I am starting this thread about this set and Chess Bazaar.  A lot of discussion has already happened in a thread started by cgrau about the Piatigorsky set sold by Official Staunton.

But, this is about Chess Bazaar especially this latest set offering of theirs.

The first Piatigorsky Cup set that we saw and heard about was the reproduction made and then sold by Carl and his Official Staunton Company.  That set was proportioned and sized differently from the original in the 1960's.  From the looks of it, this was actually a great improvement in the set.  I own one of the OS sets and it is really nice in design, looks and proportions.  Here is a picture of that set:

Very recently, Chess Bazaar released their version of the Piatigorsky Cup set.  Here is a picture of that set in Bud Rosewood:

We have talked on this forum quite a bit saying how CB pretty much always has one piece that is really different than the original.  Well, it looks as if CB has pretty much duplicated the design of OS with no obvious variations.

The CB price on this set is 314 Euros compared to the price listed on OS at 299 Euros.  However, OS says it is out of stock and it looks as if the button to buy or order their set is gone from the set's page, so you cannot order one from OS no matter what the price listed.  Of course you probably can email or message Carl to see if you can still buy one.

Now, this CB set looks very nice.  Getting the Bud Rosewood makes the color of the set reasonably close to the original's Mahogany.

I really like the one I bought from OS.  The CB version looks as if it is just a touch shorter with a smidge larger base diameters than the OS version, but otherwise it looks quite close.

I plan on using my OS Piatigorsky set one night in the next few weeks at our club's Monday evening tournament.  I know that someone will ask me if he can buy one like it.

If Carl and OS has their set for sale, I can direct prospective buyers to his site.  Otherwise, CB has them available.

One obvious difference is that the CB versions use real exotic woods (Ebony and Bud Rosewood) for the dark pieces and not stained woods. I am not a big fan of stained woods.

Well, the original wood for the dark pieces was Mahogany from the U.S.

The stain is the closest I bet they can get to the original color.  The Bud Rosewood is indeed lighter than the Mahogany.

In all honesty, if I did not already own the OS set, I would seriously consider the Bud Rosewood version of the CB set.

Interestingly this set, at $349 retail is at the higher price end I have seen from CB.  I suspect there is not as much profit in this set as there are in other sets we have seen.

I received a 20% off coupon in my email today for the CB Piatigorski Cup pieces. I don't know if this is just an offer for certain idiots like myself who have bought half a dozen sets of chessmen from them over the last few months, or if it is a mass mailing to all CB customers... but that coupon should take some of the "sting" out of buying this set from them for many customers. Personally? I'm very tempted to buy... but I think I'll stick with my original plan, which was to wait for the next CB 30% off sale, and if the PIatigorski Cup set is out of stock I'll backorder it at the normal "out of stock discount" rate of 25% off.

hmm i wonder how can they carve exact replica of Carl's version of Piatigorsky Cup chess set and there Dubrovnik and bunch of other sets looks like I carved them with my left hand.

I think Chessbazaar is just a clearinghouse retailer for several different manufacturers.  Some of the manufacturers seem to be better carvers than others, and I'm sure that several manufacturers probably have multiple carvers of different skill levels.  From my observations, their better carved sets have stock item numbers that begin with the letters "VJ".  "S" and "D" prefixes seem to be lesser quality manufacturers.

On the subject of BARGAIN DEALS...our sister site is having a huge Summer sale.....limited stock so be quick! 

http://www.chessmazeinternational.com/catalogue/chess-sets-limited/

Ron, here are the dimension tables for the OS and CB versions of the Piatigorsky set. The OS specs were measured from my set (12/50), the CB specs were taken from their website. The CB table is based on their recommended of a 2.5" board, the OS table is based on a 2.375" board.

Since CB's weighting specs have a 10% variance, their set could weigh 73 oz. and still be within spec.

I've seen on facebook that CB is running 30% off if you share the video of your set. Just check here > https://www.facebook.com/chessbazaar 

The two versions have totally different kinght's ears. CB's ears are strange!

Also compare the torsos. Where the OS knight's is a soft smooth curve, the CB knight looks distended as if the creature from Alien is about to burst forth.

No one has remarked about the quality of the boxwood. The boxwood OS used is top quality. Since I bought the OS set I see the difference between average boxwood and the top grade boxwood. It even looks so much nicer.

I agree, Mike, the quality of the boxwood is top-shelf on the OS Piatigorsky. No way of telling if the CB boxwood matches up without an in-hand comparison. Hopefully, one of our members will get the opportunity of comparing the sets side-by-side, and post the results. Would make for an interesting thread.

From the photos, what's your take on the CB set?

From the photos I would say that most of the set pieces look very similar in design and shape, except the Knights.  And the differences in the two companies and their Knights are more in the finer details of the pieces.

The Knights in both versions show the following differences that are noticeable to me:

1. The ears of the CB set are the most obvious difference.  The CB version has the ears standing up and the openings facing the back instead of the front or sides.  My first thought of the CB ears is that they look like a donkey's ears.

2. The snout of the CB set is thinner and does not look as natural for a horse as the OS version.

3. The carving on the CB version is distinctly less in both amount and quality compared to the OS version.  There is less of a mane in the CB Knight than the OS one.

4. As Lou noted, the torso of the CB Knight does not look as robust or natural as a horse or the OS Knight.  Yes, it looks distended.  In defense of the CB  Knight looking at it by itself, it looks alright.  It just looks poorer compared to the OS Knight.  Many years ago Frank Camarratta told me that 1/2 of the cost of the set was in the Knights.  The CB Knights show less workmanship and finish than the OS Knights, reflecting the price difference.  You do get what you pay for.

With that I do agree with wiscmike that the quality of the boxwood in the OS version is indeed really nice.  It is comparable to the quality of my HoS Morphy Series set which is in the $900 price range.

Yes, I do own the OS Piatigorsky and do not have a CB Piatigorsky set to compare it with.  But, I can say the OS Piatigorsky set is of a very high quality and worth its price point.

I also am interested to hear from someone that can offer a hands on, direct comparison between the 2 different company offerings in this design.

Oh yes, and pictures would also be very nice.

My take on the CB set is for CB it is as good as it gets.  Very hard to tell unless you had one in front of you. The physical set looks so much different than the photo in so many cases.

This WAS a really good deal but I dithered too long between the 1851 and the Ebony Collector... Still want to throw out a big thank you to GM4U for making deals like this available.

GM4U wrote:

On the subject of BARGAIN DEALS...our sister site is having a huge Summer sale.....limited stock so be quick! 

http://www.chessmazeinternational.com/catalogue/chess-sets-limited/

Do the bargain deal chess pieces from Chess Maze come with 4 queens?

I just saw this Piatigorsky reproduction which looks nice and seem not too expensive... (and there is a "make an offer")

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Piatigorsky-Cup-1862-1865-Reproduction-4-5-Chessmen-Box-wood-Mahogany-Colored-/232088403398?hash=item36098bfdc6:g:LXQAAOSw3xJXoQS4

Lots of people from India/of Indian descent live in Canada. I work with quite a few in my business. 

I unfortunately fell on this scam,I will post some pictures of the invoice that I sent to this guy that is apparently based in Canada.