chess
Conversation with World-Renowned Chess Collector Mike J. Ladzinski | CHESSBAZAAR
Thanks to Mike John Ladzinski for accepting our request. Being an avid chess collector, we have asked him a certain set of questions to whom he replied candidly. 1. When and from where did you get the inspiration for your chess-collecting journey? When I started tournament and club play in the 70's I played on and noticed many nice wood and plastic sets. These included the gorgeous lacquered wood French Lardy sets and the wonderful Windsor Castle and Drueke Player's Choice plastic sets. 2. Are you a chess player? I play chess mainly on the internet but play speed/blitz chess with friends. 3. Which was the first set collected by you? A black/natural 3.75" Lardy set 4. How many sets you have in total in your collection? What have you decided to do with your collection in the future? I've lost count but probably around 150 sets. Related: My Journey as a Chess Collector by Stephen Kong (Chess Praxis) 5. Which is your favorite vintage set and why? Tough question as I have so many vintage favorites. I have 3 sets that I would place at the top of my collection, a 1862 Jaques of London 4.4" Club Set with original labeled box, an Ayres 4.4 Club Set and a 1890's Russian Tournament Set. 6. Which is your favorite chessbazaar set? Now that's a really tough question as I have so many wonderful ChessBazaar sets and it's impossible for me to pick one. So here are my favorites: The 1973-1979 Petropolis Interzonal set, The Richard Whitty set, The 1895 Ayres Club set, The 1950's Bohemia set and the 1950's Soviet Russian Tal Latvian set. 7. Who is your favorite chess player? Paul Morphy and Paul Keres 8. How many chess clocks you have in your possession? About 15 clocks 9. Your advice to the new collectors? Buy vintage and premium quality reproduction set that fit your budget Related: Start your chess collection now – Be a chess collector 10. Your comments regarding chessbazaar ChessBazaar has become without question the leader in producing premium quality reproduction and collectible Staunton sets at the most affordable prices for collectors and tournament players. They listen to what collectors like myself want. At my suggestion, they have made so many superb historic reproductions in the past. I would be remiss if I did mention and give thanks to Gurpreet Singh Khokhar for his efforts on behalf of ChessBazaar in getting these many historic reproductions made for avid collectors like myself. And many thanks to the ChessBazaar team. Read More: 1. Why Should You Take a Travel Chess Set While Traveling With Friends or Family? 2. All About Woods used in Chessmen and Boards 3. 10 Useful Tips to Take Care of your Chess Board
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10 Greatest Chess Masters of all Time!
Gary Kasparov - Gary started learning his training at the age of 10 at Mikhail Botvinnik’s chess school. In 1979, he accidentally entered into a professional tournament which he won. Started ruling the chess kingdom at the age of 22, youngest ever undisputed champion in 1985, he remained #1 until his retirement in 2005. ANATOLY KARPOV - Youngest ever Soviet National Master (age 15), World junior chess champion in 1969, defeated Korchnoi and Spassky in 1974 and challenged Fischer for the World Title. He won the 1995 Linares tournament which is considered to be the strongest tournament in history. EMANUEL LASKER - The longest ever(27 years) to dominate the chess world. Emanuel Lasker began his reign in 1894 by defeating Steinitz by 10 wins, 5 losses and 4 draws to win the World Title. Later in 1907 he defended his title against Marshall and won flawlessly. Wilhelm Steinitz - He was branded as Austrian Morphy. In 1866 he defeated Adolf Andersson, then he became the strongest active player in the world. 1873-1882, the period when he only ended up playing one match, against Blackburne but won it flawless 7-0. Jose Capablanca - Capablanca, the undisputed master of the Blitz chess, he began his chess at the age of 4. At 13 defeated the Cuban champion, at 18, defeated the US Champion Frank Marshall 15-8. Finally, in 1921, he won the World Championship and ended the Lasker reign and set up himself as the new World Champion which he successfully defended for next 6 years. BOBBY FISCHER - Fischer, began his career at the age of 14, winning 8 US Championships, at 15, became the youngest Grandmaster and the youngest ever candidate for World Championship. In 1970 he on 20 consecutive matches in “1970 Interzonal”. By 1972, he defeated Boris Spassky to become the World Champion. Alexander Alekhine - Alexander Alekhine, one of the strongest players of Russia by 16, and strongest player in the world by 22, as mentioned earlier, began his reign by defeating Capablanca in 1927. Mikhail Botvinnik - He began his reign in 1948 which continued till 1963. He retired in 1970 and devoted himself to development of chess programs and training young Soviet Players. Paul Morphy - He is considered to be the most gifted chess player. Morphy participated in the first American Chess Congress which he won to become the champion of United States. Viswanathan Anand - The highest rated player in the world and World Chess Champion, he held the FIDE World Chess Championship from 2000-2002. Anand is one of the six players to cross the 2800 mark. He officially gained the #1 on November 1, 2010. Anand is the most versatile player as he is the only one to win the world championship in many formats including Knockout, Tournament, Match, Rapid, and Blitz. More Articles to Read: Viswanathan “Vishy” Anand Tips for Improving your Chess Training Session, By A. Claudio Marcolino My best game of all time, by Maxime Morin
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MONTHLY ROUND-UP – FEBRUARY 2018
February is celebrated as a month of Love all over the world. So The month of “love” was dedicated to the decor lovers as we came up with the new range of Antique Austrian Series. This new austrian series bring back the good times for our chess buyers who are looking for antique color and long lasting chess Pieces. The 1935 Warsaw Capablanca Simultaneous Chess Set also had a major presence in the new arrival section throughout the month. For the full scoop on all of the above, plus some other top stories from the past month, hit up the links below. 19th Century Antique Austrian Series Chess Pieces in Ebonized Boxwood & Golden Antiqued Boxwood - 4.27" King - The 1935 Warsaw Capablanca Simultaneous Chess Set Reproduction in Ebony and Boxwood - 3.8" King - The Repro of Averbakh 1949 Moscow Chess Championship Chess Pieces in Ebonized & Natural Boxwood 4.16 inch King - The 1849 Cooke Jaques Staunton Weighted 3.5 inch King Chess Pieces in Ebony wood and Vintage Antique Boxwood We are pleased to announce the Antique Austrian Series Chess Pieces exquisitely made from antique boxwood and ebonized wood. The King proudly stands at 4.27" inches and its base is robust 108 mm. This chess set featuring the magnificently robust and gigantic knight. Know More-> Related: Tournament Chess Sets – 5 Incredible Chess Sets to Choose from! Moving on to The 1935 Warsaw Capablanca Simultaneous Chess Set Reproduction in Ebony and Boxwood - 3.8" King. This chess set is also reproduced in collaboration with "Michael Ladzinski", one of the most respected chess collectors in the chess world. History:Jose Raul Capablanca was a Cuban chess player born in Havana in 1888. He learned to play chess at an early age from his father, a Spanish army officer stationed in Cuba. Capablanca quickly developed into one of the strongest chess players in Cuba and began to attract attention on the international chess scene.Capablanca's breakthrough came in 1909 when he defeated Frank James Marshall in a famous match in New York City. Marshall was one of the leading American players of the time and had previously defeated some of the best players in the world. Capablanca's victory over Marshall established him as a serious contender for the world chess championship. Know More-> Related: Want to relax? Try Chess The Repro of Averbakh 1949 Moscow Chess Championship Chess Pieces in Ebonized & Natural Boxwood 4.16 inch King. A bit of history: Here is the re-introduction of Averbakh 1949 Moscow Chess Championship match. It was seen Yurii Averbakh playing with the set with matches against Zagorainsky in 1949. Chess Praxis in his early years called this set as Averbakh 1 Set. Hence the 1949 Moscow Championship Set, also known as the “Averbakh” or “Averbakh 1” as our patron saint Arlindo Vieira identified the set as one of his four “Utopia” sets in his iconic 2012 video. Know More-> Related: 10 Useful Tips to Take Care of your Chess Board Getting into a new hobby like playing chess with wooden chess set is an expensive endeavor. Sometimes the cheapest point of entry is a starter kit that perfectly combines a group of items you need to learn about your new hobby. Explore our all-new DGT starter kits here-> Related: 15 Life Lessons we can Learn from the Game of Chess!+ The 1849 Cooke Jaques Staunton Weighted 3.5 inch King Chess Pieces in Ebony wood and Vintage Antique Boxwood History: The Jaques Staunton chess sets, first introduced in 1849, revolutionized chess piece design with their elegant, standardized, and highly functional Staunton pattern. Named after chess master Howard Staunton, these sets were crafted by Jaques of London and quickly became the global standard for tournament play. Over time, various iterations and refinements emerged, including the rare Cooke Type 2 variation. Today, these historical sets are highly sought after, with reproductions preserving their timeless craftsmanship and legacy. And for a blissful ending of the week, check out the video of our Arabian Knight Chess Set uploaded by one of our favorite buyers "Richard". The video highlights all the hi-gloss finish pieces on wooden red ash burl maple chess board & if you are facing oxidation/white residue problems on your bud rosewood chess pieces then this video is for you. You can follow his tips on how to make your chess pieces shiny at home & fix oxidation, white residue, fungus problems on your bud rosewood chess set. Here's an easy fix for all. (By: Richard) [embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKyfocgRjm8&t=276s[/embed] That's all for now. Follow us on Twitter & Facebook to stay up-to-date with the latest releases, offers & promotions. We'd glad to know your views and experiences of the chess sets which you have purchased from us. You can also get the updates direct to your email by sign-up to our newsletter.
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