Ovolo Militaris (The Oval Officers); Soviet ‘Egg & Dart’ Chess Set, c.1955

The Oval Officers (Ovolo Militaris); 32 vintage chess pieces without board, Soviet (prob. Yelizarovskaya Factory of Cultural Goods), birch wood, weight added, amber shellac vs. black, partially restored and antiqued, c.1948-1958.

King Height: 11.8cm, weight 30g, base width 3.8cm

Queen; 9.8cm, wt. 28g

Bishop; 8.5cm, 24g

Knight; 7.5cm, 24g

Rook; 6.5cm, 28g

Pawns; 5.5cm, 16g

W: Deep Blue felt pads; B: same

 

The charmingly unique feature of these Soviet chess pieces is the oval or ‘egg-shaped’ signifiers of the bishops and the dart-like finials of the kings. The design itself is likely an evolution of the curvaceous Smyslov patterns of the 1930s with a hint of the so-called ‘Averbakh II’ upright design. What a handsome pedigree!

 

The light pieces are virtually untouched and carry a gorgeous honey-gold patina. Only very minor touch-ups were needed here, which have been meticulously matched to the original patina and are invisible to the eye. There’s some battle damage to the rook crenellations, which in my opinion, adds manly character to the set, so these old war wounds will follow them into the afterlife.

 

The dark pieces have been artistically restored using sets from my collection as reference. The original finish was a dull, eye-wateringly unattractive matt black, therefore, I decided to emulate the aged sheen of the light pieces in order to bring the set together. This was accomplished using a canny combination of paint and shellac, hand-buffing each layer to create the same ‘in-hand’ feel as the light side – and mission accomplished, if I do say so myself!

 

Both queens carry the iridescent gold ‘Power’ signature on their bases and Ovolo Militaris are also accompanied by our unique Chess Schach Certificate of Artistry.

 

Etsy Set Price: $950.00

 

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