The Kasparov Set From Oleg Raikis

When I first contacted Oleg five years ago, I inquired about commissioning his "Kasparov" set and his Staunton set; as funds were limited and I could only commission one, I commissioned his Staunton set, which later turned into the "Ideal Staunton" set project. Earlier this year, I was able to commission Oleg's Kasparov set, which I have just received; Oleg created three different versions of this set (and later, several more) which he presented to Kasparov, Kramnik, and Xie Jun; photos and details can be found here: http://www.raikiscollection.com/en/events/10-sobytiya/131-kasparov.html

My Kasparov set is made in Boxwood and African Blackwood, all single-piece solid construction (e.g., knights are single-piece, finials are solid, etc.), unweighted/unfelted, and includes both the eastern and western style pieces (kings, queens, bishops, knights); king height is 11 cm (4.33"), however, I consider this to be a "3.75-4" king height set" (meaning, it plays well on a 2.25" board; the king height/base is stylistically exaggerated, however, the rest of the pieces are of a 3.75"-4" set nature/sizing). Oleg told me he created this set for tournament play, and that his aim was to create an eastern Staunton; the set certainly satisfies this objective, while at the same time offering a very interesting, fantastical, art-deco aesthetic.

Here are some photos of Oleg's Kasparov set; first, some of the ones he made in the past in various materials/configurations (e.g., in Mammoth Ivory), then my set:

Just a fabulous and unique looking set. The pieces exude that O.R. quality we've come to expect from such a talent.

I hope you get many years of pleasure from such a gem.

Just unreal... Oleg does it again! I love the antique looking brown pieces incidentally

Very nice craftsmanship, sir. I especially like the one-piece knights.

What wood is this? It's incredible!

Wow

MGT88 , I guess the wait was worth it , Oleg's set really are special . Chess Art at it's best in this Age !

I thought this was mammoth ivory as well, however, I asked Oleg and he said it is "artfully stained boxwood". I can tell you that mammoth ivory of this color does, in fact, exist; Oleg created a special travel-sized (perhaps library-sized, depending upon your definition) "Knights" set, which he calls the "Travel Knights" set, king height is 6.2cm (2.44") and both sides are completely natural mammoth ivory; what makes this set special is the fact that the dark pieces are made from naturally tan/brown colored mammoth ivory (they are not stained), which is quite rare; according to Oleg, the ivory got this color from exposure to coal where it was buried in the ground, which is why it is rare/unique material; in addition to this rare/beautiful coloration, the brown colored mammoth ivory is very hard and difficult to work with; it's "like cutting through stone", according to Oleg. Here are some photos:

The pieces in this thread are ‘fuoriclasse’ - simply head and shoulders above the work of other makers, edging out even NOJ. Beautiful design, clarity of vision, and sharp execution set these on the level of high art. Thanks for sharing the images, information and insights.

From Noj I own the Tal (in both black and red stain), BCE, and President; from Oleg I own the Ideal Staunton and Kasparov; I treasure all of these sets equally and I consider all of them to be of equal top quality; Gregor, Ziga, their father Janez, and Oleg, are all wonderful, highly skilled artists and master craftsmen.

Noj and Oleg actually collaborated together briefly; here is an example of the Noj Tal in Pink Ivory and African Blackwood, among other materials:

I am trying to articulate how this set makes me feel from an art appreciation perspective. I don't mean these comments in a simplistic offense-carrying way - I am trying to describe a feeling.

I keep revisiting the post to look at the set. The word that comes to mind is "repulsion". I'm off-put by the shapes of these unusual pieces. The vibe is so alien and strange. It causes me to reflect on this shared game we enjoy. After so many years everything about the objectively strange game of chess has become familiar - but this set brings back uncertainty and I'm left feeling uncomfortable. "What are these pieces and what do they do?"

The thin stems and tops of the King/Queen speak to this - but more-so the head of the Bishop and the crown of the Rook - the latter almost looks like the mouth of a parasite or something.

I think everyone can understand the nuance of what I'm speaking to - to be clear I am not insulting the set design or Oleg. I really think you made a fantastic choice and thank you for these wonderful pictures!

(In a phrase - I like this set)

I like this set for its fantastical art-deco aesthetic which, while visually interesting, is still restrained enough to be used for tournament play; by this I mean, for example, it looks like a chess set one might find in Alice's Wonderland, a chess book cover, or some other strange fantasy world, but it is not so wild/strange that it can't be used for serious play; the set's western-style bishop is a good example of this, with its curled/balled finial rising to a sharp point, while still maintaining a fairly traditional bishop shape overall. This set is definitely something outside of the norm with its tall elongated kings/queens/knights (I think its pawns and rooks are quite normal), and definitely not something for someone starting their collection; as I mentioned in an earlier post, I own several standard tournament sets (Tal, BCE, President, Ideal Staunton, Bobby Fischer Ultimate Chess Pieces (plastic)), so at this point I'm able to add something a little strange/interesting.

I think everyone can understand the nuance of what I'm speaking to - to be clear I am not insulting the set design or Oleg. I really think you made a fantastic choice and thank you for these wonderful pictures!  felonet , Try the world 0f H. R. Giger. what would his chess set look like ?

The world of H.R. Giger looks like Warhammer 40000!

Whilst I am not fortunate enough to own a set by Oleg, my observation from photos is that he is at the top of tree when it comes to artisans carving fine chess pieces. These particular pieces are not to my taste / I understand what @felonet is trying to say… and in the end, good art stirs emotion … and this set does that - which is why it is wonderful. Cheers for posting the pictures.

Oh, wow, how is chess objectively strange for you? If you just had a few more lines about that, that'd be great.

As for the set, how beautiful and soothing the brown side in the third pic in post one is. (With what wood and colour is it paired?) Earthen, not alien. King and queen in this set are not organic, while rook, knight, bishop and pawn could have passed for that. But I think, this contradiction could make some sense. If the highest powers go into aesthetic, ornamental, decorative reduction, while the people remain strong, wild and well-defined, art does it, again. While I do not see a paradox to resolve in the brown version, where the strong grain on the king and queen are making them vivid parts of the lot. Is the brown side part of a certain set, I mean, does it have an actual counterpart?

The stain on the brown set may be the best stain-job I've seen on a chess set. I've not seen anything like it!

Ung....As you know, I love your thoughtful and poetic responses (sheesh, you're a smart dude)....I'm wondering if one needs to be a college graduate to digest the full meanings.

I pronounce you the poet laureate of Chess.com