Honza66 that's a fabulous set and great story to it as well. What size are the board & pieces? Just wondered, it's hard to tell from photos. Amazing it's still in such great condition
Hi Steve,
The board has got 45mm squares. The king is probably under 3 inches.
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@Ganine - That is a beautiful set.
Thanks, Rsava. I was pleasantly surprised when i received this, since it's even nicer than I had thought from just seeing its photos. It's extremely well made. The pieces are very heavy and feel good in the hand. And I think it looks great on the board. Now I'd just like to find out the source.
Finally got a chance to break out my HOS Mammoth Ivory set with the wife and kids gone for the day. I rarely take it out unless to show some of my chess friends. 
Great set cghori !!
Finally got a chance to break out my HOS Mammoth Ivory set with the wife and kids gone for the day. I rarely take it out unless to show some of my chess friends.
The dream of a life... Congratulations for this amazing and so splendid ivory chess set
Finally got a chance to break out my HOS Mammoth Ivory set with the wife and kids gone for the day. I rarely take it out unless to show some of my chess friends.
cghori, many a time have I called a chess set stunning. Now I see that I have been overusing that word.
Bought this in the late 80s to play with my friends. Not my best board, but I like it.
The pieces have felt bottoms and the storage box is lined with a felt like material.
Sweet set cghori...but do the pieces have pads on the bottom?
Sweet set cghori...but do the pieces have pads on the bottom?
From the HOS description: "The Chess pieces are presented au natural, with nothing on the underside of the pieces. This is done intentionally to allow the Chess players the opportunity to appreciate the magnificent grain of the Mammoth Ivory. "
However, a set of 34 leather pads are included if I wish to attach them at some point in the future.
Bought this in the late 80s to play with my friends. Not my best board, but I like it.
The pieces have felt bottoms and the storage box is lined with a felt like material.
My kind of set also. Simple, elegant and ready to play a nice game of chess.
My preferred set is:
Last chess set is not proportional. Way to crowded, squares are to small for this board. 4pawns won't feet on a single square.
Proportions are a personal preference. Some like a crowded board, others do not.
I personally like boards/pieces that are slightly crowded (low end of the range of square/piece ratio), others like loose (high end of square/piece ratio).
Their is no such thing as personal. There's only one FIDE standard
Their is no such thing as personal. There's only one FIDE standard
you didn't post anything yet so what you think ...
That's great, but I prefer slightly crowded boards. What is FIDE going to come into my home and arrest me for playing games on a slightly crowded board?
Besides, there is some leeway in the guidelines and that leeway can make for different proportions.
To wit:
"These dimensions may differ up to 10% from the above recommendation,
but the order (e.g. King is higher than Queen etc.) must be kept."
Key things to note there - "recommendations" and "10%". So if a K is recommended to be 9,5 cm then it could be 10,4 cm and the Q could be 8.0 cm with corresponding bases.
Another rule:
"Referring to 2.2 the side of a square should be at least twice the diameter of a pawn’s base"
Note the key word there - "should"
(BTW, I got those from here: https://www.fide.com/FIDE/handbook/Standards_of_Chess_Equipment_and_tournament_venue.pdf)
Let me tell you my favorite chess set story.
Some decades ago, when I was working in Center City Philadelphia, I passed a store during my frequent lunch-hour walks that had, among many other things, gorgeous chess sets. One day I walked in and looked at them closely. Fell in love with a beautiful wood set -- very sleek, very smooth, oh so beautiful! I decided I HAD to have it. It cost a little over $300. I didn't have that kind of money, but the storekeeper said he would put that set on layaway for me if I would pay some amount every week. Deal! I put down a deposit and every week came in to pay a bit more. Finally, after many months, the set was mine!
I loved it dearly, but it wasn't long before I realized I'd made a mistake. My little apartment at that time didn't have any space to display this gorgeous set. What good was it sitting in the closet? So the next time my son from California came to visit, I offered it to him. After all, he played chess occasionally and maybe with time, he would teach this wonderful game to his young children.
Some years passed and I visited him in his beautiful home. I looked around to see where that fantastic chess set might be displayed. I saw it nowhere. I didn't want to ask, but finally curiosity got the better of me.
"Son, do you still have that chess set?"
He looked quite embarrassed.
"Well, you see, Mom, it's this way. We had it displayed here," pointing to a conspicuous spot on an end table. "Then the kids decided to play. They play chess a little differently." Now he looked crestfallen and ashamed. "They would throw one piece, then another, and another and another..... Finally, the King lost the cross on top of his head, the knight lost his head......"
I shushed him. "It's okay, son. I understand."
Lesson learned. Never buy something you can't afford that you don't have room to display.
And for this reason, ESNAJ decided to make "Children's chess" in rubber.
Here's a closer view.