"May not post to the U.S.A. " So much for the special relationship 
Latvian Set on eBay
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Yes, that is why I wanted to contact the seller. I would be very interested in it and would be willing to pay a little extra for shipping if it had some verification of it's age.
Sent! Many thanks for the assist!
Finally let me in so I will contact directly. Thanks for the offer.
Usually not.
I grabbed this set, will post pics when it arrives.
One of the white B's looks like it was repaired and he posted a pic of the bottom of the pieces. Some weird looking fabric:
My first foray into buying used sets on eBay, hopefully it was a good purchase.
Yes, 2Q. It kind of reminded me of curtains I had in a hotel when I stayed in Moscow. It is what pushed me over.
Rsava wrote:
I grabbed this set, will post pics when it arrives.
One of the white B's looks like it was repaired and he posted a pic of the bottom of the pieces. Some weird looking fabric:
My first foray into buying used sets on eBay, hopefully it was a good purchase.
Very nice acquisition Rsava, is this your first Soviet set in your collection?
Yes it is. I am blaming it all on you guys. I am not sure what I am going to do now as I have this set coming and another new set from Chess Bazaar and have no room to store them.
No idea, it looks like it came apart and may have been re-glued. Gives it character. Oh that we would use our sets so much that they need to be re-glued.
I can imagine a story for it, a late night of chess by the light of a soft candle. Some borscht and a dish of rabbit kidneys over mashed potatoes and a little too much vodka. The guy with the white pieces picks up the B and slams it down with a deep bellowing Latvian "pilnīga sakāve!!!" and the top breaks off the B and rolls over to the side of the board and the two guys start laughing big old belly laughs.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it!
I didn't ask the seller, maybe I will. It does look just like the other white bishop except for what looks like glue.
Apr 29, 2017
0
#12
Congrats, Rsava. My first Soviet set was just like yours. That was a quite a few sets ago.
If that first Soviet set bug takes hold it could lead you down quite a road.
Apr 29, 2017
0
#13
2Q1C, at first it was odd but I have come to prefer it. I have a Latvian set from the 50s that is not weighted nor felted. It has a particular feel and gives a particular sound when the pieces land on its old Soviet board.
Most of my other Soviet sets are lightly weighted and they feel nice too. Nowadays when I pick up a piece from a newer set that has been double or triple weighted it feels over weighted as if it suffers from a weight complex.
The true weight of a Soviet set comes from its spirit.
2Q1C wrote:
What's it like playing with an unweighted soviet set? Do you notice it?
My first set was an unweighted set (bought back in 1980 as a present from my wife, not even sure they weighted sets back then) and I played with it for years. I never knew any different so it was no big deal. I now use weighted sets almost exclusively and when I go back to that unweighted set I can tell but I get used to it in short order.
My set came in today, just like the pictures posted on eBay. Shipping was good although the pieces might have been protected a little better. The box itself was well protected. Made it here (Florida, USA) from England in 9 days, very good considering I ordered on a Saturday.
I will post pictures soon, however I have found the same set here on chess.com
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/which-vintage-soviet-russian-set-do-you-like-the-most2?page=5 (post #91, surprise, Chuck [cgrau] already has it).
My set is more worn that Chuck's and his black rooks have what look like slight crenelations in the parapets (none on his white rooks) whereas my black rooks are exactly like my white rooks - no crenelations. In addition, one of the black knights comes apart if you pull it, looks like someone tried to fix it by putting some tape around the stem on the base.
To me , it fits well on a smaller board, I set it up on a 1.75" board and it seems to look good to me (although I am finding I like a slightly cramped board) but perhaps my set is slightly smaller than Chuck's.
Pics coming soon.
As promised, here are pics of my set. The underside of the bases can be seen above (post #10).
The full set:
In honor of the set being a Latvian set ...
The W monarchs:
The W Bishops
The Knights
The Rooks
Showing the wear on the W Rooks
The foot soldiers
The White pieces
The Black pieces
And finally, the Black Knight who can lose his head
Overall I like the set. Completely unweighted and very light. It seems that it is a mass produced set from Latvia, circa mid 50s - mid 60s. If I am wrong, please correct me.
It will try and play a few games with it to see how I like it, may be more of a show set to start the conversation. I think it works well on the board I put it on, as I said I am beginning to like a slightly cramped board and the slimness of the pieces make the wider bases of the pawns not so cramped in my eyes.
The pieces are definitely worn, some from use and some from just being battered around in a box. Debating whether to spend the money to restore them or just leave as is - I am leaning towards as is.
The Rooks are stout, solid little pieces. The Knights are wide and simple. The Bishops are very slender and the Monarchs are as well.
My only problem now is if I do not leave them set up, where/how to store. A simple wooden box perhaps. And I may look for an old roll-up leather chess board at antique shops.
Looks very nice and for a good price.
Won't let me contact seller, won't let me log in.
Doesn't give post info for US and does not say if there is documentation verifying age.