I purchased this set on a 50% off sale. Received it today. Very impressed! I inspected every piece closely and found only two Minor, minor, minor spots that could be described as "flaws." First was a spot on one of the white pawns about 5mm round that was simply an internal wood grain spot, not really a flaw because wood has grain and color differences within it, one of the reasons wood is so beautiful.. Now a 5mm diameter natural wood spot is very normal in wood. In fact that there was only one in the whole white pieces set is nothing short of miraculous. I should note that I am a high-end furniture maker a quite use to looking at wood and for "flaws" in wood (thus my very close examination). The second flaw was a tiny, again about 5mm or less flaw in the finish of one of the black pieces on one of the bottom rings. Again very, very ,very tiny. Neither spot is franky really noticeable except on the most thorough, picky exam. I am astonished at the consistency and quality evident in the entire set. Oh, and I need to mention the knights! Hansomely carved, and all four so nearly identicle as to be astonishing, although I know they're hand carved. I've tried my hand at carving and coudn't carve a spoon, let alone four (and indeed no doubt hundreds) identical carvings so small and beautiful. So, I gave this long and wordy review to say "bravo" to the makers and sellers of this set. Get it on sale and you have a heirloom set at a bargin price, for the quality and beauty, that, with care, will last generations.

This chess design really caught my attention. Started with the king and queen crown, which is obvious. But what I was really drawn to and eventually purchasing is the rook's design. Most designs focus on the knight, this knight design is great as well but the rook -- wow. It looks like a real tower of power to behold, I also like how the pawns have low centre of gravity and rounded base. Great work of art! We need more unique designs like this that set CB apart.

So pleased with this combo set that I grabbed for an excellent deal during a sale.

First off, these pieces are the most intricately carved and high quality pieces that I have seen for chessmen of this small size. When I first showed them to my friend the first thing he said was "WOW, these are so nice." Great little pieces, and perfect for bringing them on the go, which is why I wanted them.

The board is beautiful as well. Honestly, I would prefer if it simply folded in half instead of rolled up, but it's not that big of a deal, it can be folded in half instead of rolled, so that's what I do, but I wonder about how long the material holding each square together will last. But regardless, the pieces and the board pair excellently together.

Finally, with regards to the bag - as the previous reviewer mentioned, it's too large for these pieces, so I would rather have purchased just the pieces/board combo, but considering how great the sale was with the bag included, I'm definitely not complaining. One thing to note is that the bag had an extremely strong chemical/synthetic smell at first (which was the second thing my friend said after exclaiming that the pieces were so beautiful), but it's aired out now and smells fine.

Overall, I'm super happy with these pieces and board. Chess Bazaar, if you'd ever consider making boards that fold in half instead of roll up (ideally with hinges instead of felt on the bottom of the board), I would buy one immediately!

Thanks a lot Chess Bazaar, I'll definitely be back for my next purchase.

Very attractive Russsian/Zagreb style pieces! The size is perfect as an analysis set. Very pleased!

Fast shipping, 7 days from India to Australia.

Items very well packed and wrapped. Bomb proof.

The chess pieces have small nicks due to wood working and tool marks. But you need to look hard. Not a deal breaker. This is standard.

Felt on the base is adequate. Looks fine. Could be slightly thicker.

Pieces have a nice hefty feel. The white pieces slightly less so due to box wood being a lighter wood than ebony.

The ebony pieces are without doubt treated in some way to make them jet black. I am convinced of this after purchasing numerous luxury ebony sets. It’s easy to see. The pieces are jet black, whereas, the ebony squares on the chess boards are much lighter (dark brown) and the grain and colouration differences are clearly visible. You simply can’t see anything other than jet black on the pieces. Naturally occuring jet black ebony generally occurs in older trees that take many decades to reach full maturity. The availability of older mature trees is very limited. This makes them extremely expensive. So various manufacturers artificially darken younger ebony wood to get that jet black finish. It’s not a deal breaker but it would be nice if the ebony was not treated.

There is a noticeable though not problematic difference in the knights. I guess this is understandable since the complex design and high degree of detail would make it very difficult to achieve complete uniformity. As stated it is noticeable but not a deal breaker. The knights are beautiful pieces. Stunning!!!

All the pieces in general are very attractive. The rooks are particularly beautiful, as is the king. However, all the pieces are stunning. I particularly like the soft, curved lines, reminiscent of Middle Eastern and central Asian architecture and design.

In summary, a stunning set. Great visual impact if you intend to display. The knights probably don’t have the easy tactile feel of some more playable designs, but their sheer beauty makes up for that.

A little expensive, try and buy on sale. If you can buy at a reasonable price you will not be disappointed.

The shipping time from India to Australia was less than 6 days.

As for the board it came very well wrapped and packed and arrived in pristine condition.

The board itself is very elegant and impressive to look at. Quite heavy and robust. As an overall impression it looks great.

The only negative is the attention to detail in the finish. I understand this is a largely handmade and hand finished item, so some room for small inconsistencies must be allowed for.

However, the surface has numerous long light scratches that are generally not visible unless you get down to eye level with the board and against the light. There are fine nicks here and there on the surface, but you have to look hard.

The boarder timber is not finished to a high standard. Some corners don’t meet sharply. They are over sanded and a little too flat or too rounded. Some corners are better finished than others. One corner on my board was sanded back a little too much and the difference is notable, but not a deal breaker, again you have to look for it.

The felt back is quite nice. There is some black over painting on the outside edges of the light squares where they meet the boarder.

My great wish is that the makers of these boards and pieces took a little more time to focus on the finish. Everything looks great for the most part. But once you start to really look all of a sudden you really start to notice numerous small things. Small things in themselves are not so important, but when you have many small things then it’s hard not to notice. More attention to detail is the way to go. After all, when you pay this kind of money you should be able to expect a nicely finished product.

All in all, a very nice board. You won’t be disappointed. Personally I wouldn’t pay the full asking price, for the reasons as given above. But they do regularly come on sale and at 30 - 50% off (like I purchased it), they are worth it.

This is my second set from ChessBazaarIndia. As before the set is above expectations. I wanted a larger set and the Austrian Coffee House reproduction is it. The king at 4.2 inches is formidable and of good weight. The feel and the finish are perfect. I will definitely be following this store for additional sets. Note: One of the knights arrived broken. I contacted the seller who immediately agreed to send a new one and shipped it the next day. Great customer service. I can’t wait for it to arrive. There will be many games played with this set!

Highly recommended. Good contact. Good quality chess figures and when something is crooked we usually get new ones.

This is a nice Latvian chess set with opposite colored finials that are the hallmark of the Latvian style. This chess set also comes with no religious imagery, which I prefer, and which was a characteristic of Soviet chess sets of the 1920s to 1980s. The one thing that does bother me is that this set it being advertised as being the chess set used in the show "The Queen's Gambit". While this chess set is very similar, it is not the same. In my view, this is a nicer set than the one used in the series, so I am very happy with my purchase.

I was particularly scared because the product had no reviews. But I took the leap of faith because the board looks good than anyone else. And I am so glad I bought this. It is beautiful!. The board is straight and smooth. I do not usually write reviews, but this one deserves 5 stars and full appreciation.

In a side note, I wanted to ask... should I protect the board from the "indirect" sunlight?. I know the direct sunlight could damage the wood, or leave stains.