The Kasparov Set From Oleg Raikis

When I first contacted Oleg five years ago, I inquired about commissioning his "Kasparov" set and his Staunton set; as funds were limited and I could only commission one, I commissioned his Staunton set, which later turned into the "Ideal Staunton" set project. Earlier this year, I was able to commission Oleg's Kasparov set, which I have just received; Oleg created three different versions of this set (and later, several more) which he presented to Kasparov, Kramnik, and Xie Jun; photos and details can be found here: http://www.raikiscollection.com/en/events/10-sobytiya/131-kasparov.html 

My Kasparov set is made in Boxwood and African Blackwood, all single-piece solid construction (e.g., knights are single-piece, finials are solid, etc.), unweighted/unfelted, and includes both the eastern and western style pieces (kings, queens, bishops, knights); king height is 11 cm (4.33"), however, I consider this to be a "3.75-4" king height set" (meaning, it plays well on a 2.25" board; the king height/base is stylistically exaggerated, however, the rest of the pieces are of a 3.75"-4" set nature/sizing). Oleg told me he created this set for tournament play, and that his aim was to create an eastern Staunton; the set certainly satisfies this objective, while at the same time offering a very interesting, fantastical, art-deco aesthetic.

Here are some photos of Oleg's Kasparov set; first, some of the ones he made in the past in various materials/configurations (e.g., in Mammoth Ivory), then my set:

Just a fabulous and unique looking set. The pieces exude that O.R. quality we've come to expect from such a talent.

I hope you get many years of pleasure from such a gem.

Just unreal... Oleg does it again! I love the antique looking brown pieces incidentally

Very nice craftsmanship, sir. I especially like the one-piece knights.

What wood is this? It's incredible!

Wow