Old soviet playing set
Early soviet days, well finished and somewhat market by time and play. Kings stands 94 mm, bases are felted, no weight - excellent stability though wide spreading bases. Fairly light wood, the black side is blackened. The finials are separate wooden pieces, inserted into a hole in the top of kings and queens.
Old Russian
Modern Russian
Floor set
A floor version of the above, with kings at 254 mm (10 ") height! The finials are all wooden pieces, slotted into the top of the repective figures. No felt - no need on the floor - but some dog bites.... made for workers sanatoriums , hospitals and rest homes, most likely in the 70ies.
Childrens version
Small set - king 62 mm - with plastic tops on king and queen. 70ies - 80ies.
Hardwood Carved
Hardwood Set , with strongly stylized knights, natural/brown - an older folklore set, similar sets today all are machine-carved in softwood. Ca . 1960, king 86 mm high.
Czars & Warriors
Well-made set , in maple, one side natural, other side burnished - depicts 17th century czars and soldiers - kings stand 160 mm high.
Russian Poppets
Very popular chess pieces throughout the postwar years - still being made? This set is older - some slight paint losses.
Marbled Plastic
Quite astonishing plastic set, from ca. 1980, in the traditional Russian form, in marbled and coloured plastic, with artistic whorls and grains. kings stands 99 mm, the set is felted, and contained in a well finsihed veneer-inlaid wooden box. The same set in diferent lighting can be seen here.
Elephants
Showy and well made softwood set from the recent Soviet past - bishops represented as elephants, and rooks as boats, according to old Russian tradition. probably Western ukraine, 1960ies to 70ies.
