Master Pieces Hardcover – 16 Oct 2000

Synopsis:
This text explores the long history of chess with a mix of historical fact and colourful anecdote. The book features 30 of the most influential chess sets, because the chess pieces themselves tell a story of war, revolution, peace and religion, technology, art and sport.

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Apple Press; First Edition edition (16 Oct. 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840921536
• ISBN-13: 978-1840921533
• Package Dimensions: 20 x 15.4 x 2 cm
• Available on Amazon

A great book and a must for anyone who is interested in chess history, this book provides a history of chess and its origins.

The Chess Players (Thomas Eakins-1876)

170gsm A3 Size Colour White Satin Print

Oil on wood panel 29.8 cm × 42.6 cm (​11 3⁄4 in × ​16 3⁄4 in)

The original is a small oil on wood panel depicting Eakins' father Benjamin observing a chess match. The two players are Bertrand Gardel (at left), an elderly French teacher, and the somewhat younger George Holmes, a painter. The men are in a dark, wood-panelled Victorian parlour with a quality of light suggesting late afternoon. The game is well in progress, as many pieces have been removed from the board. Holmes, the younger player, seems to be winning the match, as he has taken the queen of his opponent (the top of which pokes out of the table's drawer), and his own black queen is well-positioned in the centre of the board. 

More details about the painting on wikipedia here