This Set Has It All: The Leningrad Chessmen

You are very welcome my friend

Thanks for the post, goodknightmike. I have been eyeing this set for quite a while. I have always been attracted to the Zagreb knights and seeing them placed with a more traditional Staunton set makes it very appealing. 

Here's a pic of my ChessBazaar Zagreb knights. In comparison, the Leningrad knights are far superior in detail. While the manes seem similar, the brow on the Leningrads are very detailed. As well as overall carving of the jaws. The Leningrads just outclass the Zagrebs.

Now, if one was looking for simplicity, then the Zagrebs take it.

You're welcome UpcountryRain.  Your points on both knights are well taken. I love both style Knights which is why I also have the HOS Zagreb set in my collection.  Here's a few more pics of the Leningrad Knight's detailed mane.

I like this kind of knight very much. I have one Zagreb 2.875" from HOS featuring exactly this knight.

Thanks rickyro, can you share some pics of your knight?

This is my HOS 2.875" Zagreb Rosewood. Very nice set. Very heavily weighted. Around 800g, feel much heavier, more balanced, more refined than CB 3" sets. 

Those knights look like old distinguished gentlemen wearing monocles or glasses!

Great looking Knights Rickyro, thanks for the pic. What's the square size of the board you're using? 

45mm 1.75"

goodknightmike wrote:

rickyro wrote:

goodknightmike wrote:

rickyro wrote:

I like this kind of knight very much. I have one Zagreb 2.875" from HOS featuring exactly this knight.

Thanks rickyro, can you share some pics of your knight?

This is my HOS 2.875" Zagreb Rosewood. Very nice set. Very heavily weighted. Around 800g, feel much heavier, more balanced, more refined than CB 3" sets. 

Great looking Knights Rickyro, thanks for the pic. What's the square size of the board you're using? 

This whole FORUM is about books and equipment. Of course when someone shows off a set they will tell where they obtained the set. Otherwise it wouldn't make much sense to even have a books & equipment topic.  

Would you prefer we post pictures, provide detailed reviews, then refuse to say where to find it or how much it cost?

Hey, maybe we can change the name of the forum to:

"Secret Chess Books & Equipment Forum."

Did this set ever existed in Soviet Union,I've never seen one.

A quite simple answer, as I got a lot of experience with SOVIET chess sets: The sets shown here have NOTHING to do with them, including poor Leningrad!

Really like the design of this set and was about to order one for myself when I saw this image posted on reddit:

The mane on the knights head is super-simplified and looks more like a crude tiara ratter than a tuft of hair. I wonder if the quality of carving on these sets has gone down hill? 

The reddit post (https://www.reddit.com/r/chessporn/comments/9oylar/my_golden_rosewood_leningrad_set_4032x3024/) says that the set was purchased from officialstaunton about a year ago. This could just be an anomoly - but has anyone else purchased this set recently? How's your set look compared to earlier sets?

K.

i like zagreb knight better (I prefer leningrads rook and pawn tho)  ... zagreb is very nice chess set. minimalistic, but with very distinct character. imo rooks should look powerful and somewhat crude.sth like this... a pawn...imo sth like that would better represent its whimsical and roundy style  

that would be perfection for me

beautiful set, thanks for sharing

Here's mine - not sure of the manufacturer, but I got it from ChessUSA.com, known as Your Move Chess and Games, which is my local chess shop.

nice!

Mark of Westminster is the most likely Manufacturer. I've stopped in Chessusa a few times.  Very friendly.