Theme Chess Sets

I have been looking at this time of year especially at some of those theme chess sets, like Crusades or Battle of Hastings, where the pieces are clearly identified from each other, yet white and black are actually different "armies".

Has anybody out there played with a set like this? Can it be as comfortable once used to it as the ole Staunton, or are they just "all show"?

BrucieB

Have you looked at the Harry Potter set? All the peices are kings and calvalry and the like and they are all the same peices on both sides, just different colors, so they are easily recognizeable.

There's also that classic set they used in the film for Harry and Ron's match that is apparently based upon a very old set. I think its nice too, I might get it. 

 This one is called the Isle of Lewis.  My personal favorite.

I have tried the Isle of Lewis chess set, and except for mixing up the bishop for another key man (like a King!), it can be played as comfortably, I thought as Staunton.

But, specifically, i wondered if all the pieces look exactly as they should in shape, size and structure for the respected items, but each side, in exact size looked different, could one play black or white equally comfortably?!

Can someone help me ID one of the pieces on this theme set (which sold in 2013 for 175,000 British pounds! Maurizio Cattelan (famous Italian contemporary artist did the design).

I can recognize all the pieces on the 'Good' side.

One on the 'evil' side I cannot make out. I had to figure some of these by myself (Savanarola, Mata Hari, and Al Capone for instance). Others were already posted online. I'm still not 100% sure about Salome....

The good side:

Pawns: 9-11 World Trade Center generic Fireman, Mother Teresa, Pinoccio**, Sitting Bull, Dhali Lama, Big Bad Wolf, Sophia Loren**, Superman

Pieces: Sigmund Freud, Joan of Arc, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, Virgin Mary, Cicciolina** (a.k.a Ilona Staller) Italian film star elected to Italian parliment, Che Guevera, Saint Francis.

Evil side:

Pawns: Mata Hari, Nero**, Colonel George A. Custer, Stalin, Al Capone**, Rasputin, ?????, Donatella Versace**: Italian comtemporary artist-sometimes she was satirized on Saturday Night Live.

Pieces: Dracula, Sigmund Freud (again), Savonarola**16th century Italian monk who set up a puratanical political rule, Cruella De Vil, Hitler, Old Father Time, Salome, the Devil (Eden garden serpant in the apple tree).

As you can see some of these might be obscure to non Italians (I put ** by any Italy associated ones). 

Ok the evel pawn on G2. There are two figures: older man wearing blue and white muffler carrying a cane, he is being helped/led by another man in uniform.

Any idea who this is?

Thank you.

P.S. Another picture so you can recognize better Pinoccio, and Sophia Loren up front. And Donatella Versace and Al Capone in next to the back row (Capone has a cigar).

The Afghanistan set is probably worth quite a lot on ebay, a couple hundred dollars???

Maurizio Cattelan designer of the good v. evil exhibition exhibit

at the Guggenheim (all objects hanging in the display are his design):

http://www.designboom.com/art/maurizio-cattelan-all-retrospective-at-guggenheim-new-york/

The man with the cane, assisted by a soldier, is Pol Pot.

Thank you burke!

Been racking brain for about 3 hours trying to ID the last rogue on that side of the board.

https://www.mtholyoke.edu/~marye20l/classweb/Pol%20Pot.html

Yep, that's him.

Only thing that slightly disturbs me is why the Big Bad Wolf is on the good side of the board. All the rest makes sense!

P.S. I think this is the worlds most valuable chess set becasue I see it sold at auction for about 175,000 pounds. Maybe there were others that fetched more....

I like the set except that Che Guevara should be on the evil side. He was a brutal murderer who was responsible for the execution of thousands of men in Cuba and South America.

Maybe you are taking this a bit too seriously?

My wife's cousin brought back a chess set from his tour in Afghanistan.  Apparently, the locals made chess sets geared towards the nationalities of all the soldiers taking part.  The white pieces for the Canadian set had a Prime Minister for king and Queen Elizabeth II for a queen.  The rest of the pieces were various Canadian soldiers.  On the black side, it was all Taliban, with a burqa wearing queen. The board had a map of Afghanistan painted on it.  It's a great conversation piece but I'd never want to play on it - far too hard to tell all the pieces apart.  Well, aside from the queens, I guess. :-)

The Afghanistan set is probably worth quite a lot on ebay, a couple hundred dollars???

Maurizio Cattelan designer of the good v. evil exhibition exhibit

at the Guggenheim (every one of the objects hanging in the display are his design):

http://www.designboom.com/art/maurizio-cattelan-all-retrospective-at-guggenheim-new-york/

Savonarola? I though it was the dead from the movie Seven Seals.

I like it how confusing this set is, the perfect example of why themed sets are not good for playing. Move this pieces some and there will nbe not way to tell a rook from a bishop and good from a bad.

Heck, Freud is a good Rook but a bad Knigh?

I agree with htdavidht, it is Death from the Ingmar Bergman film, The Seventh Seal:

https://www.google.com/search?q=seventh%20seal

The cloak, face and nose are a better fit for Death than Savonarola.

I am somewhat of the opinion others have voiced which is that theme sets are distracting and they create a feeling as if people are playing with toys.
But after I thought more about this I see some good uses for themed sets. I think some kids could be drawn to chess only if they find the pieces more interesting. To them the incentive could be imagination and handling the chessmen. Of course, if they actually like chess and continue playing, they won't care.

I can imagine theme sets being more valuable than the crappy mass produced ones. If they're unique and possibly made by very good craftsmen, either from wood, metal, maybe glass or porcelain. It wouldn't be good to give them to kids of course, but they would be collectible.

If you want to hook kids on chess, this is what you need:

http://www.chess.com/forum/view/chess-equipment/the-gateway-drug