Giant Chess Pieces Become Pawns for Thieves

Two kings and two queens, standing 3 1/2 feet tall, disappeared from the outdoor chess board sometime between Feb. 13 and Feb. 14.

"This is a one-of-a-kind chess set, and the possibility of recreating those four chess pieces will be very challenging, if at all possible." says Ken Moore, assistant director of the garden.

Each chess piece had an etching of an endangered plant. The kings sported images of ginseng while the queens displayed shortia, a rare plant that grows in the mountains of North Carolina and South Carolina.