What is Staunton?

Staunton refers to a style of chess pieces that is accepted as the standard for tournament play. The design was created by Nathaniel Cook and named after Howard Staunton, a leading chess player in the 19th century. Staunton chess pieces are characterized by their easily recognizable design, including a king with a cross on top, a queen with a small crown, a bishop with a mitre, a horse as the knight, a rook as a castle and the pawns as foot soldiers.