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

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Avatar of Moriarty_697

Great story and wonderful set.  That Tal book cover is so great. And the set looks so perfect.  You've set the bar high.  I wonder how you can top it. :-)

Avatar of loubalch

 Great set, Chuck. Here's a direct link to the NOJ webpage.

https://www.noj.si/?mod=catalog&action=productDetails&ID=182&lang=en

Avatar of Ronbo710

Set ordered and I can't wait 

Avatar of cgrau
Schachmonkey wrote:
I can't believe how machine smooth they appear. They use some very hard cutting tools.

This is my fourth NOJ set. Every one of them exhibits the same superb level of craftsmanship.

Avatar of cgrau
Moriarty_697 wrote:

Great story and wonderful set.  That Tal book cover is so great. And the set looks so perfect.  You've set the bar high.  I wonder how you can top it. :-)

Many thanks, Remi! I have to plans to try to top this!

Avatar of cgrau
loubalch wrote:

 Great set, Chuck. Here's a direct link to the NOJ webpage.

https://www.noj.si/?mod=catalog&action=productDetails&ID=182&lang=en

Many thanks, Lou. And I'm sure NOJ thanks you for publishing their link.

Avatar of cgrau
Ronbo710 wrote:

Set ordered and I can't wait 

Congratulations, Ron. You won't be disappointed.

Avatar of cgrau
fightingbob wrote:

Hi Chuck,

You should be very proud that you had the foresight and persistence to bring to life the Tal set, a unique, aesthetically pleasing design that is the quintessence of Russian sets with their uncommon ratio of base to thin, curvilinear stem.

Though my four previous collectibles have come from House of Staunton, this is one NOJ reproduction I must have.  I searched NOJ's site and found what they call the 1961 Soviet Championship set, but it says it comes in either maple and walnut or a "red or brown stained edition."  Obviously, that is not what you are displaying because yours appears to be natural maple or boxwood and painted black (or is that ebonized or even ebony?).  Also, NOJ doesn't say if they're weighted, which I prefer even if the original was not. 

How do we get one that looks exactly like yours, or is yours unique as a courtesy to you, the man who made it happen?

A marvelous thread, by the way.

Best,
Bob

 

Many thanks for the kind words. The pieces that Phil and I received are maple, and black-stained maple, which was done specially for us in recognition for our role in development. Wood and color choices are up to NOJ, and we have no role in that. Our pieces are nicely weighted, and I understand that weighting is standard, but I'm sure you can confirm that with NOJ via the contact email address on their website.

Avatar of cgrau
goodknightmike wrote:

Chuck, I can't thank you and Gregor enough for making your 1961 Soviet Championship Tal Set a reality.  Magnificent in every way! Can you give me the total weight of the set excluding the extra Queens? And if not too much trouble, the diameter base of the pieces? Thanks again for such a major accomplishment. This set will surely rock the chess set collector world.

Many thanks, Mike, on behalf of Phil and myself, and I'm sure Gregor feels the same way. I'll measure the pieces tomorrow and try to compile a weight for you. We think it's a set of great significance historically and aesthically that to the best of our knowledge has not been available to collectors and players for decades. We're delighted to have played a role in resurrecting it, and we couldn't have done it without Gregor Novak and NOJ.

Avatar of finalsaga
Fantastic job guys! All that time to refine, reiterate, improve the set is a beauty! Now my wallet.....
Avatar of goodknightmike
cgrau wrote:
goodknightmike wrote:

Chuck, I can't thank you and Gregor enough for making your 1961 Soviet Championship Tal Set a reality.  Magnificent in every way! Can you give me the total weight of the set excluding the extra Queens? And if not too much trouble, the diameter base of the pieces? Thanks again for such a major accomplishment. This set will surely rock the chess set collector world.

Many thanks, Mike, on behalf of Phil and myself, and I'm sure Gregor feels the same way. I'll measure the pieces tomorrow and try to compile a weight for you. We think it's a set of great significance historically and aesthically that to the best of our knowledge has not been available to collectors and players for decades. We're delighted to have played a role in resurrecting it, and we couldn't have done it without Gregor Novak and NOJ.

You're welcome Chuck, and  I'm sorry I forgot to give thanks to Phil for his input along with Gregor in making this historic replica available to collectors and players.

Avatar of UpcountryRain

What a work of art, cgrau! That set has left me speechless. It's amazing!

I'm really happy for you and for collectors of fine chess sets.

 

 

Avatar of cghori

Nice set!  I wish I could I afford one.

Avatar of snits

Awesome work, but ouch 648 euros. Still tempted though wink.png

Avatar of maik1988

This is a very nice, unique-looking set. The appeal of NOJ-produced sets does appear to be rather limitless. Very well done as evident from your close ups. I wish you good health to enjoy this beauty for as long as you can!

Avatar of cgrau
finalsaga wrote:
Fantastic job guys! All that time to refine, reiterate, improve the set is a beauty! Now my wallet.....

Many thanks!

Avatar of cgrau
UpcountryRain wrote:

What a work of art, cgrau! That set has left me speechless. It's amazing!

I'm really happy for you and for collectors of fine chess sets. 

 

Thanks, Up!

Avatar of cgrau
cghori wrote:

Nice set!  I wish I could I afford one.

Thanks, CGH!

Avatar of cgrau
snits wrote:

Awesome work, but ouch 648 euros. Still tempted though

Many thanks, Jeff!

Avatar of cgrau
maik1988 wrote:

This is a very nice, unique-looking set. The appeal of NOJ-produced sets does appear to be rather limitless. Very well done as evident from your close ups. I wish you good health to enjoy this beauty for as long as you can!

Many thanks, Maik!