Unusual knight designs

I’m curious, what are some of the most unusual knight designs you’ve come across?

I have been obsessively exploring vintage Soviet sets, and I would say Soviet sets feature some of the most unusual knights. Here are a few I came across recently:

I call this one the seahorse knight. 

The set is said to be one-of-a-kind. I believe it; I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The black knight is arguably even better. Also, look at that cute little soldier pawn!

The Soviets have made quite a few potbelly knights (some of which are referred to as penguin knights, as seen in some Botvinnik–Flohr-II sets), but the knights in the ’50s Soviet set below are quite unusual! In fact, the whole set is really unusual. I like how the knights have different color eyes; the white knight looks albino with its red eyes, while the black knight may have cataract.

Albino and cataract potbelly knights.

Below is another unusual Soviet set—this time from the ’80s. But the knights are definitely the most eye-catching pieces, with their sort of crescent shapes and radial manes.

I call these croissant knights.

Another reason the set is unusual is because of the gem inlays—even on the pawns, although some of them are missing gems. The white pieces feature red gems, while the black pieces feature white gems.

Below is yet another unusual Soviet set from the ’80s. These knights aren’t the craziest, and yet I’ve never seen any quite like them. I don’t quite know why, but something about them seems Egyptian. What also makes these knights quite unique is that the eyes are of the opposite color, which gives the white and black pieces quite a different vibe. 

The white knights look quite cute with those beady eyes, whereas the black knights look fairly sinister, and gives the whole chess set an occult presence.

Occult & cute knights.

Below is a Soviet ‘Roses’ chess set from the ’70s, with one of the most peculiar knights I’ve come across.

I call this the triangular unicorn knight.

I feel these knights are designed to be presented sideways. It’s interesting how the pieces together form a triangle, with two sturdy towers on each side.

Lastly, here is a ’40s coffee house chess set—this time Austrian rather than Soviet.

They have such unusual and disproportionally large heads! I particularly like the red pieces.

I call these dinosaur knights. They vaguely look like parasaurolophus but without the head crest, or perhaps a bit like pachycephalosaurus (“thick-headed lizard”).

And that’s it for now. I might comment with more unusual knights when I find some worth showing. What unusual knights have you come across recently?

By the way, do the “seahorse knights” remind you of something? I mean, besides a seahorse. They look so familiar somehow. I might have seen something similar in a cartoon or a painting. I’m not sure.

These are from a Costa Rican set. Wonderful set, heavily weighted.

Probably German, 1st half of the 20th century

Russian or Soviet chess set, early 20th century, wood & bone, weighted

Probably French, late 18th or early 19th century.

French or German bone bust set, 19th century.

What a great posting. My only complaint is, it's giving me the urge to buy another set.

Wow, crazy knights! Interesting rooks as well.

How about these sleeping swan knights from a ’20s–’40s Western European set?

Below, some knights sleeping among 14 urns. 🤭

Here are some of the ugliest knights I’ve ever seen, made out of bone. It’s a 1900s–1920s set. Despite being quite old and made of bone, I have no idea who is going to pay C$1,163.25 for this…

Here is a 1978 Soviet set, which I think is really quite beautiful—especially the floral-looking kings and queens and the bishops with their elongated miters.

But those knights are so strange! They’re actually one of the least legible knights I’ve come across. They almost look like mosaics.

I found another “triangular unicorn knights” set like the ’70s Roses in my original post! This is a brown version, clearly from the same maker.

I really like how the pieces look together, actually. But such quirky knights!

Here is a fun chess set from the ’20s, which I like to call the Bakery set. Why? Well, look at these croissant knights:

And some baguette bishops:

Here is the whole bakery set together:

Actually, it’s Bread & Buttplugs, isn’t it? 😆

Here is a minimalist chess set I almost forgot with an extremely unusual knight design. The pieces are made of Karelian birch. Unfortunately, I do not know anything about the set (age, origin, maker etc.).

Wow, very interesting! A few of the pieces seem to reference the Henke set and the modern Minimalist Berliner. But what a wild knight and king!