Henri Chavet Guide

Yes those came with the goose

Hi everyone,

As I went to pick up my lunch from the lobby this morning, I was also surprised with a package from France. I opened the package first. By the time I was done admiring its contents, the miso soup that had come with my lunch had gone lukewarm.

It was the Chavet set I had ordered.

The box was nice and small, it could just about fit in both my hands easily. I had bought a Lardy set last month for analysis, and I realized that I loved small sets so much more than normal play-sized sets. I read on the forums somebody compare small analysis sets to model trains and other miniatures. I agree, that's exactly the charm I feel from these.

To demonstrate how small these are, each piece fits easily in the palm of my hand:

King height for this set is 70 mm, 2.75 inches. So, small. Analysis-sized.

The box is not my favorite box, and if I weren't particular about keeping the original, I probably would start looking for a replacement. The box, as you can probably tell, has a sliding lid design, as opposed to a clasp-down design like a jewelry box. In practice, this means that the pieces have to be well within the confines of the box for the lid to slide on properly. The box itself feels like cheap plywood. Once I emptied the pieces, I saw that the middle divider appeared a little shorter than the rest of the box, and I couldn't help but wonder if this was indicative of damage. Maybe not, maybe that's how the box was designed. Still, not my favorite, and I may find a replacement box in the future, if the original box makes me too hesitant to take the pieces out for use.

I set the pieces up on a 1.5-inch square board. Personally, I liked the square/piece size ratio.

I noticed that a couple pieces shook a bit when I picked them up. I think a couple of the weights inside had gone loose, something I hadn't considered when buying an older chess set like this. I'm new to collecting, so I don't really know the things to look for, things to ask about, things to notice. I had noticed in the original listing that the pieces had damage consistent with regular use -- you can see little dings and scuffs in almost all of the pieces. Personally, I liked the charm. I intend to use the set, so I don't mind that it already has the appearance of being used. Furthermore, I felt like I would be hard-pressed to find another set like this pop up -- in this size, with these weights, for a reasonable price point, in the same or better condition.

Of course, I was delighted to stare at the knights for a long while.

But you'll see the bishop next to the knight, how round its head is. I've come to find that the three things I most care about in sets are: knights (not too detailed but not too plain), bishops (nice and round heads), and kings (thick crosses). This set had all three.

One final picture: a position from a simul that I played against Sam Shankland a couple days ago, just before any captures took place. Shankland won in 34 moves.

In all, I am extremely happy with the set, and I intend to swap between this one and my Lardy for analysis purposes. At some point, I might get a new board that's less dinged up to play these on. But I'm not sure. I'm not as particular about boards.

Nice photos and congrats on what I consider to be a beautiful albeit a bit blemished set! I agree wholeheartedly with your list of three important things. It's why the chavet design is my favorite of all.

Great set!  And your board has character and a story - it just needs a little attention.

That board is a perfect match to go with the pieces. I wouldn't change a thing. I especially like the figured grain of the walnut border along the h-file. Looks awesome. Have fun with it!

Thanks, everyone!

MCH818 - I hadn't thought of that, but that does make sense, doesn't it? Maybe I'll keep the pieces in that box, then. After all, that's what Chavet said the pieces ought to go in.

@busterlark if you ever are looking to sell this set, please keep me in mind  ... I *love* this size.

lotsoblots -- haha, I don't think I'll be parting with it any time soon, but if I do, I'll keep you in mind.

Hello there,

I remember when I said here, two years ago, how happy I was to find some news about Chavet / Jurabuis, telling that they were still alive.

However, with their sets becoming increasingly difficult to find, to a point where it is nearly impossible to find a new set right now, with their website being an almost empty page with just a message saying "Be patient... See you very soon !" for 2 years now, with their facebook page displaying 0 activity since january 2021, it is likely that they have silently gone extinct. I have just sent them an email just to be sure and am waiting for an answer.

Another less-known chess pieces manufacturer from Jura, Tournerie Michel Roz, has stopped its activity in September : they no longer craft any new set. Local media announced the news with the following statement : "The last french chess pieces wood-turning factory closes its doors". Could have been a journalist's mistake, or another proof that Chavet was already gone before Michel Roz's closure. https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/bourgogne-franche-comte/jura/lons-le-saunier/je-finis-comme-j-ai-commence-avec-mon-pere-la-derniere-tournerie-francaise-de-jeux-d-echecs-ferme-ses-portes-dans-le-jura-2630172.html

If this is all true (and I am 99% sure it is), then this is very sad news. Chavet (and Michel Roz as well) have gone through so much difficulties in the past decades : increasing concurrency from cheaper sets, proliferation of the box tree moth causing damage to the forests since the 2010's, covid lockdowns... They went from medium-sized factories with ~40 employees in the 70's to maybe 2 people crafting sets full-time in the last years. No wonder why the quality of the wood has stepped down, no wonder why the design has been simplified on some pieces.

The following video shows Tournerie Michel Roz's factory and the process of making a king https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSeKTbNYUGs Two people, husband and wife, making all the pieces of all the sets, doing some quality control, inserting them into boxes, taking care of the orders. I find it very impressive.

I do not know exactly why I am so attached to Chavet. Maybe, although I hated being in a chess club, it is because the chess club I was in was FULL of Chavet sets, and I spent my wednesday afternoons among old, coffee-stained, yet beautiful pieces with pretty knights. I also remember how, despite my grand-parents not thinking they had a chess set in their house, I unexpectedly found in their basement two homemade boards and a box with the famous "Henri Chavet - Jeux d'échecs" logo on it, with a complete set of big, gorgeous pieces inside : it was my first time hearing about Chavet (although now I think the pieces inside are from Lardy lol).

The release of The Queen's Gambit series apparently brought the opportunity for these manufacturers to sing their swan's song.

Again, I am waiting for an email answer from Jurabuis, but I have very very little hope.

If you have any recent news, please tell !

Is this a Chavet chess set?

It’s not a Chavet. @MCH818 is right ;-)

Here's a closer look.

Dimensions

King - 3.675" (93mm)

Queen - 3.283" (82mm)

Rook - 2.087" (53mm)

Bishop - 2.756" (70mm)

Knight - 2.756" (70mm)

Pawn - 2.047" (52mm)

Chavet looks like this 

That angle doesn't help me much.  What are the characteristics that clearly define a Chavet set from a German Knight set?

PS: B210, B207, B202 or B212, does not exist, has never existed anywhere other than in the minds of certain ambitious collectors. They only interpreted the word BUIS (boxwood) as a number sequence.

Sure it’s not Chavet ! Never !

Just have a look here, you will understand

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/chavet-ndeg-8

What kind of chess set do I have then?  It came from France or Italy, so it can't be one of those cheaply made German Knight sets.