" Zagreb '59 "...My favorite chess set
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The Zagreb has dwarfed the smaller knight. Is it photoshoped 
larrywalker10 wrote:
The Zagreb has dwarfed the smaller knight. Is it photoshoped
No Photoshop... just a small knight from an old Fidelity Excellence set.
Wow that SNL "Vintage" skit came out in April of 2000....the same month I bought this 'vintage' motorcycle.
Zagreb knights running over landmines?
That's a cozy pic! The friendly knights. So close that they don't threaten the king.
I just have to add that the Dubrovnik knight (Royal Chess Mall's 1950s is the best, as far as I can tell) is ptobably my favorite chess knight.
But these are some beautiful Zagreb knights, vintage or no.
Apr 15, 2024
0
#49
The one thing I dislike about the "Zagreb" set (apart from the fact that it was never used in Zagreb) is that the Bishop has an opposite-color finial. I wish only the King and Queen had it.
Interestingly, in 2021, HOS issued a very similar set they call the "Leningrad", with no opposite colored finials. I like it too, but I'd still like to see one with just the King and Queen having opposite color finials.
Right now, I'm enamored with Latvian style chess sets (which often have the King and Queen reversed finials), and I recently purchased this beauty from Chessbazaar. It's a lot like the set used in the miniseries "The Queen's Gambit", but not quite so minimalist.
It goes great with the "Queen's Gambit" reproduction chess board:
IanBrettCooper wrote:
The one thing I dislike about the "Zagreb" set (apart from the fact that it was never used in Zagreb) is that the Bishop has an opposite-color finial. I wish only the King and Queen had it.
The better manufacturers, such as House of Staunton, allow you to remove the finials by design. That way you can replace the finials of the King piece with one of a cross and color you prefer. That would also let you swap the finials of the Bishops.
Apr 15, 2024
0
#51
I always thought they were glued in. Also, I always worried that swapping the finials out might lead to them getting loose and going missing.
I just tried, and while the white ones came out fine, the finials will not budge on my ebonized bishops and I'm afraid to force them in case they break or the black rubs off.
IanBrettCooper wrote:
I always thought they were glued in. Also, I always worried that swapping the finials out might lead to them getting loose and going missing.
I just tried, and while the white ones came out fine, the finials will not budge on my ebonized bishops and I'm afraid to force them in case they break or the black rubs off.
The only way that I know to melt or soften glue is heat. I don’t know if a low powered hot air gun or hair blower could loosen the glue inside. The only concern would be the finish of the piece. Maybe apply some it painter’s tape to protect the surface of the bishop piece?
What is the difference between a zagreb chess set vs a leningrad. Is their history behind these designs or simply artistic variations.?
Slovenian Muba Chess call their Zagreb pieces Dubrovnik Royal...