Era Retro and Noj Tal reproduction

I love how Chuck Grau, Noj and others from the chess community have been able to painstakingly preserve a bit of chess history.  It started with a photo of a chess set on the cover of The Life and Games of Mikhail Tal with Tal playing Krogius at the 1962 USSR Championship.  The photo is taken prior to move #33.

I have one of the sets made by Noj based on Grau's effort.  For reference purposes the pieces are pictured on my DGT smart board (I believe its 55mm square size... the Noj pieces have the DGT sensor)

January 2022, I ordered an Era Retro Tal reproduction set.  Others here are very familiar with Kate and her husband making these in Kharkiv, Ukraine.  Russia invaded Ukraine before my set shipped and I thought that would be the end of it.  Despite the war, Kate and her husband continued production and by April the set arrived.  Glory to Ukraine!

Let me first say, both sets are wonderful and mean a lot to me.  I can't say one is better than the other... they are just different.  I hope these photos help illustrate those differences.  For example, the Era Retro pieces have a warmer golden and retro finish.  These pieces are noticeably taller and only slightly larger radius base compared to Grau/Noj pieces.

I love the Era set. The magnificent Knights, the red felt on the bases and the antique finish of the white pieces are the highlights. The set captures well the mid last century Soviet period in chess. 

Very Nice , I like the Era set too , Those Knights & shape of the rest of the set looks better balance than tha Noj , Going on the photo's .

The rook isn’t getting much love on the Noj set . I really like the lines on this piece.  Noj offers an upgraded knight with more detail.

In my opinion, the chunkyness of the base is what make these sets.  I have an old folding Soviet set I bought in the 80s.  I feel the finish on the Era set closer matches that set.

Love those blinded NOJ Knights!! Congrats Brian, thanks for your review and both looks great! 

The whimsical(?) stylistic horses of the Tal sets are perfect candidates for pumping up the abstraction. If I commissioned it, I might go a bit further and eliminate the horse's mouth as well. No eyes, no nostrils, no mouth.

Detailed historical accuracies aside, both the ERA and NOJ sets are fantastic sets in their own right. If I had to choose, I prefer the overall look of the ERA set just a tiny touch more. But again, both sets look awesome.

Great side by side comparisons photos. Thanks for taking the time to post!

Lol.  The original knight reminds me a bit of the DGT Timeless knight that I also have).

I recall some of the detail wasn't seen by Chuck in the photos but once an original set was discovered it was seen.  Here's the upgraded knight for others interested.

@pawnerai I should ask Era how their design came about.  Or do you know?  I am particularly interested in the story behind Grau/NOJ version which is why this was the first version I owned.

It would be interesting to see side-by-side comparisons of different reproductions as well.

Both sets are just beautiful!

Congrats to Kate and her husband for continuing on as Kharkiv has been pretty hard hit and was in the midst of the fighting.

What wood type does Noj use for his white pieces? Does any one know?

Thanks for posting.

Maple, and maple for the stained pieces as well. Quite tough!

My first post here.

I've recently got back into chess after many years absence. My main set is a nice, old triple-weighted ebony and boxwood Staunton I bought at the Village Chess Shop in NYC when I lived there in the 1990s. 

But I recently I came across Chuck Grau's superb website 'Soviet Chess Sets'. I was immediately fascinated by all these amazing old pieces and spellbound by the beautiful way Chuck shared his passion. 

One set that stood out was the 'Tal'. I started digging around to find one. Noj sets seem hard to find / buy. I did contact Kate in Ukraine (Era Retro) but the Tal set didn't seem to be currently available. 

I then came across a version on Royal Chess Mall. Seemed reasonably priced so I purchased.

The set arrived quite quickly, very well packaged with no issues. It is is well made and of decent quality. Ebonised and antiqued boxwood. The white pieces have a pleasant tobacco-stained patina. Actually a matte / silk finish compared to the varnish of yesteryear. 

BUT ... when compared to the Noj and Era Retro sets – and even to the cover of the Tal book – the overall balance between the pieces seems off.

The knight is too big (could be 85% of its size).

Likewise the pawn is too large and could also be reduced to 85 - 90% of its size). The pawn base also seems too thick compared to the other versions of Tal, in fact the pawn's base is larger than the bishops! The pawns collar is also a bit wide.

The rook seems too small to me (dwarfed by the knight in my opinion)  

Lastly, the queen seems slightly too short for her 4" king. 

The set is double-weighted but due to its chunky size I think it should be triple-weighted to provide more heft in line with its size. They do feel nice in the hand though. Well finished and substantial. 

I'm not sure what to think really. This set is certainly inspired by the Tal set but I wouldn't call it a reproduction (despite the claims of manufacturer in their advert) as it differs so much from the Tal book cover and every other photo I've seen of the set. Maybe there were other versions of the Tal set? 

Anyone else on here have this version of the set? 

I've tried to post a photo here to illustrate the differences, but cannot find the image upload icon. Maybe someone here can help?

Hi @Haikuhead - I think there is some restriction in uploading photos for new member (albeit I am not sure) and/or weirdly, I cannot upload photos on my phone App and have to use the browser interface to upload photos; I wish I could upload photos via the App on my phone but that’s another issue!

On the set, it will be great to see photos - for me there is almost always a cost/quality/accuracy compromise for repro’d historical pieces. The more accurate and detailed the repro, the higher cost to produce and sell. Personally, I am usually (but not always) happy to go with something inspired - but still high quality - by as opposed to a detailed reproduction. And truthfully, that is mostly an economic decision; if money was no issue I’d go to the top end, nearly always.

As I’m not on social media - like Bookface, Twitter, snap etc… I value this forum and the advice given but in the end - we each need to revert back to what we are satisfied with.. and if you like the Tal - even though its not fully accurate. Cool. Perhaps in future you might upgrade to a different set, maybe - maybe not - but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy the set!👍

I have both the Era Retro and Noj versions of the Tal pieces.My Noj version is with the newer Knights.....I paid a decent amount for both,but nothing like the prices asked since Covid(mine were bought about three years ago).

To be perfectly honest,when I saw tha Tal pieces from R.C.M I though(still do) that they were very nice and at a good price.

The most amazing part of your post,Heikuhead,is that The Village Chess Shop is still around.I bought two small sets there in the 1980's and got crushed by a local player at the time,while we sat inside.....Hope all works out for you.

Interestingly enough, these were the 2 best sentences I read on the whole thread. Love reading about people getting back into their Chess, after being out; AND, joining the discussions here! Welcome, welcome!

P.S. The Photo Upload icon is the 2nd from the left on the toolbar above where you type - between the Chessboard icon and the Smiley Face icon.

@magictwanger, AFAIK the Village Chess Shop went out of business in 2012, which is fairly well documented. I worked for George and Ruth back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, before they sold the shop. At some point, It became a club only, and then went out of business entirely. The Chess Forum is still there on Thompson Street, I think. Haven’t been back there in a few years.

Thanks for the posts following mine. All food for thought about reproduction sets and what we really expect from them (apart from cost savings) when compared to the originals. The Royal Chess Mall Tal set is probably much higher build quality when compared to many of the originals. 

As far as the Village Chess Shop? Yes, seems it closed its doors back in 2012

https://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2012/11/village-chess-shop.html

I used to love that place. Just the smell and atmosphere of it – the flavours of a bygone age. 

Sorry to hear about The Village Chess Shop.I'd go there when I worked at The World Trade Center. Talk about loss!

I played on Thompson st in my college days down the street what they now call the chess forum. It's around the corner from Washington square park. It was so fun back then. After the ban on smoking indoors the vibe completely changed.