Russian Chess Sets
Chess is widely know today as the national game of Russia, but played by millions all over the world, with the highest popularity in both India and Russia. It is a strategy board game thought to have been developed in the 7th century from the Indian game chaturanga. In Russia, chess was known to be popular from before the 1500's, when it was banned by Ivan the Terrible. The game remained popular throughout the reign of the Czars, and now it is estimated to be played by over 40% of all Russians, as well as an estimated 15% of all Americans. We are direct importers of antique hand carved Russian chess sets. Offering a wide selection of wooden soviet propaganda chess sets.
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Our selection of antique Russian chess sets reflects the Russian heritage, and includes a wide assortment. Most are hand-carved and hand-painted from kiln-dried European linden-wood, produced and sourced by the Russian American Company from small wood-working cooperatives in the villages around Moscow and St. Petersburg such as the village of Bogorodskaya which has historically been an acclaimed woodworking village with over a century of producing finally carved Russian chess sets. Many also are one-of-a-kind, from individual craftsman, who may be hobbyists and produce only a few unique one-of-a-kind sets. These examples are not only made from wood, but also might utilize exotic materials like fossil ivory or bone, or some unique chess sets can be carved or sculpted from semi-precious stone such as jade (nephrite), charoite, or seraphanite which naturally occur in the Ural mountain region of Russia.