• The set is designed for chessboards with 2¼" squares
• The chess set features a 4 1/16" King.
• The Pro Line Ebony Monarch is made from the finest Ebony and Boxwood.The chess pieces are massively weighted.
• One hundred sets have been made in this unique production.
• A signed and dated laminated Certificate of Authenticity is included.  The chess set is pictured in color on the back of the Certificate.   Each set is numbered.
• The first time I produced the Monarch Chess Set I made only 17 sets, nine in Ebony and Boxwood, eight in Rosewood and Boxwood.  This production or Pro Line Ebony Monarchs has seen many design changes, while continuing to capture the original beauty.  I have added contour to the stems of the pieces, and beveled the bases.  I have refined the carving of the Kings cross & Queen’s coronet.  The Pioneer Knight carving is the result of five years of refining and is an absolute work of art.  The Rook has been classically redesigned.  I have also made the pawns a little taller.  The overall weight of the set has increased ½lb.
• Each set is put through an arduous six hour quality control procedure at Legend Products prior to shipment to the customer.
• The Pro Line Chess Sets are well known for their Beauty, Design, and Craftsmanship.
• The Ultimate Storage Box, which is handcrafted in Oregon, is also included with the set.
• The Ultimate storage box is made of solid Mahogany, and hand-crafted veneer.  The box also features Italian cylinder hinges, brass and ball bearing lid latching device, brass ball mounted at the front of the lid to grasp when opening.  The box is fully lined with a beautiful foam backed material, and has additional foam to maximize the protection of your set.
• The Pro Line Sets are the finest made in the World!

I have done my best to copy the material, to be sure there were no grammar or spelling errors in Bruce’s review so if you spot something it was likely my typing. This is about half the review if you would like the full review click on the Empire review to the right of your screen under additional images.
 

Product Review by Bruce Steffek
The Pro Line Ebony Monarch.  This set combines the best qualities of both sets reviewed last summer.  It easily transcends the beauty of the Pioneer Monarch while adding 8 ounces to the weight of the set thus achieving a perfectly weighted set.

Note closely the knights.  They are simply the most beautifully rendered knights I have ever seen.  In contrast, the Ebony Pioneer Elite knights look almost blocky and unrefined, and those knights are a vast improvement over what is out there, including the $795 Jaques set currently offered by the USCF.  Even the $1295 Jaques set’s knights don’t begin to compare to the beauty, exquisite refinement and detail of the Pro Line Monarch knights.  For creating these knights alone, Peterson deserves the title Grandmaster of Chess Set Design, were such a title to exist!  I predict that someday these sets will be more valued than Jaques sets!

Note also the beveled bases of the pieces, similar to the $1295 Jaques set and missing in the comparably priced $795 Jaques set.  The piece stems have also been nicely contoured in the Pro Line Monarch.

The King’s cross is simply inspired and the most refined that I have seen.  Similarly, the razor sharp coronet of the queen is in a class by itself.  By contrast unassuming, yet they embody a subtle perfection.  The pawns are also an 1/8 inch larger than in previous sets which works very well indeed!  Even the Rooks, whose massive turrets and straight lines, did not initially appeal to me, have really grown on me.
I have had my set about six months now.  One thing that continually astonishes me is the highly polished shine to the pieces finish.  Peterson has clearly taken pains to obtain absolutely the finest Ebony and Boxwood obtainable and has imparted a luster to the wood that I just have not seen elsewhere.

There is a down side to my owning the Pro Line Monarch.  All my other sets seem inadequate in comparison.  Even my beloved Ebony Pioneer Elite has been demoted to my tournament set (see Glen Gausewitz”s comments on this set in this issue’s Chess As it is Played).  Interestingly, I am continually getting compliments about it.   Several people have wanted to know where to get one, one person at a recent tournament even tried to buy it from me between rounds.  I think to myself, ah Philistines, if they could only see my Pro Line Monarch, then they would know true beauty and perfection!  Actually, I am fairly pleased with using the Ebony Pioneer Elite as my tournament set.  This way I get to analyze at home with my best set and still enjoy a superb set when playing rated games.  Another benefit, only one person (and that person is now persona non grata with me) has insisted on using their cheesy plastic pieces since I began bringing the Ebony Pioneer Elite to tournaments, which enhances my aesthetic enjoyment of the game, if not my playing strength.