Boxes in the garage...
...turns out, these were International Master Herman Steiner’s chess sets, like the ones that were used at the famous 1961 Fischer vs. Reshevsky match held in California, the 1963 Piatigorsky cup tournament, and at the 1966 Piatigorsky Cup tournament.
Finished pieces.
In 1966, Dad was a university student at UCLA. He was a chess player, and attended the Piatigorsky cup tournament in July. As kids, we often heard the story of how he fell in love with the sets.
Click to read Dad's story.
We've been in touch with Herman Steiner's sons, (Eugene and Armin Steiner) who've graciously shared their memories of the sets. We were suprised to hear how much detail they remembered, including how the wood for the sets was originally scraps from a furnature shop!
"What a bit of history relived. I remember as if were yesterday, when a young UCLA student came over the Formosa house and fell in love with these sets. I am so happy you want to finish them off. This will be a fine tribute to Herman Steiner..." - Eugene Steiner
We hope you enjoy the story, and pictures. We added a contact page to make it easy for you to share your comments and questions. We look forward to hearing from you.
Josef and Josh Mentzer