Comparing Argentinian '78 Olimpicos
Sort:
Mar 31, 2017
0
#6
Both the Browne and the Miles-Spassky photos, the latter from the Olympiad itself, and the former from the 1979 Konex tournament where Browne placed third, indicate a matte finish rather than a lacquered one. When you enlarge the photos, it is very clear in the Browne photo, and pretty clear in the MIles-Spassky photo, that the rooks' turrets have six crenellations. It is also relatively clear that the snouts on the knights are not slender. These last two observations are significant because we will see that my Matte Set has rooks with six crenelations, whereas the Lacquer Set has rooks with four; and because the snouts on the lacquered knights are narrow, whereas those on the matte knights are broader. These observations lead me to infer that the Matte Set is a more accurate reproduction of the original. The provenance of my Matte Set renders an inference that it's an original at leas plausible. It came from an Argentinian chess club. The sets from the Olympiad ultimately were distributed to clubs throughout the country. So it is at least possible that this set was one of those.
Mar 31, 2017
0
#7
Overall, the Matte Set is shorter and more heavily weighted than the Lacquered Set. The bases and stems of the Matte Set are wider, as a re the snouts of the knights. I also found the lacquered pieces to be oddly weighted relative to each other. But I have not systematically analyzed this observation. I'll be providing the data if anyone cares to compare the proportional weights of the pieces from each set. A piece-by-piece comparison follows...
The Kings
Matte Kings
Mar 31, 2017
0
#9
King Heights...
Note how the matte king on the right has a wider stem and a wider base. Note that in the photos showing the pieces' measurements, I've used the matte white piece and the lacquered black piece...
Apr 1, 2017
0
#13
rcmacmillan wrote:
Beautiful sets, Chuck. Those collars make the set, in my opinion. They are needed to balance out the bases.
Thanks, RC. Good point.
Apr 1, 2017
0
#15
The Knights
The lacquered knights are noticeably slenderer and lighter than the matte ones.
Apr 1, 2017
0
#16
The Rooks
The rooks of the matte set sport six crenelations, like the originals, whereas the lacquered rooks have only four...
THANK YOU for these specs. I much prefer a heavier set due to the size of these pieces. I have a feeling it won't be long before we see copies of this set from everywhere EXCEPT Argentina 
. Glad I found an original ... 
Apr 1, 2017
0
#19
Ronbo710 wrote:
THANK YOU for these specs. I much prefer a heavier set due to the size of these pieces. I have a feeling it won't be long before we see copies of this set from everywhere EXCEPT Argentina . Glad I found an original ...
You are very welcome, Ron! I think our matte sets are more like the originals than my lacquered one--which I think is quite beautiful--with the six crenelations and the matte finishes, but Campo made reproductions for retail sale, which our matte sets may be. I think your box has a retail sticker on it--correct me if I'm wrong. Mine came in a carrying case, and had been owned by a local chess club until its president bought it. This keeps open the possibility that it was one of the original sets that were distributed to clubs after tournament use, but certainly doesn't establish it.
informaticacobach29 wrote:
I wanted to share some information regardins the measures of the other 2 "Olímpicos": the 1980 (Korchnoi - Polugaievsky match) and the Olímpico King.
1980 Olímpico
PIECE
HEIGHT
BASE
WEIGHT
KING
3.66”
1.71”
58.5 grams
QUEEN
3.38”
1.71”
54.3 grams
BISHOP
3.03”
1.43”
44.8 grams
KNIGHT
2.96”
1.40”
49.8 grams
ROOK
2.30”
1.43”
45.8 grams
PAWN
2.11”
1.21”
21.7 grams
Olímpico King
PIECE
HEIGHT
BASE
WEIGHT
KING
3.72”
1.64”
86.1 grams
QUEEN
3.47”
1.66”
86.9 grams
BISHOP
3.11”
1.41”
61.3 grams
KNIGHT
3.06”
1.43”
65.5 grams
ROOK
2.35”
1.43”
62.3 grams
PAWN
2.15”
1.21”
37.8 grams
The bases of the 1980 Olímpico are a little bit wider; on the other hand, the Olímpico King is a little bit taller, and notoriously heavier.
Here's the weight (grams) of my latest Olimpico King set and it surprised me when the King and Queen were even higher than the chart above. A tournament set no doubt IMHO ... 
I confess I am intrigued by Brazilian and Argentinian chess sets. They both embody their nations' passion for chess. I'm especially fond of Argentinian pieces because one of the most renowned players in Argentina's history is named Grau--Roberto Grau. I'm also intrigued by the Olympiads held in Buenos Aires. The first in 1939, just as Germany invaded Poland, where those two nations ironically challenged for the championship until the bitter end, and the second in 1978. In the wake of the '78 Olympiad, at least two Argentinian companies marketed reproductions of the set used, Campo and King. Manuel and Ron have posted photos of various exemplars. Manuel has posted really magnificent information about the '78 Olympiad and the sets used there.
I haven't really been able to identify the pieces used in 1939--yet--and I have yet to see sets or reproductions from the '78 Olympiad offered in the States. With some friends in critical places, I have been able to acquire two '78 Olimpico sets. One, most easily identified by its matte finish, I believe to be a slightly more authentic version of the original, or perhaps even an original. The second, identified by its lacquer finish, is seemingly harder to find even in Argentina. So here is a comparison of the two sets, both of which I really like.
The Matte Set...