It´s made to look like a book when closed so that one can put it in a book shelf? Never seen one lika it but then I´ve never been to Yuogoslavia, neither while it existed or after.
A Hand made Chess Set my Dad brought back from the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s
Sort:
Nov 16, 2023
0
#3
I think this is absolutely wonderful and I look forward to reading more context or background should anyone know.
Very cool - clearly not for blitz !
Nov 16, 2023
0
#5
It is a beautiful set! 😍 Never have I ever seen such an exquisite and unique one in these areas. (I'm from a former Yugoslav republic of Serbia) It does have opposite colored finials which is typical for the Yugoslav sets and I do remember similar rooks in some sets.
Thank you for sharing, what a beauty!
I have found chessmen in a book, too, it is just not a board.
In a world of war it's good to see how peaceful a game the game of chess is.
For sure a beautiful set! And much better than the cars, anyone remember these? I had a teacher who drove one:
jaded-lethargic wrote:
Doesn't the pizza delivery guy from home alone drive a red yugo? His car kinda looks like that
Similar to FIAT 127.
Now why did you have to dredge up bad childhood memories? My grandparents had the monstrosity below:
Except for some reason I remember their's being a brighter orange.
Little late to reply. From the style it looks like it was around WW2, maybe a bit before or a bit afterwards, I would say time range is 1930-1960s. Take this with some reservation, I could be wrong.
Your set looks like it belonged to either a high-level institution or someone that was wealthy. The design is that it can fit the shelf like a book which is beautiful.
There is a similar chess for sale right now that I ran into. It is not as high quality as yours. The style and design is Catholic, so it probably was produced by Croats in Yugoslavia. It could be the same workshop/craftsmen. 
Hello,
I've re-discovered this Chess Set that my dad gave me years ago while cleaning my room today.
I always remembering playing with him and friends on it, but never really knewfrom where it came and to whom it belonged.
My dad did say he got it from an Hotel in Plitvice (very luxurious one, in a presidential suite for diplomats and ministers), during his Military service in the early 1990s (Yugoslav war in Croatia).
It's very finely made, and looks like a giant book. On one side it depicts the folkoric dresses in that region (I presume), and on the other a Austro-Hungarian style Building with the inscription "Vinkovci" (which is a city in Croatia, that does have a large chess club, I found out Bobby Fischer played there too). Inside, the laquer is intact and the piece holders are covered in thick and smooth velour.
This really peaked my curiosity if anyone would have any idea to who this may belong or who made it?
Thank you