*SOLD* Mikael Beneficii (Misha’s Favourite); Soviet Mordovian Gulag Chess Set, circa 1945-1950

Mikael Beneficii (Misha’s Favourite); 32 naturally-weighted chessmen without board, wood, Soviet, Mordovian, rare pattern, white vs. red, antiqued, c.1949

Height: King 9.5cm, wt 15g, base width 3.8cm, Queen 8.5cm 15g, Bishop 7.5cm 10g, Knight 6cm 10g, Rook 5cm 10g, Pawn 4.3cm 5g.

W: antiqued burgundy felt bases B: same

The effervescent Portuguese collector, Arlindo Vieira, in his blog Xadrez Memoria (Memories Of Chess) enthuses that Tal “loved this [these]

pieces” and if I were forced to select just one Soviet set to take with me to the afterlife, this would certainly be the one. Vieira, of course, refers to the late World Champion Mikhail Tal, or “Misha” as he was fondly called, the famous ‘Magician of Riga’.’ And one can see why he favoured this particular set, as just to glance at them sparks an uncontrollable urge to play chess!

The iconic ‘elbow’ or ‘S’ shaped knights have a stark simplicity about them and are very comfortable in hand* – even more so with these rarely seen knights which stand more erect than the standard ‘Latvian’ examples, poised in a serpent-like stance, much like another famous set associated the legendary name of Tal, which it may very well have provided the inspiration for?

The simple tear-drop dome of the bishop can only be inspired by Moscow’s Saint Basil’s Cathedral, erected during the reign of Ivan the Terrible in the 16th century with “…its towering domes shaped like the flames of a bonfire rising into the sky” (A. Ivanov, The Tsars p.100). A vivid description I bore in mind when choosing the fiery, antiqued crimson hues for the dark side of this set. The finish has been purposefully kept clean and simplistic and intentionally veers away from the more traditional black v. red/orange set up. I’ve also chosen to keep the finials one colour rather than the usual opposing colours – it just feels and looks right – and perhaps black is more appropriate for this gloomy year we are all living through at the moment.

The pieces are UV resistant and ideal for display as well as casual play. Both kings carry the hand-painted iridescent silver 2020 ‘Power’ signature of the artist on their felt bases.

Visit our Gallery for more artistically restored vintage chess sets.

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