £14.2's.0d. For our younger viewers that's 14 pounds, 2 shillings and 0 pence. It's fair to say that in 1886 it was an extremely large amount of money.

It has been the A division winners Trophy for as long as I can remember but after Gerry Walsh had the chess set valued at an estimated £20,000+ by the Antiques Roadshow on the 6th April 2000, it was decide to place the chess set in a bank vault for safe keeping. It has resided in the bank vault ever since.

The board it's self is approx H24"xW24"xD1½" and the square size is approx H2¾"xW2¾". The pieces are made of ivory and screw apart. Up the side of the chess board there are some peg holes, presumably to keep track of the score. The pegs are still with the chess set.

The King stands 4 inches in height and the Queen just short of that at 3½ inches. The Bishop is 3 inches in height, Knight 2½ inches , Rook 2½ inches and the pawns 2 inches. All the pieces are weighted and have a nice feel to them.

The box for the pieces is approx H6"xW12½"xD9"
All teams that have ever won this trophy have their own little silver plaque in recognition of that fact.

The first winners of this Trophy were Hartlepool in 1886. From 1887 to 1895 Stockton Chess Club held the Trophy only to lose it again to Hartlepool in 1896! Stockton went on to win the Trophy back in 1897 and held on to it up until 1900 when Hartlepool won it back! To see the full list of winners of this Trophy click here.

Below is a copy taken from a book which contains the original accounts from 6th October 1886 detailing receipts on the left and expenditure on the right. The purchase of the Chess Set as the "Challenge Trophy" is recorded under expenditure on July 2nd 1886 for the costly sum of £14.2.0.

Winners of the Challenge Trophy Chess Set Since 1886
Note: In 2004 a *NEW* A Div Trophy was bought to replace
The 1886 Challenge Trophy