Plastic Legend Alegria Staunton Chess Set has been made in Pro Line Ebony and Boxwood

Sure , But then a two year wait over the knight + to find his beloved chess design been sold elsewhere ,  The insult of being fob off  , This is not OK ,

See past posts + The waiting list for this chess set .

Just to add I really like this chess set  .

This appears to be the most concise (and accurate) summary.  Honor and integrity are increasingly rare in any business but especially so when international entities are involved.

All these many threads discussing quality and customer-service problems show that these vendors have to be lambasted in public in order to become responsive and now, even legal.  But recourses for outright design theft are few, expensive, and time-consuming.  And good luck trying to find an alternative producer in this hemisphere.

I haven't bought directly from any of these far-east producers and I think never will.  Incidents like this only reinforce my stance.  Disgusting!

Here's some blasphemy: I much prefer the Alegria design to the widely adored Ultimate.  It's simply better...

BobRossChessboss wrote:

>>> I know this deserves its own thread. I won't divert further from @Dennis_Petersen 's own topic any further. <<<<

Right, let's not hijack Dennis Petersen's thread but we can continue discussions in the thread below,

https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/morals-and-ethics-in-chess-the-chess-equipment-business

Let's discuss how gentlemen used to conduct business in good old days....

I must say however, I am posting purely in my personal capacity. Besides being a retail client and a chess hobbyist, I have no  personal or financial interest in this matter.

I'm looking forward to buying Chavet from CE in bud rosewood. I hope They will make it.

I had been trying to work things out with Guarav and the Chess Empire these last few days. He did remove the Alegria from his web site and apologized for his brothers actions posting it for sale on their web site. He maintains that the Alegria set was offered for a period of two days and only 3 or 4 sets had been sold which he could do nothing about. I did have one customer on my waiting list actually buy a set but he saw the posting in the Forum and then canceled his order and he emailed me he had done so.

I have thought about how all this came about, and came to the conclusion that there was a miscommunication with Guarav about the time I requested a full set be sent to me. I had suggested minor improvements and he took it that I was rejecting the Alegria knight

I may have mentioned small ways to improve it but fully accepted it and began the promotional pictures. I posted the developments in this forum as they occurred. Once the Alegria Knight and the rest of the pieces were developed and a finish applied that is when I requested a full set for further promotional pictures.

By the time that the full sample set arrived I already had enough orders to sell the 20 sets. However these are the knights that showed up in the sample set. Obviously I could not proceed with these knights. Then began a series of additional knights but none ever matched the original Alegria pictured in the advertising.

A month or so ago I asked Guarav to try one more time and pay the knight carver whatever it took to get the Alegria Knight carved to meet the standards I was trying to accomplish. Through this whole process I repeatedly mentioned the new samples did not match the original and they should go back to him.

So anyway it has all come to this. Guarav has told me they will not produce the Legend Alegria Staunton Chess Set either for me or for them. He would make me any set I wanted but he will not make an Alegria.

Leaves a person little choice I guess after a year and a half of development and 27 years of doing business with his family they are leaving me little choice but to take my business elsewhere.

In my last suggestion to him I mentioned that they must have the Alegria Knights in hand. He had mentioned when when I told him they were selling my Alegria Set on their web site that the Alegria Knight had only just been recently been created and that was impossible. His brother could not have posted it on their web site. I suggested to him we should proceed and use those knights in my 20 sets. They would never in my opinion offered the Alegria set on their web site if they did not already have the knights that matched my original
promotional pictures.

These knights you posted above are breathtakingly beautiful...very similar to your original plastic version. They also seem to be different from the ones posted on their website. 

I hope , considering your long association with the family, you folks come to resolution on this.

This was the design on their site, 

Thanks, Dennis for the full story.  I know you have been working on this for a long time and it must be very disappointing that CE is refusing to make you the set now, even though they finally resolved the knight problem and they seem to have some sets all ready to go.

@Rishi9  Those Chess Empire (Legend Series) Knights you posted an image of are not Dennis Petersen's Alegria Knights being discussed here. 

@Dennis_Petersen  You had every right to reject those Alegria Knights (posted again below). Aside from a few distinguishable features, they both do not look like the master sample that was approved. The angle of the forehead, the fullness of the chest, and the eyes being the most egregious. 

The Chess Empire manufactures some of the best chess sets in the industry. They can do much better if they wanted to. I have to wonder if this situation has anything to do with the financials of your 2 year old deal that makes Gaurav Sharma unwilling to use his best carvers for your Alegria set. 

The glaring quality differences in the carving of the Knights are quite obvious. They are not difficult to see. Now, instead of continuing to work with you to fulfill his obligations to you. He decides to walk away from it and leave you in the lurch. Any integrity this company once had is gone. 

Sorry, I just googled the link posted by @lighthouse and checked the web cache. 

This was the set being sold, 

Plastic or Wood, this knight design gives even the Antique Jaques designs a run for their money. 

I wonder which version of the knight you get if you had ordered from TCE website. Also correct me if I'm wrong but Dennis' set was 4", the link seems to indicate that the TCE web version was 4.25"? If so the knights may not be interchangeable.

@Rishi9 thank you for posting the correct photo.

Wholey smokes. Unlike the garbage Knights Chess Empire sent Dennis, the Knights above look 100% perfect. If I was Dennis I would've been LIVID to see these images on the Chess Empire website. This goes beyond a "mistake" by a brother. That photo positively shows that Chess Empire is fully capable of carving the Alegria Knights. Chess Empire will carve the Knights for Alegria sets they wanted to sell themselves. But for Dennis?  Chess Empire sends Dennis garbage Knight carvings for Legend Products to sell. What complete BS.

Gaurav Sharma should be ashamed. 

Pawnerai, Mr. Whovever you are !!! You must be aware about The Chess Empire . It is Amritsar Ivory Works,  you should know that many designs created by us are being copied and sold by many companies.  If you dont want to buy at us .it is fine but do not comment if you dont know the facts about my company.  Secondly,  I refused Dennis because it was between him and me only but he preferred to publicise this issue here .Also I have not told him to start advertisement that too without having stock in hand .the set posted in website by my brother  knight picture was sent to Dennis but he didnt like it. In India ,nobody is free to make knight samples , I made for him several times and he refused to like . Now suddenly when set was posted in website.  Dennis not want same knight what he already disapproved it.you should hear both sides before coming to any conclusion and you are not my buyer then what probl you have my company? 

Ask Dennis , I have stock of his knights from the time when my father used to work for him .have I ever publicised those ? Frank of HOS has insisted us several times to give all Legend Products designs to him but we never offered them to anybody in whole world.  Ask Dennis, if I am wrong ? I have a huge respect for Dennis but the way he publicised the issue , this is not the correct way to business , thanks

It is sad that The Chess Empire is behaving in this manner. Even though I am not a fan of NOJ's prices for their sets. It was crappy of The Chess Empire to rip off BCE Stage 3 design and sell them on their site without the permission of NOJ. Seems like a company not worth doing business with anymore. They did an awesome job with my custom set but due to their recent behavior. I am not going to recommend The Chess Empire to anyone. I guess you can go to Royal Chess Mall and see if they will produce your Algeria set. 

Knightsforkcafe is talking about BCE sets.Does he know in BCE set,NOJ copied rook of my design Empire set .Does he have any reply on it . I will still say that first hear both sides completely, then tell who is wrong or who is right .do not favor anybody on terms of being in same country 

I am ready to help Dennis but not the way he started .This is not the right platform to discuss business 

https://www.thechessempire.com/the-alegria-series-chess-pieces-br-boxwood-ebony-br-4-25-king.html

Chess emprie are now selling the Allegria Staunton chess set ? , Looks very nice what happen with the Dennis_Petersen  set ?

Dear Sir ,

It was me that raised this issue on the CBE forum & not Dennis , As I was very bewildered to how & why ? Even tempted to buy this set from you ! So had put it to the forum was this not Dennis design . So please do not take umbrage to Dennis over this  .