I don't know, but check out post #225 from the thread "Knights on Parade". Very similar to Zagreb knight but looks vintage to me, so maybe there's something there?
Origin of Zagreb knight?
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Oct 1, 2024
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#3
stevenashs20mworkout wrote:
I don't know, but check out post #225 from the thread "Knights on Parade". Very similar to Zagreb knight but looks vintage to me, so maybe there's something there?
Fascinating! They look like the Zagreb and the Catalan knights had a baby.
Oct 1, 2024
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#4
DesperateKingWalk wrote:
It is a variant of the 1950 Dubrovnik chess set design.
I know, but that doesn’t explain the knight design. It seems to have no connection to any of the Dubrovnik sets or Zagreb; it almost seems a random addition, except the downward-facing knights are said to be a Soviet feature. But I’m wondering if it has become known as a Soviet feature due to the Zagreb knight, rather than having a deeper historical significance.
The Zagreb '59 follows a design popular in Zagreb, Croatia (former Yugoslavia). However, it came to the attention of chess lovers in the '59 Candidates Tournament. However, there's another popular variation by the name "Russian Zagreb" that was influenced by the Russian aesthetic influences.
Nov 13, 2024
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#6
TRAvghan wrote:
The Zagreb '59 follows a design popular in Zagreb, Croatia (former Yugoslavia). However, it came to the attention of chess lovers in the '59 Candidates Tournament. However, there's another popular variation by the name "Russian Zagreb" that was influenced by the Russian aesthetic influences.
Do you have a photo of such a set that influenced the Zagreb knights? As far as I know, a Dubrovnik set was used in the '59 Candidates Tournament. Note the Dubrovnik knights in the photo below.
I believe the Zagreb knight was introduced in the '90s by House of Staunton, and I’m not sure it was used in any significant tournament.
Nov 13, 2024
0
#7
I’m not noticing a significant difference between the regular Zagreb and the "Russian" Zagreb, but it’s possible that both are inspired by Soviet chess sets. I wouldn’t say it’s a common feature, but I have seen some sets mainly from the '70s and '80s with knights that lean over. Below are Zagrebby knights from a '60s Soviet set.
And below some funny-looking knights from a Russian mid-15th century chess set.
Does anyone know the origin of the Zagreb ’59 knight? I’ve heard this design was introduced in the ’90s, but where does its design come from?
And I found these more tortured knights from a ’70s set:
True, neither knight looks quite like the Zagreb one—especially not the latter. But I’ve heard that the knight’s head being so vertical is a Soviet feature. But I actually don’t recall any iconic Soviet set with this feature. Do you know other historic sets that have knights with downward-facing heads?