NOJ's Tal Set--"An Anthem to the Reproduction of Chess Pieces"

Forgive me,but from what I see is many folks are trashing CB(and don't get me wrong....I'm the guy who "twice" posted the thread "Poor Quality and Service from Chessbazaar" last year at this time) there is animosity for CB copying other designs,as well as altering them a bit(a good bit in some cases).

I'm attempting to be fair and what they are doing is done all over the business world,with a plethora of products.....It seems like the fellows who are extremely loyal to certain boutique chess piece makers are going out of their way to continuously bash CB.It seems to be the same folks,who I completely respect and am not trying to have an argument with.....I understand!!

As a person who owned a business for over 35 years(just retired...thank God) virtually everything CB seems to be doing is within the common boundaries of how businesses operate.I assume that CB is most likely the biggest distributor of chess sets around,so obviously there will be more product problems as a result of so much product out there.....Still,as in my case(and I was not a happy camper and still have some pieces due me...after I "admit" to going through the hassle of sending pictures) .They have a good return policy and let's be fair,if they did not ask for pics,with all the pieces out there,how many folks would be asking for new replacements even if the were not damaged  originally,but dropped or dinged up by their own mishandling?

Chessbazaaar makes some truly beautiful and seemingly well made/finished products.

Sheesh,if you have an issue how big a deal is it to contact them and take advantage of their rather good (though a bit of a hassle) replacement policy?

As to selection of pieces and some supposedly looking like DIY projects....Well,they have about the largest selection of pieces that I know of.Both "El-Cheapo" and pricey! Make a choice on your tastes and take it from there......I felt I made some beautiful choices after ordering quite a few sets....EX: Some might not like the 1849 Reproduced Staunton set(since the Knights are not exacting to period correctness or something else that is a mystery to me) but it is a STUNNING set and extremely well made and finished!

The Latvian set is beautiful and there is not a hint of marks or imperfections on mine.Same for the Dublin Calvert set,Taj set,the Dubro 2,Grand Cigar Divan set and the Botvinnik set(which spare me the complaints about the knights on this set....I like them)...Btw,The Dragon Knight set of pieces belongs in a museum....Flawless and stunning!....The two boards I got are flawless(Sheesham wood tower board and and additional one,which is a bit larger).....Ok,my not so thrilling sets,but fine nevertheless.....

The 19th Century Antique Austrian set came in with 10 damaged pieces.They were all replaced,but the new rook was the wrong color.I'm having a new one made up.Aesthetics wise it's nice,but not in the class of my other pieces.......The Reproduced Hungarian pieces are different and nice,but the Knights' finishing "does" in this case look kinda' like a DIY! Overall it looks good though,as it has a really,really nice board presence.It's just that they could have done a cleaner job with the fine sanding & finishing of the Knights...No biggie!

If "any" of the guys in my chess clubs saw any of these sets(they are "players" & not so materialistic as many folks seem to be,"me included"....and....I'm sorry I got so carried away last year,by ordering so many sets) they would think ALL of my choices were The  Cat's Meow!.......but......I Do admit that if I were to do it all over again I'd opt for 2 NOJ sets and maybe an Official Staunton set.I don't need so many sets,but am not sorry for what I own.

YES,CB definitely has had issues

Please don't get me wrong.  It is not my intent to bash Chess Bazaar or any other business or anyone else for that matter.

Yes, they do make some nice sets.  But when ordering from them you ARE taking a gamble that your set will not have problems and then you very well might have difficulties to get them to correct the problems.  And you must admit that the things you tell us of do have a high percentage of problems and some that are still not resolved.

When I first came to this forum, 3 years ago, their prices were much lower.  They have raised their prices considerably.  The problem is that the problems are still present at the same rate even with these higher prices.

Take, for instance, this 1961 set they are selling for $350.  This is not a $150 or so set as they used to come out with.  This is a substantial price.  And the quality of the design is definitely flawed and not even close to the original design in many instances.

And for the $350 you are now taking the gamble that you might run into problems.

Eyechess....I don't misunderstand your postings at all.You have always come off as a gentleman and a person who is simply passionate about chess and, in this case, a quality product(which NOJ definitely is).

Yup! I totally agree with you about the CB Tal offering......One reason why I chose other sets.....and....I had no clue it was $350!! That "is" a high price.....I think it's about what my Dragon Knights set cost me,which is a beauty.....All my other CB sets were far less........When I saw the CB Tal set,I felt it kinda' stunk to be honest.....Nothing there to make me want one.....The NOJ set is another story,obviously.I reaced out to NOj a few months ago and they had an 8 month wait,but they were very amicable and humorous to me......Gotta' watch my expenditures now that I'm newly retired.-

I'll most likely use some psychology in order to get one,by using it as a desired birthday gift that te wife & kids can chip in for.....Yuk! My son is an MD and I paid a boat load for his education,so maybe I can work on him....Ha!!

OK Stauntonmaster....I get it!! You hate Chessbazaar! 

My question is this, how is it Chess Bazaar can sell a very nice Soviet Era and Romanian-Hungarian Tournament set, both in golden rosewood, for less than $125 each, and at the same time charge $300+ dollars for more popular Soviet Era sets? Is it just me, or is this a rip?

Try as you might, you can't protect others from their own ignorance and greed. But good luck for trying.

This is exactly the point.

Also when you look at the set they are selling it certainly does not look nicer at all to the Soviet Latvian set I bought for $108 and they now retail for $141.  The $350 price is a lot more than the $141 and the sets are of very similar quality.

Yes, the $350 set is Ebony where the $141 is ebonized boxwood, but the ebony is not worth an extra $210.

the NOJ set is 700 US plus shipping, the CB set is 225 including free fedex shipping.  for the price of the NOJ, you can buy 3 sets from CB, and still have 75-100 left over.

Actually I was quoted somewhere in the area of $825 or so for the NOJ set...I'm certainly not saying it;s not worth it,but we all have our priorities and to trash folks for buying their preference,or calling them ignorant or uninformed is a low blow.

I don't doubt it.  Noj price jacking up all the time, and is based on how backlogged he is fulfilling orders.  Disgraceful IMO.

Lou, there are many factors, first is wood(ebony is much expensive than boxwood), then comes the weight of the set, the carver(different carvers take different prices depending on their experience) who made them and the size of the set. Moreover, we can't come to the conclusion just by looking at the photographs. Good Luck!

You are comparing apples to oranges.

The Noj set does not necessarily cost as much as you quote.  I never pay full price for anything.

And look at the quality of what is listed at $350 and you say will only cost $225.  That set is worth $140 at most when you compare it other sets they sell.

Sure, go ahead and buy the crap and over pay for it.  You are certainly within your rights to delude yourselves.

I don't think the NOJ stuff is overpriced.I acknowledge that these are hand made artisan pieces,but not everyone wants to spend that kind of money."My" CB sets are far from crap....Give it a break already!

Buy what pleases you and leave the rest to us,without the continual flow of insinuations that those who prefer to save some money don't know what they are doing and are in for continual aggravation with products such as what CB sells.I mean maybe we are not as into having the finest in chess pieces and or priorities  lie elsewhere....Argh!

You're right, I was comparing apples and oranges, but in an apples-to-apples comparison, the 1961 Soviet Championship set in ebony is still priced $125 higher than the ebony version of the Soviet Era set. And comparing the two knights, the knight from the less expensive set looks a lot more detailed (and more equine to my eye). So why the $125 price difference? For the same reason a dog licks himself? Because he can.

Soviet Era Knight

Soviet 1961 Championship Knight

If there's one thing CB has never gotten right with their knock off sets it's the knights. Their Soviet Era set appears to be a knock-off of Kadun's Retro 60 chess set. It's by no means an accurate copy (it lacks the finesse and delicacy of the Kadun set), but it does pay homage to the Soviet sets of that era. And I like the way it looks.

If you think about it, there are thousands of Staunton style chess sets out there that portray elements of the original Staunton design, without attempting to be exact reproductions.

As the old saying goes, "close, but no cigar." Well, I don't smoke and it's close enough for me.

Kadun Retro 60

CB Soviet Era Set

Well I have to admit "The Birds Singing In The Woods" comment was quite humorous.-

Thanks Eye for the info on the setups you use. I'd considered getting the set in dyed wood but I feel like I would like walnut the most, so I'll stick to that. I have a nice walnut/maple board that I like to use, and I'll see if that fits the bill when the set finally arrives. Otherwise, I'll look into getting a board with slightly lighter dark squares.

@maik1988: A quick visual how my Noj Tal set looks on a board of sapele and maple squares and a walnut border from Brad Borkowski-Colorado Woodworker. Board's design is similar to a Drueke board. I think you would have a winner with your projected choice of lighter dark squares for your walnut set. The last set is the GM Pavasovic from Noj in walnut to give you a better perspective of the type of wood you will be receiving from Noj against a lighter dark square.

Yes, that's what I was thinking about actually, QtQ. Your setup with the sapele backgrounding the walnut pieces looks very very playable. How smooth is the finish on Brad's boards? Do his boards remain some top texture or are they smoother than that? The board I have from Chess Baron US (the walnut and maple one) is ultra smooth, and that's one of the things I like about it. Also: how much did you pay for your Drueke style board?

@maik1988: The finish of Brad's board is very smooth, there isn't any "top texture" or roughness whatsoever when I sweep my palm in a flat motion over the entire playing surface. Very smooth he did a great job of sanding and smoothing out the playing surface. The board came without any felt pads on the bottom  to protect it from scratching but I had applied 4 felt rounds to the bottom to protect not only the board but any table surface that would be prone to scratching. I have intentions of investing in a Drueke board but that is sometime much later in 2018.