Hungarian Chess Set

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pityuka

On these 2 pictures you can see the Hungarian (wooden) chess set - made in India (Chessbazaar)

pityuka
[COMMENT DELETED]
pityuka

php48ub1P.jpeg

pityuka

The difference is that the replica (unlike the original set) is weighted.

Joseph_Truelsons_Fan

Műanyag verseny sakk figurakeszlet

cgrau
Many thanks, Pityuka!
pityuka

Chessbazaar is not selling this chess set. It was a special (customized) order and I had to wait for 3 months! I paid 350 $ for two sets!!

cgrau
Pityuka, when did the manufacturer switch from the secular king's finial to the cross? The sets I saw in 2006 and shown in the Polgar photo above were all secular.
pityuka

If somebody is interested: I bought the original set in Szeged (Hungary) in 1980, in a state toy shop. It was an inexpensive, simple (socialist)  mass-product.  With the roll-up board cost mi like  4-5 $ that time. Otherwise Szeged is the home-town of GM Peter Leko.

The replica from India has 4 Queens (I requested) and weighted.

pityuka

Look! These are 2 different kinds of chess sets!!!! The plastic set is NOT (!!!) the copy or replica of the wooden set! Just some chessmen are similar... 

loubalch

Those Europeans sure do like their crowded chess boards. Beautiful set BTW.

pityuka

Hi guys! Good news! I just saw today, that the Chessbazaar started to produce the replica of this Hungarian chess set, so if somebody is interested:

 http://www.chessbazaar.com/the-reproduced-hungarian-chess-set-in-stained-dyed-box-wood-3-9-king.html?___SID=U/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=newsletter-14Dec&utm_source=Chessbazaar+Newsletter+Subscription&utm_campaign=c636c4cce2-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2016_12_14&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b56303666a-c636c4cce2-65013281&ct=t(Newsletter_Subscribers12_14_2016)&goal=0_b56303666a-c636c4cce2-65013281&mc_cid=c636c4cce2&mc_eid=bec4d102f0

snyder-106

This is a very nice looking set.  I'm glad to see vendors such as Chessbazaar and HOS reviving older styles.  Thank you to everyone for sharing! happy.png 

ElCanarion

Just got this set home from CB looks great actually, i was always looking for something to go along the Hungarian MOM clock.

 

phpBe6NkY.jpeg

ChessAuthor

I picked up two plastic Hungarian sets recently in Budapest. Any interest? 

 

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/any-interest-in-a-hungarian-set

 

Joseph_Truelsons_Fan

weird getting a comment on an 8-year old forum lol

Suboseg

1950:

1950:

1950/60/70/80:

1960/70:

1980/90:

1980/90:

2000/10/20:

broomstuck

@Suboseg great collection - thanks for sharing this and providing the dates!

natteh

Those look fantastic - each of the variants has its own charm. I think I might like the 1960/1970 version the best. Thanks for sharing!

Suboseg

A few words about the origin of the Hungarian set.

The Hungarian chess set has similarities with the Dubrovnik chess set. Not by appearance, but by the way it was created. In the 1950s, two major world chess competitions were played. 9th Chess Olympiad (first post-war) and the first ever Candidate Tournament.

The Olympics were played in Yugoslavia (Dubrovnik), and the Candidates in Hungary (Budapest). Both tournaments are played under the supervision and rules of FIDE (World Chess Federation).

Before the 1950s, chess was played with Vienna style chess pieces in these two countries.

A typical Yugoslav (left) and Hungarian (right) set from the period before the 1950s:

I guess FIDE didn't approve these sets. FIDE has always been a supporter of Staunton type chess sets. That's probably why both of these countries created their own sets that kept something from their predecessors but are in the spirit of Staunton. And so the Hungarian chess set was born. The first, original Hungarian sets differed in many ways from the Hungarian sets that were produced later.

Let's see some important features that other Hungarian sets do not have: Queen has cuts (crown), Bishop has cut, Knight is carved in detail:

They can be seen in the pictures of the candidate tournament and some other strong international tournaments organized by the Hungarian chess federation in the early 50s (Maroczy memorial). A few examples:

Pieces were also on the cover of Hungarian chess newspapers in the early 50s:

Sets like this are very rare. Many collectors don't even know it exists. I don't know if they were on sale to the public at all. I don't think they are, but even if they are, they are in very small numbers. Very quickly, also in the 1950s, a cheaper variant was made:

the queen does not have cuts on the crown, the bishop does not have a cut, the knight is not made of wood but of some plastic, cheaper wood, without felt. Right after that, the first plastic sets also came in the 50s etc.