Odd Sets & Singletons
This encompasses sets that do not fit into the established categories - or which I cannot place.
Oddballs
From a lost country
Bizarre Batamwood Chessmen
Very tall (king size 125 mm) and slim set in a tropical wood I have heard labeled as batamwoo(d). Very smooth, nicely textured , and beautifully grained, almost like olive wood. At first I thought it was some kind of plastic, until I saw traces of woodworm canals.....the knights head reminds me of Czech Erzgebirge toy sets, made in large numbers in cottage/home industry in the 50ies and 60 ies . The box is made of three-layered plywood, with the top layer in the same kind of wood as the natural pieces....wood. |
Attractive set form the recent past - Yugoslavia- 1980ies - which differs in style from the usual run of tourist chess sets from this region. The board is run of the mill yugoslav folk art, but very well made, nicely inlaid, and with machine-driven carvings on the side - like most of these Bosnian style sets. Austrian style bishops, quite unique kings and queens. Probably made in the Subozan manufactory in Subotica, washed away in the turmoil of the Yugoslav civil war.
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Plywood box cover
Not veneered, massive three-layer plywood.... |
Cayenne set
Cayenne set because the seller said it was from Surinam. The superb speckled wood of the dark pieces immediately suggest pepper - according to an attentive museum visitor from the turning fraternity this is called black palmyra wood in inside circles! Super polished finish on both sides, heavy woods, felted, king 86 mm. Cayenne design
The design is not convincing - maybe the designer was not a chess player! There is no steeple - the typical decrease in height from the king downwards to the rook, forming a steeple - all major pieces are more or less of the same height - and king and queen are not well distinguished in forms. |
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Red & White homemade
Very odd forms - kings 96 mm, no felt, rough wood. Red paint is smooth, white patchy. One-off homemade from the US of A?
Art Nouveau
As good a label as "Art Deco" - these chessmen recall bobbin pins, have good bases except the knights, and the faces are etched in a rudimentary way. Traces of gold paint and felts on the bases - the sun-king stands 204 mm! And there is a gigantic custom-made box too. |
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Mao's Bamboo Set
Nicely made set composed of wood tops, wood bottoms and axles and carved bamboo middles. This set supposedly was made ot the order of Mao Tse Tung in Postrevolutinary China, in order to have presents and souvenirs at hand for visitors. Competently made, and packed in a printed carton with bone-pin closures with a beautifully finished folding veneer board. China - ahem, the respective mega-manufactory - also produced a simpler set in white and black, without the engraved bamboo skirts - bit dingy though. From the 1960ies - king stands 117 mm. |
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Dwarf Set
Unusual and appealing - german, made in something like oak wood, immensely wide bases. Excellent for replaying games - kings stand 45 mm, on a base with the diameter of 24 mm - the pawns are practically as high as wide! Quite old, as the patina on the pieces shows. |
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Invalids Set
Wood set carved in the rehab program of a Berlin clinic - probably in the 60ies, by the appearance. Main pieces all consist of body and base in two pieces, the bishops are wheelchair pilots, queen and king somewhat naive. The most appealing feature are the crudely sketched pawns, each trying to gain some life and expression....all pieces are slightly different from each other....most likely a unique piece! |
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Screwy Kavalscha Set
Strange pieces, ghostlike schemes - sawn-out silhouettes posted on square bases. This german design from the 30ies -50ies was patented and registered -s ee stamp. The two pieces folding board is closed by turning a wooden screw..... |
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