PDX_Axe's Mystery Knight Challenge

It's neither Hundertwasser nor Gaudí...

I would say you are definitely getting warmer, Powder. Btw I do love that paper mache set you have. Maybe it is not practical, but it is so interesting visually. I look at that one more as a work of art, even if is not a practical set you would want to play with. I would say this set kind of falls into that category.

Perhaps another hint is in order? Hmmm, well quite some time ago I was watching chess related videos on YouTube as I often do, and I believe I was watching someone walking around a museum and making a video of the place. At one point, I gasped when I saw my set under glass, as if it were some sort of treasure. That truly made me laugh. It is definitely not a treasure, but I still like it.

@Powderdigit I think I also saw a paper mache set from Mexico in the same museum video as well. Perhaps you have a museum-worthy treasure and are not even aware of it? Happy hunting!

Hmmm, with further research, my set may actually be museum worthy. It seems the set is inspired by the work of a famous artist. (That is another hint btw.) I would never have thought that. Live and learn.

https://youtu.be/9ceSdXed4ng nearly at the end. Good call Powder! Central American.

The honor of introducing the set is yours PDX_Axe!

"His work was sometimes compared to Picasso". 🥳

Alright, congratulations guys, I think that was truly a group effort tracking it down, with a couple of quality hints from me. This set is from El Salvador, and is a folk art set inspired by the art of Fernando Llort, who was considered the national artist of El Salvador. He had gone to the small town of La Palma, and taught art to the citizens there so they could make a better living. My set was undoubtedly made by the people of La Palma for the tourist trade, though some must have been exported to the US, as I am pretty sure my mom didn't zip down to El Salvador to buy me a chess set for Christmas that year. So, let's take a look.

Oops, more pics coming.

Let me just say a few things about this set. The pieces are not only unweighted, but terribly light, perhaps even made of balsa wood. They are also unfelted, and some are rather tall, so the slightest bump sends them toppling. Really not made for playing, just lovely to look at, and quite unusual. Now as to the value, knowing what I now know about the famous artist and all? Well it is still priceless to me, as it was a gift from my mother. Monetary wise? Well, I maybe should not tell this, but if you go to eBay, and search El Salvador folk art chess set, you will find one of these listed for $20, not counting shipping of course. Just remember it is purely decorative and not really functional.

Ok guys, I hope you enjoyed that last set. I know I did, and even learned something new about them. I suppose it is time for some new pictures. I don't think this one should be as hard, but we shall see. So, here is the next pair of knights.

Ok, there you go. Something new to track down. Good Luck! Oh, I should mention that this is a board with 2 inch squares.

Very special set and great that it has such a story to tell! I have a distinct feeling that this thread will really broaden my view 👍

There is something very nice about a well made standard Staunton set, but as the saying goes, variety is the spice of life. Once I had 2 or 3 Staunton sets, I really wanted to start branching out into something different. Chess is the world's greatest game, but in the creation of it's equipment it can also achieve a high level of art. The incredible variety of designs of chess pieces, not to mention the boards, boxes, and clocks, shows the artistic beauty of the game. And with deeper understanding of the game, we players also find beauty in the movements of the pieces on the board as well.

Someone asked me once why I thought chess is the world's greatest game. For me, basically it is because the element of luck has been removed. There are no dice or cards or any other random things which can dictate the course of events. You can't use the excuse of "I just couldn't get a good roll of the dice", or "I couldn't get a decent hand of cards all night", etc. It is your mind against your opponent's mind, facing off with equal armies, and there are 3 possible outcomes of win, lose, or draw. The only difference is the player with the white pieces moves first. Even that is negated by switching colors every other game to negate any advantage moving first might give. In addition, there are 400 different possible positions on the board after each player has moved only once, and that number grows exponentially with each subsequent move, giving a practical level of infinite variety to the game, at least for the human mind.

So, in this most wonderful of all games I seek out variety not only in my play, but in the pieces with which I play. And just like the game I love, they come in endless variety. This is why I, and I believe many others here, keep adding to our collections.

No, not Latvian. Keep searching, as I don't think this one is as difficult as the last set.

Not really. This set was carved in India, and is not a reproduction of a historic set. I will say that while some of you all know what sort of sets I like, wids88 might not know that I like unusual sets that don't look like a normal Staunton pattern, as I have enough of those. I think that is enough clues for now. Good luck and good hunting.

Oh MCH, did you notice that at the end of the El Salvadoran set I mentioned that there is one on sale on eBay for $20? That is pretty cheap for a visually interesting, and apparently museum worthy chess set. I imagine the owner does not know the backstory about the set and is under- valuing it. For the same price as a couple of lattes at the coffee shop, you can have something special. If I didn't already have one I would be all over that. However, I am saving money this month so I can order a slightly more expensive set next month. More news to come on that one.

It really makes me think in the direction of old English sets like for example the William Hallet knight (modern iteration) although it's needs a stretch of the imagination 😆

I can say I like this knight quite a bit!

Brownish, it is not a reproduction or a spin off of a historical set that I am aware of. One thing you might not have picked up on is that the squares are 2 inches, so the knight is not particularly tall. I promise that once you see the whole set, taking into account how I like unusual chess sets, you will understand my attraction to this one.

Oh, I think I can also mention that the woods are boxwood and acacia. Ok you should have some clues to work with now.

I never got the Ruhla because a chess set purchase got in the way in April, and now I am saving for this other set, which will hopefully happen in June. As for the Llort set, I am not greedy. One is enough for me, so someone else should have a chance to own one.