the piece stamped in the centre. In Japan chessmen
are five-sided, or punt-shaped pieces of wood or ivory,
lying flat on the board and differing slightly in size. On
one face is printed the name of the piece; on the other
its promotional name.
Indian designers of chessmen at the end of the eigh
teenth century were satisfying their national pride by
carving chessmen to represent the forces engaged in
war between the East India Company and the native
states. One side possessed two elephants with pallan-
quins, two rhinoceros, two horses, two towers with
small figures holding flags, and eight soldiers in
European dress, while the other had buffaloes in place
of rhinos, camels for horses, and native soldiers carry
ing (apparently) folded umbrellas.
Meanwhile, in England a young farmer's son, begging
his way to London to make his fortune, was carrying
a shah's baton in his knapsack, and was destined to do
as much as any of the famous chess professionals of his
time to popularise the game.
From Trowbridge young Thomas Jaques came to the
Bell at Holbom, where he fell in with Ivy, an ivory
turner of Leather Lane. For him he worked as appren
tice during seven or eight years, finally following the
Eighteenth Century Indian Chessmen
