Did the original Valdai sets use varnish? It would be nice to see the same finish on the reproductions as well. I believe Chess Bazaar uses polyurethane, while Retro Maximum may be using the original coating.
A very curious Valdai reproduction by ChessBazaar (& other repros)
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11 hrs ago
0
#3
BobbyStaunton wrote:
Did the original Valdai sets use varnish? It would be nice to see the same finish on the reproductions as well. I believe Chess Bazaar uses polyurethane, while Retro Maximum may be using the original coating.
I don’t know what they used, but most look fairly glossy. It does look like RetroMaximum is using the same coating—or at least something that emulates the original coating perfectly.
7 hrs ago
0
#4
I have several of the RetroMax sets. I started with the Tal. It was so nicely made that I ordered another of his sets, the ‘Soviet Latvian’, and by then his Valdai set was unavoidable.
So, expensive? I guess that depends on what you value (different for us all - personally, I also liked the idea of supporting a Ukraine-based maker).
Playing with the red felts, was distracting (nice as they look in the photos). They ended up bothering me so much that I replaced them with green. Definitely a personal quirk of mine - one of my OCD twists!
Original felts:
Replaced with green:
6 hrs ago
0
#5
baudouin27 wrote:
I have several of the RetroMax sets. I started with the Tal. It was so nicely made that I ordered another of his sets, the ‘Soviet Latvian’, and by then his Valdai set was unavoidable.
So, expensive? I guess that depends on what you value (different for us all - personally, I also liked the idea of supporting a Ukraine-based maker).
Playing with the red felts, was distracting (nice as they look in the photos). They ended up bothering me so much that I replaced them with green. Definitely a personal quirk of mine - one of my OCD twists!
Original felts:
Replaced with green:
Nice! I refelted two of my sets purple and lavender. I’m in the process of polishing them after removing the mold lines which is ruining the felts, but that’s okay, because the purple I will refelt using a less saturated color as the purple is too noticeable on the board, and the lavender I will replace with a higher quality felt (the same brand as the purple). I ordered a bunch of different colors, most of which dark and desaturated enough I think.
So yeah, I’m a big fan of colors other than dark green, but I’ve learned my lesson; not everything that looks flashy and exciting is actually going to work well on the board; it shouldn’t be too noticeable. Brown, dark gray, burgundy, and lavender work much better.
Here is a truly strange set by ChessBazaar I just came across!
It’s clearly a modern interpretation of the Soviet Valdai sets—essentially a reproduction, but with Stauntonized knights that bear no resemblance to the Valdai knights. But then also the choice to stain the black pieces green!
It’s certainly an acquired taste, but in case you like a highly idiosyncratic set (also available in sheesham and ebonized): Reproduced Russian (Soviet Era) Series Chess Pieces in Stained Green Ash Burl / Box Wood
Kadun reproduction
Kadun also offers a reproduction with modernized knights that are unlike the originals. I would share a link, but you can only order from them if you live in Russia, so what’s the point?
Original Valdai set
For reference, below is a ’60s Valdai set. As you can see, neither reproductions above make an attempt to accurately reproduce the knights.
Retro Maximum reproduction
The only authentic reproduction I’ve come across is by Retro Maximum. You can order it here: Valdai Nobles Chess Set Reproduction
It’s a really beautiful reproduction, but it’ss quite expensive. For that amount, you can easily get an original early ’40s Valdai set. Unweighted though. I believe Retro Maximum’s repro is lightly weighted.
Early Valdai sets
Below is an early ’40s Valdai set, which is characterized by bulkier and more rounded bases, shorter crowns on the royals, and a much smaller bulb on the bishops. The knights also tend to be much more consistent, as the later ’60s knights often feature knights that can vary quite a bit in their muzzle shape.