German Knight Origin

Where did the "German Knight" originate?  Is there a specific year or manufacturer that first introduced it?

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/german-knight-is-actually-a-spanish-knight

https://www.chess-collection.de/newpage59

Perhaps it's not exactly clear to me what a German Knight is. Is it because it's made from a single piece of wood or that it's a flattened head/body?

Here is DGT Timeless knight

Here is Chavet 121/6

Would you consider the World Chess Championship Set as a German knight?

What about IM Biro's Romanian-Hungarian Tournament Chess Set (this is from my collection).

For me they are all Stauntons.

If you go to Chavet and you order 3 boxes of B210 and 10 boxes of B207A, he will look at you with wide eyes, scratch his head and tell you that he never made any.
You will show him an example of each and he will answer you: ah, you want 153/6 and 153/4, which I also have in 353/6 or 101/6, or even in 521/6…

However, several companies manufacture reproductions of B210 (which do not exist at Chavet).

I suppose that the German Knights are knights who look like the Timeless and who are not Timeless.

I conclude that some sets escape their manufacturers because they have been adopted by players or collectors who redefine them, rename them as they wish.

Sometimes it is the manufacturers who will be inspired by the work of their competitor and develop their own knight taking inspiration from what is being done elsewhere.

Which knight Mora or Chavet existed first? I don't know, but today I succeed in recognizing them.😇

Is this made in India copy of a Soviet piece a German Knight?

I would not consider this a German knight because it doesn't have the flattened shape that flares out in the body when looking at it from the front or rear. I don't think the mane is what makes it a German knight.

For example... this is the shape I think of if someone says a German knight.

But, this is why I ask.

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/quotthe-good-the-bad-and-the-uglyquot-german-knight-set

I read that post and there still isn't a clear consensus unless I missed it.

RCR Terry Meisterschach (but no date mentioned when it first appeared)

Another mentiones Didatto, an Italian company but no pics or date of initial issue.

I understand Chavet started selling chess pieces in 1912. I haven't seen original sets or when they used this style of Knight.

A clear consensus may be asking for too much. Who and when coined the phrase "German Knight"? Therein lies, I think, the answer.

As "German Knight" is likely a name derived after it's introduction... I'm mostly interested in sets that have this knight and try to determine who may have created the first one.

The German knight chess set was made in the 80s based on the chavet knight and ordered by German chess equipment resellers. Mostly "APFV Rolland" and "Weible spiele". This sets were mostly made in India and Italy.

Thank you. So the German Knight is technically a Chavet Knight... but it's called German Knight because German resellers flooded the market with Indian and Italian made sets using the Chavet Knight design.

THANKS !
So I would say that the German knight is one of the copies of the Chavet knight, or a very strong source of inspiration ;-)

The first version of Chavet (1970) was created to differentiate itself from Lardy, who had already copied the old Chavet knight !

Early German knight sets looked more like Chavet than today's German knight sets. Here is an example: https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/chavet--well-almostHere's another one. This set was also bought in Germany in the 80s, I think from Weible.

I just ordered the same set for 8€. I certainly don´t need the set, nor am I especially fond of it (though to me it still looks better than todays versions), but for that money, why not.

The 8€ pieces arrived. Kings height 9,5cm, base diameter 3,5cm. Interestingly, the pieces are unweighted. I couldn´t feel any sign that there are weights beneath the felt. I have to say, they have a striking resemblence to my now sold off Chavet 153/6 ("B210") from ca. 1990. Below a picture from my old set, for comparison.

1000 year old german knight