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The House of Staunton Showcase:| In 1835, Nathaniel Cooke designed new chessmen dedicated to one of the strongest chess players of the day: Howard Staunton. Today, Oleg Raikis, a famous Russian sculptor, continues this tradition. "Chess of the 21st Century", inspired by the balance and simplicity of the Staunton design, is dedicated to today's strongest chess players: Former World Champion Garry Kasparov, World Champion Vladimir Kramnik, and Women's World Champion Xie Jun. | In spite of the similarity of the designs, each exhibits its own uniqueness, melding both formal symbols and the author's personal perceptions of each of these superb chess players. As an example, there are elements of Chinese symbols: Yan in the Bishop, some similarity to Chinese dragon in the Knight. In the Kasparov design, such pieces as King, Queen, Bishop and Knight have carved elements which suggest the number 13. Kasparov is the 13th champion and 13 is a date of his birth. In the Kramnik design the Queen, Knight and Rook take a more Vanguard design approach - a new generation of chess players. Another unique feature of all the designs is that they are all fabricated from a single block of material, as if they are made by one fluent movement of a cutter. Also, the King's cross finial has been replaced by a symbol of birth and creative origin in a form of an inverted drop. All of three designs are united by one "Raikis style". |
"While creating the designs I was guided by the universality, balance and simplicity of the Staunton Design. At the same time I was trying to find forms, that would mostly coincide to the modern style in the field of interior design and interior filling things." -Oleg Raikis.
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In London, during the ceremony of the opening of the match for the world title between the World Champion Garry Kasparov and a challenger Vladimir Kramnik, Russian sculptor Oleg Raikis was introduced by the organizer of the match, Sir Jeremy Hanley, along with his unique chess set, "Flowers". The set is crafted from mammoth ivory and rare indiginous wood, Bokaut. Afterwards the sculptor presented the World Champion and the Challenger with chessmen designs, dedicated to each of them. Oleg Raikis also presented Miss Xie Jun with a design dedicated to her during the ceremony of the opening of World Chess Cup (FIDE) in Shenyang, China. |
| Oleg Raikis is a Russian sculptor, specializing in the fields of work with mammoth ivory, walrus, amber, and hardwood. He has created a significant number of works of art, including sculptures and chess sets, which now reside in the collections of famous people and collectors all over the world. Some of his works are exhibited at the Gallery of Cees Hogendoorn (Amsterdam). | Oleg Raikis is a member of International Federation of Artists (UNESCO), Chess Collectors International, and the International Art Fund.
This is the beginning. In all, there will be 12 different sets. A limited edition will also be available, featuring Raikis' insignia on one king and one knight. In time, these creative designs will have have carved out their own unique niche in chess history. |
 Other Works of Oleg Raikis | Click the below images to see a larger view... |
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Other Specialty Ivory Chess Sets...
| Click the below images to see a larger view... |
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The House of Staunton • houseofstaunton.com |
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