Robert James Fischer June 1999 Radio Interview

Where's your proof that NOJ's sets are better than the original?

That's proof that the original knights are nicer than the NOJ knights, something that I'd previously thought from other pictures of the original sets.

Perhaps ifekali could weigh in on this? From the picture I also prefer the original, but I think it might be because of the 65 year patina and camera angle, that makes the original look more detailed. I know from my own BCE that the maple Noj uses is not as pale in real life as in the pictures.

It's not the patina; the mouth, the nose, the ear, and those two semi-circular cuts below the ear all look better carved than in the NOJ copy. IMO, of course.

Perhaps this pic from my set will help.....

Actually, when purchasing my NOJ, I was thinking of getting the 1950 for historical reasons.  But I thought the 1950 knight design does not go with the rest of the set.  I prefer the Dubrovnik II knights by far, as they are more in-line with the simple, crude, and robust design elements of the Dubrovnik (but I also like the German and Fide  knights, so I am probably in the minority here).  My next NOJ is definitely going to be another Dubrovnik II, with DGT coils this time.

andy277, that's actually what I was getting at, but I think it might be a case of different camera angles and lighting. It would be much easier to compare if both pieces were in the same picture, from the same angle. The way it is now the shadows are thrown differently in the pictures, which might be to the originals advantage. Hopefully ifekali will shed some light on this, since he has both an original set and the Noj replica.

There will be differences and the original will always win. This is the nature of the world. The original is what we compare to.

What I was trying to say is this:

Imagine a forger copying the Mona Lisa. If he is able to fool an expert, he must be more skilled than Leonardo (or enjoys the benefits of more advanced tools and technology). Skill-wise it is MORE DIFFICULT to do a perfect copy than create the original.

Noj, d. o. o. copies are NOT and will never be perfect. There is no trying to fool the customer to mistake the copy for an original. There is just substantial effort to get the details right as much as possible.

-Izmet

P. S. On the other hand, they weight their sets despite knowing the originals were unweighted. Why? Because customers want them to. :)

Of course, and I hope that people understand that I am not disparaging the skill of the NOJ carver. I simply disagree with htdavidht's assertion that NOJ's sets are better than the original.

Robb, thanks but your picture didn't help, because it's of the later set, and we are discussing the 1950 set.

He is oh so wrong. :)

-Izmet

Andy likes to stir up the pot.! I say we all throw him in for a swim with the great whites in Austrailia..!

I think the original looks best and NOJ  looks second best .  

I have to agree the original knight looks better then the reproduction.  I particularly like the front lower half of the horse.

Of course there are other pieces in the set and I bet that's why Izmet likes the Noj Repro better. 

I think someone should send me an original set.  Just PM me and I will give you my address to send the original set to me.

Once I get the original, I will go ahead and buy a Noj Dubrovnik 1950.  I will then do all the comparisons and report back.

Of course I will most likely need a few years playing chess with both sets to get a real feel for the pieces and can better identify and evaluate the detailed differences to see which is better

You misunderstand! I believe *nothing* is better than the original! (Reread my posts, please.)

I repeat: To match the originals, one would need to possess supersuperskills! To quote myself, "original will always win."

-Izmet

Izmet, don't kill my chances to get a free original!!

Come on, let someone send me an original and then we can get the REAL comparisons going

Well from the pictures I like the NOJ better than the originals, lol.

Both Knights look fine to me.

I own two NOJ sets, have nothing but respect for Gregor's skill as a craftsman, but have always prefered the originals, which are truly superb...especially the Knights. Izmet, thanks for posting, best wishes, John C.