Are all Fischer-Spassky Sets the same?

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Avatar of mattxnh

Edit: Mods, feel free to delete. Links were removed from my post, which makes my questions kind of pointless.

I found one set on World Chess for $319.

And another on The Chess Store for $199.

Just curious if they all come out of the same shop or if there are real differences?

Thanks!

Avatar of beachero

I can’t speak to these specific ones, but no they are not all the same. There are different makes of this style, some easily seen in the knight carving.

Avatar of mattxnh

Thanks, not sure why the links got stripped out.

I'll try images this time:

Avatar of mjeman

I see slight differences in the knight's eyes and manes. Those differences wouldn't convince me to pay an extra $120.

We once had a regular poster here who greatly praised the Staunton Castle Fischer-Spassky repro. If subtle details are important to you, then you might look into whether it's still available. That member's posts have been deleted, so you won't be able to find them to check his (strong) opinions yourself.

I've had Antique Chess Crafts F-S repro in my shopping cart for several months. It looks good (enough) to me and it's usually on sale for about $120.

Avatar of hermanjohnell

All non original sets of every model differ from each other and from the original. They can differ in details, in material and in craftsmanship. It´s a jungle. But fun...

Avatar of baudouin27

A great topic generally - ‘which is the best version of set xyz?’ Chess.com is a bottomless and valuable resource thanks to the shared experiences of members, photos, observations.
That’s not to say you’ll ‘get the right set’ - you still need to listen to yourself: is the size/shape of the base right for your tastes? Is the shape/size of the neck proportionate to your eye? Is the head/eye/muzzle carved to your taste? Any one of these could disappoint you, despite possibly great reviews.

My hard earned experience in this process was with the Zagreb ‘59 set. I ended up selling the first one. All the usual suspects have versions of these common designs, as we’ve all seen: House of Staunton, Staunton Castle, The Chess Empire, Royal Chess Mall, Chess Bazaar, and a variety of Amritsar sellers on ETSY. And often you’ll have a choice of woods and finishes.

With the Zagreb ‘59, I first bought the set I *thought was best* based on photos and reviews. I was disappointed by the quality and proportions. I ended up finding a set on FleaBay by another company with the dark pieces in Tasmanian Blackwood, and perfect in carving, proportions, and finish. It had not been reviewed here! I ended up purchasing a second version - chunky, larger, less expensive set -just fun - not elegant, but has its own charm.
All to say, benefit from the Chess.com members, but at the end of the day, trust your gut (and be prepared to still not get it right the first time).