Noj 1961 Soviet Championship set Tal

      I wanted to share some pics from my 1961 Soviet Championship Chess set. Commonly referred to as simply, the "Tal" set. I got this set from Noj, the wonderful Novak family, a few weeks ago.
It is an amazing Chess set for so many reasons.


This is the set on my home made board with 2 1/4" squares.

These Knights almost look like they are alive!

I was wondering how these wide base pieces would fit on a 2" squares board. Well, here they are in all their glory on my home made board with 2" squares!
The bases on these pieces are approximately 35mm, (if my measurements are correct.). The King may be 40mm. The 2" squares are 35mm. They look pretty nice I think.

These Noj Chess sets are fantastic. They are so beautifully made. But even more than the aesthetics. They are extremely functional for the rigors of daily play. I like that! 
The pieces have great stability. They do not tip over easily. I got a house full of kids here. This is important when playing with kids! 
I'm a serious Chess player.  When I'm playing games out of one of my books, I want to be focused on the position, and not distracted. These pieces give me that. But if I'm just kicking back relaxing with a beer, then I can enjoy the aesthetic beauty of these pieces.

The Noj sets come in a beautiful gift box that lets the pieces stand up without being on top of each other. Nice!

I am very happy with this set!

Very Nice.

I have this as well (you may have seen my review here); my favorite set!

Congrats! Great looking in red, and nice boards, too.

If you haven't seen it, here is the story behind this reproduction. 

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/nojs-tal-set--quotan-anthem-to-the-reproduction-of-chess-piecesquot?page=1

Beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

Absolutely beautiful. I am very happy to see they've added the option of "eyes" to the knights like the original sets ...

Deep red. Classic Soviet.

I got the exact same set about 2.5 months ago.Absolutely stunning quality of looks/fit/finish!

To be honest,for about 2 years I rationalized why I did not wish to spend that much.....but.....I could not hold out and finally succumbed to the urge to own it. I also own the Era Retro version of the Tal set(thanks to a well respected  forum member's recommendation).it was half the price and a superb and interesting interpretation.I love it.....but....the Noj pieces are in a class all their own.....Just the way it "is"!

Looks amazing. I'm not understanding something : You say the 2" squares are 35mm, but 2 inches is about 50mm or have I misread something?

Yeah, he wrote it wrong. 2" squares are 50mm and the base of the pieces are 35mm.

Yeah, the contemporary photos of the vintage set appeared only after NOJ marketed its original version. The eyes were not apparent in the photos then available to us. When the contemporary photos appeared, I worked with NOJ to refine the knights.

You have etched your name in Chess Equipment History. Great work Chuk.

Thanks all for the comments.
Thanks for catching my typo on the 50mm squares!

congrats. I just received mine in walnut/maple.  love my NOJ sets?

Just want to add that I really like your homemade boards; very cool

Here is our version of the Tal set 

https://www.officialstaunton.com/products/mikhail-tal-1961-antique-black-chess-set?_pos=1&_sid=69996a2a0&_ss=r

I just got a red Tal set from NOJ. I did not realize that there was such a thing as upgraded knights. I thought the knights has eyes by default. I should have gone through these threads. Anyways, I will put it up for sale on the bay, but if anybody is interested please pm me.