Unboxing a solar set
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Cool set! I love the patina.
Oct 15, 2023
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#3
Excellent! What’s the background of these pieces. I really like the clean lines of the knight. 👍
This kind of set is referred to as Onion top. They don't all look the same. It is believed to stem from Bavaria, some say Austria. There is some interesting discussion in these two threads:
https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/havana-chess-set-id-photos
It is from around 1920, or earlier. The set here, with its 7,8 and 8 cm kings is smaller than the few sets I have seen on the web which I believe had 10 cm kings or 10,5.
Have you ever seen any old pictures of this set in use? There is this wonderful photo showing Jose Raul Capablanca with the German chess player, publisher and organiser Bernhard Kagan a few moves into a casual game (that prompted one of the other threads I mentioned). For its good design it might have been made for a tournament. Or maybe somebody made it simply to craft a beauty for the people.
That’s a cool photo. I really like these Onion top sets. I think I first saw one when another member posted one or perhaps he sent me photos of his set. I don’t remember which it was.
Nice looking set + photo ungewichtet The German set in design you can almost trace the shapes that follow in Central Europe + Eastern Europe chess sets .
Somebody resold books- he had gotten himself a mountain of chess books to choose from- and it was such a rich offer that I- short of space myself- could not help but find me a couple (by Browne, Hübner, Lobron, Vidmar, Shirov, or about Pillsbury, Breyer and 'Berlin in the roaring 20ies'). So, a treasure I consider myself lucky to.. have here to read. Here is one- a reprint- in pictures with pieces from that time. Note the publisher's name, Bernhard Kagan, who was shown above in the photo with Capablanca.
Why is this being called a Solar Set. I see on the box it is written LED. What is Solar with regards to this set?
I think it's a just joke name to identify the set by the reused box that the set was shipped in.
I was playing on the expectation of a solar powered e-board. Also, I wanted to show a typical unboxing of a vintage set from an online market place. The packaging most often is not perfect or pragmatic but always done with love. Finally the patina is very solar to me. It is just my wish, but I imagine the warm glow of the pieces comes from lots of playing in the sun.