Chess.com.ru - Chess of 21 century

A famous Russian sculptor and designer of chess Oleg Raikis has finished creating of series of designs as the project " CHESS OF 21 CENTURY" , dedicated to the strongest chess players of the finishing century : world champion number one Garry Kasparov , a chess player number two , a challenger Vladimir Kramnik and woman champion of 2000 Xie Jun........

Chess of 21 century

London , October, 5

"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

In 1835 Nathaniel Cooke created a new chessmen design dedicated to one of the strongest chess players of that time Howard Staunton. Appearance of a new unified design was caused by the objective necessity of that time, as a uniform standard of chessmen was required for the international tournaments and at the same time this became a starting-point not only in the field of history of chessmen, but also in the history of the game itself. Precisely from that time chess has received more definite form and professional content both among players or participants and among organizers of the tournaments.

White chessmen: mammoth tusk

Black chessmen: stained mammoth tusk, stained box-tree.

In "Kasparov" design such pieces as king, queen, bishop and knight have carved elements which put together number 13. Kasparov is a 13 champion, 13 is a date of his birth. All of three designs could be united by one title Raikis style, finally there will be produced 12 sets of each design, which will be a limited edition with Raikis signs, on a king and knight. We think that this style, will have worth place both in history of designs and history of chess, because FIDE is negotiating about creating of uniform design-standard forallofficial chess competiotions.

Oleg Raikis presented Miss Xie Jun with the design " Xie Jun" during the ceremony of the opening of World Chess Cup (FIDE) in Shenyang, China.

While creating the Xie Jun Design 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. A very important factor for me was creating of the design, dedicated to the World Champion Xie Jun, as to an outstanding chess player of our time and also because China has enormous achievements and deep roots in the field of plastic art and particularly of fine chess. Not once I was honored to restore old chess sets of Chinese craftsmen, made of elephant ivory, that\rquote s why, when I was creating a new, modern and functional design, I tried to include some Chinese symbols and plastic forms in it.

White chessmen: mammoth tusk

Black chessmen: stained mammoth tusk, stained box-tree.

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Oleg Raikis is a russian sculptor, specializing in the fields of work with mammoth ivory, walrus, amber, hard wood. He has created a big amount of pieces of art: author sculptures and chess sets, which belong to collections of famous people and collectors all over the world. Some of his works are exhibited at the Gallery of Cees Hogendoorn ( Amsterdam ). He is famous not only to collectors of modern art and to collectors of antique as an expert and restorer. Oleg Raikis is a member of Internationl Federation of Artists (UNESCO), Chess Collectors International, International Art Fund.