Beautiful "Mixed" Luxury Set from Antiquechesscrafts (Etsy)

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chessmaster_diamond

There's a quartet of knights I wanted for some years but never got around to buying a set with them. Fierce-looking, intricately carved knights with their heads turned to the side, raging, with a wild mane to match:

My problem was, I'm not such a huge fan of the ready-made set they usually come with, sporting a few more collars, or rings, than I usually like:

So I contacted different companies that made sets with these knights and inquired whether I could just buy a quartet of knights, or buy a different set with these knights being added in the mix. They either said "no", or quoted a price for just the knights almost as high as for the entire set, or wouldn't mix sets up ("We only sell complete sets as advertised"). AFAIR I asked Chessbazaar, Royal Chess Mall, Chess n'Crafts and Chess by India.

There's a new shop on Etsy called antiquechesscrafts, a company from Amritsar that, according to the info on their own website (https://antiquechesscrafts.com/), has been around for decades. Naturally I was a bit nervous when I bought my recent "Morphy Staunton" set from them, as the shop had zero reviews, and even zero sales. But, I reckoned, if it didn't work out, Etsy would have my back. Luckily, it did work out, and the set I got was beautiful, and fully lived up to the pictures on Etsy: https://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/post-youre-chess-sets?page=121#comment-86555443. And it was a good deal, too. Essentially, carving and boxwood antiquing on the level of The Chess Empire, but at approx. half the price.

And then I saw they were offering the knights as part of the set I didn't want, but plenty of other attractive sets as well, with knights I didn't want or already have. So I asked them, the contact being Mr. Varinder Pal Sing, if they would sell me a "mixed" set, provided I'd pay roundabout the same amount that the so-called "Savarno" set costs. And they said they would. So I picked the "Wellington" set (also beautiful: https://www.etsy.com/de/listing/1427534194/44-wellington-luxus-staunton?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=wellington+chess&ref=sr_gallery-1-2&frs=1&organic_search_click=1 - but I got a set with similar knights already), with the knights being replaced with those of the "Savarno". Both sets have the same king's height (4.4"), and I thought the mix would make a good match.

I bought the new set informally via direct contact to Mr. Singh (so, no Etsy having my back this time). And not only did Antiquechesscrafts deliver, but promptly, too.

I really like the king with the big conical dome head and the "palm leaf" on top, and the fact that despite a number of decorative "ethnic" embellishments, it's still obviously in the classic Staunton tradition, with the deep and broad cuts in the bishops' mitres that we all like.

The pieces are triple-weighed, the whole set of 34 pieces comes to around 2kgs. The kings weigh in at 97g and 106g respectively.

The quality of the carving is excellent, as are the grains on the bud rosewood pieces.

This set needs a square size of at least 60mm, which is the size of the Ferrer rosewood "deluxe" board in the pictures. Some people might want to go larger on the board, but I'm fine with this size.

Couldn't be happier with the carving, the wood, or the service provided by Mr. Singh.

Of course, whether cracks might occur over time, I have no way of telling, but the company offers a three-year replacement warranty for cracked pieces.

The packaging was safe, using the kind of carton box we know from other manufacturers in India. The ornate knights came with extra padding:


I was pleased that Mr. Singh included a satchel of extra felts with the set - those can always come in handy.

After two entirely positive experiences with the shop, I can now safely recommend antiquechesscrafts as a "new" player in the game, with a portfolio of many beautiful sets at competitive prices.

magictwanger

Gorgeous looking set.....I have a fairly similar design,but yours is just gorgeous!

My feeling is,it's nice to have one fancy set of pieces.Your set qualifies as fancy and stunning to boot!

Hope you get many years of pleasure from such a gem.

chessmaster_diamond

It's a showroom set for sure. I won't let anyone else touch those knights. wink.png

Speaking of knights, forgive me for a few more pictures. These are truely a work of art. happy.png