Rook Bent Brandy (Checkmate) (2026) Tobacco Pipe

Tonino Jacono entered the pipe business in 1981, finishing and selling pipes that were shaped by his brother-in-law from briar acquired and drilled by his father-in-law. After two years, Jacono left Calabria — the region comprising the Italian peninsula's southwestern "toe" — and moved north to Jesi, a municipality near Italy's Adriatic coast. Jacono began making pipes under his own name in Jesi, and still does today, with a philosophy of making high-quality pipes at a fair price point.

Jacono uses a grading system that follows the value of chess pieces: in ascending order, it goes Pawn (sandblasted), Knight (rusticated), Bishop (previously called "Jack"), Rook, Queen, and King. The "Checkmate" stamping of this bent Brandy denotes a larger-than-usual size, and it is indeed quite large at about one quarter of a pound in weight. There's plenty more to it than mere size, however, as Jacono found plenty of healthy flame grain to adorn the walls of the bowl and sides of the shank, then dressed it sharply with a smooth finish and walnut stain. The shank is muscular and upturned into a bent saddle stem of black acrylic. Sure to fill the palm easily and substantially, this work of Jacono's is a deeply handsome rendition of the classic Brandy shape.