My Mordovian ‘Zvezda’ chess set (1953)

Okay, I say “my” chess set, but it’s only temporarily mine until I gift it to my stepson for Christmas. But the set I ordered from a seller from Ukraine came in a few days ago. The listing said “Soviet tournament chess set ‘Zvezda’ 1953 (first grade); Manufacturer: Mordovian Temperature Plant #5”.

Yesterday I took some photographs of the set before I started individually giftwrapping the pieces. I’m quite pleased with how the photos came out, so I want to show them here. It’s such a beautiful set!

I’ve heard that generally, the heavier the chess pieces the better; but I must say, I found these weightless chess pieces very pleasant to handle. I don’t know how they would play, but I was surprised by how nice these light pieces felt. I’ve heard that a set like this tends to be around 300 grams. The knights were kind of curious to hold (but not impractical) due to how much they arch backward. And interesting how fat those rooks are compared to how slender the other pieces are (the large knights notwithstanding). I really like the proportions of this set. It’s not very balanced, but very compelling because of that.

This is my impression as someone who doesn’t play chess, anyway.

Wow! Great set and photos. Board too?

I know you discussed refinishing the pieces but I don't think you should (but I think this was your eventual conclusion as well).

Weighting is about personal preference as well. The Dubrovnik chess set from the 1950 chess olympiad was unweighted and this is one of the things Bobby Fischer liked about it. If you play with fast time controls (i.e. bullet or blitz) you want a stable piece... heavy and wide bases are less likely to tip over during a quick game. This set was common in tournaments so I would expect classic time controls where you're not "russian" (lol) to move a piece.

If it's weighted, you will have the inevitable rattling when the piece ages.

I'd advocate unweighted: We learn to feel and handle the material instead of levelling it out before. Blitz is great and why not use optimal pieces. But remember that chess was played without time controls for ages: It is not that action game by itself.

These pieces do not fall easily by design. I have the small version and carry it around with me in my rucksack. I love to play with it and heard no complaints, all happy opponents.

A very nice set you have found, with moderate signs of use which makes it much more beautiful than a perfect one from a time capsule that you'd hardly dare touch. Congratulations! Now, quick, learn a little chess to play a game with your stepson under the Christmas tree!

Yeah I’m not going to alter the pieces. Maybe I would have decided that anyway, but my stepson also expressed the opinion that the damage on vintage sets encodes its history, and that he would be horrified at the thought of “restoring” an old chess set.

I also ordered a plastic Soviet set from the ’80s for him last week (see picture below). I noticed all plastic Soviet sets I looked at came unweighted. My stepson indicated he likes having some weight on his chess pieces, but I’m sure he will appreciate these old Soviet sets just as they come.

Yeah, this set had the most minimal signs of use, except for the heads of the knights. I feel very lucky to have found a set in this condition, and I like this bright red a lot more than the more orange-leaning ones I came across.

I do know how to play a bit of chess, but I believe he is rated 2,400, so he will be bored playing against me (I think I was rated 500 a few years ago). He does regularly play against my wife who is rated around 1,500. I will let them play under the Christmas tree!