Antique Chess Set Stolen

Some questions: Were the thieve really after the set and just took the other stuff to cover their tracks? Are the thieves chessplayer? Would your run of the mill thieves (ahem) understand the value of a hand-carved 17th century ivory chess set??? Is this actually some insidious plot to gather some pieces of the legendary Montglane Chess Service in an attempt to recreate the Elixir of Eternal Life? Story from The Australian.news.com Thieves steal 17th century chess set October 25, 2008 BRAZEN thieves have made off with an antique hand-carved chess set after breaking into a Brisbane home. Police say the home on Franklin Way, Wakerley, in Brisbane's east, was robbed on October 13. "Thieves brazenly removed palings from the front wooden fence of the ... home to gain access to the yard,'' Queensland Police said. "They then broke into the house and stole a quantity of personal items, including jewellery, a laptop computer and the antique chess set.'' Police said the 17th century chess set was a much-loved family treasure and its 32 black and white pieces were made from hand-carved ivory. The chess pieces are also distinctive because they are each made up of eight individual sections of ivory.