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The Queen´s Gambit

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hermanjohnell

The TV-series caused a hausse for the game some years ago and pieces like those that featured therein came in demand. These look about right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtD3FVJ37Rk&t=122s

But do I need yet another set?

OutOfCheese

While similar in style it's not the set shown in the series

Knights, Queen crown, Bishop heads, Rooks (and I'm sure there are more small details that differ).
Idk if you need another set but if you want to have essentially a replica of the series set this ain't it.
Here's a link to a reproduction of the series set
https://thechessstore.com/the-queens-gambit-final-game-chess-set-ebonized-boxwood-pieces-with-walnut-maple-deluxe-board-box-4-king/

That said I own a very similar one to the image you're showing and I like it a lot, nice weight and feel and somehow the slim waists make the whole board "airier" if that makes sense.

hermanjohnell

I like those outsized knights.

WandelKoningin

It hasn’t arrived yet, but I recently won this set in an Ebay auction for $43! Design-wise it’s exactly the one from The Queen’s Gambit. They’re called Obedovskie sets (that’s the name of the factory where they were produced), though you may have better luck finding them when you search for ‘80s Mordovian set’ or ‘80s Latvian set’. Kinda funny that the finale of The Queen’s Gambit plays out in 1964, yet they’re using an ’80s Mordovian set. I do think it was a wise choice to use a more minimalist version of the Mordovian set though. Narratively it makes no sense, but I think it’s a nice aesthetic choice. Actually, the set below is from the ’70s according to the seller, but most seem to be from the ’80s; the earlier examples can be a bit more figurative than the minimalist sets of the late ’70s and ’80s.

Some weeks before I won the set above, I spent C$170 on an Obedovskie set for my wife (she has a The Queen’s Gambit chess board, so I wanted to get her the appropriate set for it). Design-wise it deviates a bit, as the bishops still have those more candle flame-like miters of the earlier Mordovian sets, and the rooks feature crenellations. But I was excited to find a set in this pale color just like the one in The Queen’s Gambit; usually the white pieces of Obedovskie sets are yellow.

So yeah, once both sets arrive (they have been delayed by the Canada Post strike), this household will have two Obedovskie sets that are ALMOST like the one of the series, but in different ways.

Of course the reproduction OutOfCheese linked to gets both the design and color right—something that would be a rare find in a real Obedovskie set.

Oh one more thing worth mentioning is that the originals usually feature faces on the knights—sometimes only on one side. Below are the knights from the sets I got for myself and my wife. As far as I can tell, the set in the series features no faces, so that might be another reason to go for the reproduction, which also seems to feature faceless knights.

I might have gotten a reproduction as I like how pristine they look, and they’re nicely weighted—if not for the really high asking price! Quite shocking for such a simple set. You can get an original for a lot less, although of course with signs of age, innate imperfections, and unweighted.

GrandPatzerDave
hermanjohnell wrote:

The TV-series caused a hausse for the game some years ago and pieces like those that featured therein came in demand. These look about right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtD3FVJ37Rk&t=122s

But do I need yet another set?

You ask that question like it's even a question! tongue

IpswichMatt
GrandPatzerDave wrote:
hermanjohnell wrote:

The TV-series caused a hausse for the game some years ago and pieces like those that featured therein came in demand. These look about right.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtD3FVJ37Rk&t=122s

But do I need yet another set?

You ask that question like it's even a question!

I suppose the question you have to ask yourself is - do I still have any room in my house? If so - buy another set!

ungewichtet

Ah, I have the answer: It is not "another set". Case closed and ordered.

Haha, that is a bit like Tartakower's 'it is best to sacrifice your opponent's pieces', isn't it happy.png