🇺🇦 Paxum (Peace); Large Traditional Ukrainian ‘Grandmaster’ Chess Set, c.1980

Peace (Paxum); 32 large wooden chess pieces without board, Ukrainian, Tournament/Club Set, unweighted, amber vs. brown, partially restored, c.1980
Height: King 12.8cm or 5 inches, weight 22g, base width 3.5cm; Queen 10.2cm or 4”, wt 18g, bw 3.5cm, Bishop 8.5cm 21g bw 3.8cm, Knight 7cm 21g bw 3.5cm, Rook 6.5cm 20g bw 3.8cm, Pawns 6cm 20g BASE WIDTH 4cm (four centimetres).
W: Ukrainian Blue felt pads, B: Ukrainian Yellow felt pads
NOTE: The pawns bases have the widest width in this set. The board pictured has 4.5cm squares.

We are pleased to announce a VERY SPECIAL New Listing EXCLUSIVE to The Chess Schach Gallery. The set is a prime example of a unique and traditional pattern used in Ukrainian chess clubs during the 1970s and 80s.

ALL PROCEEDS from the sale will be donated to the Canada-Ukraine Foundation based here in Toronto, Ontario, established in 1995 at the 18th Canadian-Ukrainian Congress. The CUF survives on public donations and government funding and is playing a major role in finding shelter, medical aid and jobs for the thousands of Ukrainian refugees that have already been welcomed by Torontonians. In short, they are supplying money and aid to wherever it is needed most.*

Now onto the set itself; These are large, beefy, broad-bottomed pieces, especially the pawns, which unusually sport the widest bases of the set (the board pictured has 4.5cm squares, but perhaps a board with 5cm squares might suit the set better). The set has only been partially restored as the light pieces were in extremely good vintage condition with a rich, golden glistening patina, so just a few small repairs were needed here and there. The dark pieces, however, didn’t sparkle so brightly so I decided to completely refinish them to match the warmth and ‘feel’ of the light pieces. The original brown colour has been darkened a shade or four and the sheen matched to the light side giving this “old set a new set feel” as the German author and collector, Holger Langer, kindly said of our sets.

The finials of the royals originally had reversed colours like so many Soviet-era patterns, however, due to recent events I decided to keep them with colour, giving the set a more European appearance, which just seemed right given the current conflict between Ukraine and the war-mongering toe-rag, Putin. Likewise, to underline the global solidarity with our Ukrainian and decent-minded Russian friends the felt bases pay respect to the horizontal bicoloured colours of the Ukrainian flag adding a splash of colour that finishes the set off harmoniously.

*Further information about the organization can be found at cufoundation.ca or you can make a donation directly #HelpUkraineNow