Nice Soviet era GM set pic ...

Hi All - Probably the clearest (vintage) pic of the Soviet era all wooden Grandmaster set circa 1960 . Quite similar to my original set from Ryazan .  Note the Botvinnik Flohr II set pawn at h7 on the vintage pic. Proof these sets got mixed even at the higher levels ...

Interesting! It's very easy to miss the replacement pawn on a vintage photo.

Nice pic Ron, thanks for sharing. I have a couple of pictures from Soviet tournaments with ridiculously jumbled sets. 

@ronbo710

Thank you for sharing your pieces.  I responded to something similar in a different thread but thought it might be best to keep it in this thread.  I'm preparing a short photo book to go along with my Tal set brought back to life by Chuck and Noj.  Do you know who designed or manufactured your set and when?

From Arlindo's video on soviet chess pieces there are 4 GM variations.  The version I find most interesting is yours, a western design (King's cross finial and bishop's mitre).  This is the only variation with religious symbols... interesting details for communist Russia considering how politicized chess was at the time.

The variation that inspired the Tal set produced by Noj was used in the 1962 Soviet Championship and I believe one other (I'm still trying to confirm).  This also has a king's cross and bishop mitre but shares additional design elements from each of the GM variations.  Just trying to determine a timeline for when particular pieces have appeared.

Beautiful set Ron! Looks really close to the one pictured. Amazing how all the Soviet era sets were so "tight" on their boards. At first I thought it was because they were often seen accompanied by folding box boards. But even when used on professional tables they are very snug. You even appear to have a matching clock 😃.

Thanks Brian. I am not sure which factory made this set I have. I do know they weremade by Soviet toy and furniture factories. I actually have several of the all wood early GM Soviet era sets. The later ones in Arlindo's video have plastic finials. Mine are all wood (incuding the black knight tops) . The King finials seem to resemble paddles more than "crosses"   . Here are a few pics of the different all wooden sets I have. Each piece is with the others from different sets. You can see slight variances in the designs ...

Thanks Dave  . I know what you mean. I hate a "crowded" board . Yes these clocks are still available on the auction site. Though your accuracy may vary  . 

@ronbo710

These are exactly the pieces I'm interested in.  Thank you so much for taking the time to share the details.  I'm curious how you came about so many of these sets and why you focus on these?  You may not know who designed or manufactured them... do you know when the pieces were first introduced?  Did they appear in any USSR championship games?  Or other tournaments?

Not sure when they first came into use. My guess would be late 40's. Similar to the Tal sets. Yes these were used in higher level tournaments. I love the design of these sets and found a few sellers in the former U.S.S.R. through etsy and ebay. The USSR Championships used a different set that looks to be of a higher quality. We have dubbed the Grandmaster Supreme set. It has a much fully chested knight that sticks out as far as the snout. And very deep cuts in the Bishop miters. Here are some pics of an original GM Supreme - sadly not mine  ...

@ronbo710

I'm trying to trace the lineage of the Tal set.  You think yours and the Tal set first appear in 1940s or the version you list?  If I understand you correctly, the GM Supreme is a higher quality set (deeper cuts, more details most notable on knight) that was primarily used for champion play?  Is yours a club board or for home use?  Interesting to think they would have consumer and prosumer versions.

Do you have any references or documentation for dating the set to 1940s?  If you have a photo that shows a game we can always search the position in a chess database.