According to Dr. Alex Woolf , director of the Institute for Medieval Studies of the University of St. Andrews , there are a number of reasons for believing the chess pieces probably came from Trondheim : a broken queen piece in a similar style found in an excavation of the archbishop 's palace ( it appeared the piece was broken as it was being made ) , the presence of wealthy people in Trondheim able to pay craftsmen for the high-quality pieces , similar carving in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim , the excavation in Trondheim of a kite-shaped shield similar to shields on some of the pieces and a king piece of similar design found on Hitra Island , near the mouth of Trondheim Fjord .
There is a broken queen piece in a similar style from an excavation of the archbishop 's palace , similar carving in Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim , the excavation in Trondheim of a kite-shaped shield similar to shields on some of the pieces and a king piece of similar design found on Hitra Island , near the mouth of Trondheim Fjord .