Australis Chess Set. Custom Made From Ukraine (Oldset)

@Kohpablanca Your Australis set just comes alive on a board. Beautiful. To me, the Bishops look fine as is. Thanks for posting the pics! 

I still don't think those Knights are 3D printed with PLA wood filament. I think something got lost in translation, and they are in fact CNC machined from solid wood. 

@kohpablanca I can’t even imagine the time and money you put into the project.  Might you share some details of how long the design and prototyping stages where?

wonderful design.  I’d like to share some of my comments.

• most striking to me is the grey finish and felt.  I like the contrast with the felt on the light pieces and glad you didn’t try to hide the felt.  The verticals cut to align with the felt seems to flaunt it.
• BCE is probably my fave design (I own many of the stage 1).  It wasn’t always my favourite but the simple silhouette (and radical departure from other chess sets while still being distinctly Staunton) won me over.  I imagine it would be hard to conceive of a modern set and not have some similarities.  Or perhaps Joseph Hartwig’s Bauhaus set (obviously no similarities there).  Interesting that you experimented with 3D printing and CNC in aluminum.  The collars do have function for grip (watch how Bobby Fischer will casually lift the pieces… like.a glass of wine almost.  I recall seeing this grip in interviews).  
• I appreciate your detail to base size and the anticipated board size.  I’ve never seen the attention to detail attempted to be carried through to volume and relative value of piece (maybe a bit much for me and I think it may needlessly distract or constrain the form).
• The queens detail is very unique and smart.  It reminds me of the cuts one might see in a piece of Waterford crystal.  I think the knight is my fave piece.  Hard to tell from photos how lean or imposing it may be but I think the simplicity is nice and not over stated.  Reminds me of the DGT timeless knight.  I’m worried about the fragility of the king finial.

Well done and congrats!

@Pawnerai — thanks! With the Bishops, I think when someone designs something, they really notice any differences between the original design and the final outcome, perhaps much more so than others. So I’m often thinking how much better the Bishops could be…! Hopefully Oldset can 3D print / CNC them and get the same finish / colour on them as the other pieces.

Hey Brian,

Thanks for your thoughts and comments!

Yes, I did spend way too much time and money on this project! But I consider much of the cost (including the subscription to the CAD app that I used, and the 3D printing costs) as entertainment during lockdown. I started the designing around Apr/May 2020 I think, and prototyping was in spits and spurts from maybe Oct 2020. But the design process went all the way through to a last minute change for the Queen, even as Oldset was carving the pieces, around Jan/Feb 2022.

As for modern designs, I reckon they often differ too much from the Staunton design to be playable for me. There’s the Bauhaus, as you say, and also the Man Ray set, and the fabulous Max Ernst set. And a number of minimalist sets, and ‘mid-century modern’ sets. I like / love the aesthetics of many of them, but would find them too hard to play with.

As for the collars… Interesting observation about Fischer. Did he move them that way in tournaments? I think I’ve seen videos of him on talk shows moving pieces that way. I guess I figure that Knights and Rooks go without collars, and there’s not really an issue with moving those (even for Fischer!)

And yes, I did wonder if I was being a bit OCD with piece volumes. But I didn’t have to adjust much — mostly just made the Rooks a bit fatter, and many people seem to like them on the chunky side anyway. I abandoned trying to make the Knights and Bishops the same size for the very reason you mentioned.

My favourite piece changed over the course of designing the set. Initially it was the Bishop, mostly because I thought it was both uniquely different to other Bishops, but still recognisably a Bishop with a ‘mitre cut’ of sorts. But when I finally figured out how to properly do the Queen’s crown, it became my favourite — both for how it looks, but also how it’s quite different to other Queens. The Knight would also be up there for me, but all Knighta are unique, and sometimes I wonder if my Knight could be improved with some small tweaks. Interestingly, those three pieces are also the hardest pieces to carve! (The final Queen is actually a bit different from my  design, but it is not as noticeable as in the case of the Bishop, and so bothers me less. And Oldset said he couldn’t 3D print it, which I don’t understand as it seems easier to print / CNC than the Knight.)

Finally, on the King’s finial — I haven’t tested how fragile it is, and I did wonder if it would be an issue. But I figure the finial is actually somewhat bigger than most finials (at about 18% of total King height, just under the 20% allowed by FIDE rules), so hopefully it isn’t too fragile. And it flares out at the base, so that helps too.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this thread, and to write up your (very kind) feedback!

]I'm interested more in the design process and time (not going to ask how much money you spent).  I'm happy to see you considered it entertainment.  It's how I consider some of my design projects on open source projects.

I've never seen Fischer play a tournament.  Only on talk shows which makes it a casual experience when he's demonstrating something.  Hence the grip and forcefulness of move might be different (some flair for the audience or to impress others).  I can imagine someone like Tal taking a puff of a cigarette, writing the move down and then playing it on the board using a cupping motion with the collar.  I re-watched Fischer on a TV show (Cavett?). He was very forceful with the grip and moves.  I suppose it was only the capture that he scoops up by the collar (admittedly it's how I capture pieces as well).  Nonetheless, I don't think a collar is necessary.  Perhaps practicality... you capture more pawns and it makes more sense to have a collar on them.

I was going to be polite and not mention OCD

Yes, rooks are fat .  Don't take this the wrong way... I was focusing on your rook and thought about the BCE rook.  If there was a BCE piece I would change it might be the rook.  Perhaps you could try a bit more Mincetta with a simple line (not breaking it up)?

I can imagine a kid getting the bishop stuck in their nose.  lol.

My daily set used to be a hard plastic weighted set I travel with (nylon bag and rollup board).  I was in Transylvania... very cold.  Pieces got brittle and a rook dropped on a wooden floor.  One of the turrets broke off.  A finial would have no chance (but I understand it's not a travel set).

Well, I like my Rooks… sturdy. Robust. Powerful.

But the Mincettas are too much Rook for me to handle…! 🤣

(Also, my OCD will not allow the Rooks to be bigger than the Queen)

So, just recently adjusted the Bishop design, giving it a sharper, elongated tip. I think it makes it look more ‘bishopy’, and don’t mind that it hints at the Latvian (and some other Russian)  Bishops which don’t have a ball on top.

A comparison with my OG Bishop on the left, and the new Bishop on the right:

I think that’s an improvement,  surely…?

And the Latvian Bishops I was thinking of:

Hi Kohpablanca, I agree it is a matter of taste, but I prefer the initial, leftmost, design.

Maybe a factual argument: simplicity is a large part of the beauty in your design; the new top adds a volume that looks a discontinuity, as the "head" curve reverts from convex to concave. Nice work anyway, keep on refining!

The pieces look INCREDIBLE on the board.

The pics of actual positions show them off beautifully.

The position looks 'fluid' and alive, I am very impressed!!! 

Cheers!

Huh, that’s surprising … Thanks for the feedback! I thought the new Bishop made the old one look chunky and clumsy.

Indeed, I am going for simplicity in the set — though not all out minimalism. So I was happy to add the crenellations on the Rook, a slightly detailed cross finial ror the King, and some of the features on the Knight. The original Bishop actually bugged me as maybe a bit TOO simple, oddly enough.

I’ll try adjusting the Bishop again, to be between the OG that you prefer, and the new one that I like. Maybe there’s something that’s ‘just right’, as Goldilocks would say.

Thanks again for the comment!

Oh, thanks Krames — too kind! Much appreciate you taking the time to post your thoughts, too.

How might one acquire one of these sets and what is the cost?

Oh, sorry — I just saw your post! You can get in touch with Oldset from Etsy, to get a wood set made. I think it was about US$500 all up, but will vary depending on whether you get him to 3D-print (in wood) the Knights, and whether you choose the more detailed Queen design. I think it would have been <$500 if you chose the cheaper options. But there’s always the possibility of inflation.

Might have to mention that it’s the set made for the Australian guy; he may not be familiar with the set’s name (Australis). Adding a picture or two from chess.com would surely help.

Good luck! And please let me know how you go. I believe @davidberhanu ordered a set recently, if you want to contact him about his experience.

That Latvian set in post # 47 is without a doubt the nicest I've seen.I have a pretty nice C.B. version,but that one is incredible!

I'm assuming Oldset made it....I have a 19th Century Soviet Alekhine set from him and the overall look,carve and patina of that Latvian gem screams made by Oldset!

Hope I'm not wrong....Don't enjoy egg on my face.

@magictwanger — I believe you’ve seen and commented on this very set and pic before! The image is in the below link, and your comment in post #74… 😂😂😂

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/mikhail-tals-favorite-latvian-chess-set-circa-1950s?page=4

Ha! Yes,that was my feelings back then, when I had more hair on my head.

I still feel exactly the same way....Gorgeous set!