"Pawnographic"?

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John Townsend
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Joined: Sun Aug 29, 2010 8:26 pm

"Pawnographic"?

Post by John Townsend » Sun May 03, 2026 4:56 pm

" ... An antique dealer was fined £35 yesterday for exposing to view a 32-piece chess set ... Police Sergeant David Fox told Marylebone court that he saw a chess set showing couples in sexual positions ... "

(source: Liverpool Daily Post, 25 August, 1971, page 3)

Would it be fair to describe the chessmen as "Pawnographic"?

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Matt Mackenzie
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Location: Millom, Cumbria

Re: "Pawnographic"?

Post by Matt Mackenzie » Sun May 03, 2026 5:13 pm

Would be disappointed if that headline hadn't been used at the time tbh.
"Set up your attacks so that when the fire is out, it isn't out!" (H N Pillsbury)

John Townsend
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Re: "Pawnographic"?

Post by John Townsend » Sun May 03, 2026 5:26 pm

What headline?

Jon D'Souza-Eva
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Re: "Pawnographic"?

Post by Jon D'Souza-Eva » Sun May 03, 2026 6:20 pm

The headline used for the story by the Guardian was rather feeble.
Guardian_25Aug1971.png
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A German website (https://schach-ohne-ausgrenzung.at/kurioses-2024/) has a picture of the dealer, Trevor Stowe:
Trevor-Stowe-200x300.jpg
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Jon D'Souza-Eva
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Re: "Pawnographic"?

Post by Jon D'Souza-Eva » Sun May 03, 2026 6:26 pm

I wonder how long Mr Stowe's shop survived for? This story is from the Sydney Morning Herald of 8th January, 1972.
TrevorStowe2.jpg
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John Townsend
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Re: "Pawnographic"?

Post by John Townsend » Sun May 03, 2026 7:12 pm

A contemporary reflection:

"The mating on Trevor Stowe's chessboard wasn't the kind normally seen in the game."

(The Tennessean, August 25, 1971, page 13)

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