Quality would be a 5 except for one pawn that didn't have a flat bottom due to a protruding weight. A replacement pawn was sent. Unfortunately, as often happens with a replacement piece, the pawn was a slight bit smaller than the others, probably due to a different cutter, so it is still not quite a perfect set, but a good value for the sale price.

A few of the Soviet styles are some of my favorite sets. This is one of them. I already have it in other wood combinations. The antiqued boxwood finish was like the pics, a bit orangish. The finish was also a bit splotchy and uneven - I'm not sure if it is meant to be that way. The carving was perfect, though one of the antiqued boxwood pawns had a weight slightly protruding on the bottom, which made it tilt a bit and wobbly, with a hollow sounding thunk when moved on the wood board. This is the main reason I only awarded 3 stars for quality. I have just requested replacement of this pawn and would upgrade quality to at least a 4, maybe 5 if a replacement pawn is sent. Overall, an attractive set imo and at a very reasonable price if you get it on a sale.

To be fair, the ""antiqued boxwood"" pieces look exactly like the ones displayed on their homepage. So, not at all like antiqued boxwood. They are orange. I don't mind that at all: They're a bit garish, and when you look at some of the vintage Russian sets available on some Internet boards, those are often garish, too. Maybe the originals were made of wood from torn-down gulag toilets, I wouldn't be surprised. And maybe torn-down gulag toilet wood does age like that, but not boxwood. CB would be well-advised to change the description from ""antiqued boxwood"" to ""orange-dyed boxwood"". Anyway, they're well made and decently weighted. There's a stylistic imbalance in that Latvian set: While the king, queen and bishop are all tall and lean, the feisty knight and rook look like they ate some of the other pieces.

My experience with CB on this set is not a happy one. I ordered this set on backorder and was told 6-8 weeks. I patiently waited 8 weeks and sent an email asking for an update. I was basically told ""it will be ready when it is ready"". So I waited. At 10 weeks I emailed again. Still nothing. At 11 weeks I emailed again, finally ready to ship. \nAfter all this time, must be perfect, right.\nNo way. Let me list the ways:\n1. Not sure if it is the whole batch but the color of the ""antiquing"" does not match the photos or the videos I have seen of others sets (which I ordered based on). It is orange in color, somewhat garish IMHO. Now maybe this is the correct color but it is not represented well in the photos. The color of my white pieces remind me of a certain someone's hair, but more so. Lets call the color ""covfefe"".\n2. The finish itself of the white pieces is very uneven. It is especially noticeable on the Bishops and the Black King's finial. In addition, the Black King's finial has a black spot on the very top. \n3. The white Bishops both have a place on the collar where there is no finish at all. None. it actually looks like it was black and colored over but they missed these two spots. VERY noticeable. \n4. On one of the white Knights you can see the glue where the Knights head was glued to the base.\n5. On one of the black Knights, there are two spots that are not smooth, they actually caught the foam that the pieces are wrapped in and it took me forever to get most of it out of the little crevice. I say most because it is not all out but it is a very small amount and barely noticeable if you are just casually looking at the piece.\nThese things plus the amount of time I spent arguing with them over my last set I bought from them (Rook that was WAY out of weight range compared to the other three Rooks, more than a 20% weight difference, 10g on a piece that weighs 42g) means this is the last set I will buy from them unless they make it right. I will update this review if they do, but until then, so long CB and thanks for all the fish.

What a stunning and unique set this is.It came in absolutely flawless in every way! Just a joy to appreciate,whether you are playing or simply staring at it.....Wonderful job CB!!

Another fantastic Soviet reproduction from ChessBazaar. The pieces are a thing of beauty, I can't get my eyes off them. The antiqued boxwood pieces are a sight to behold. The pieces look awesome on my green and white mouse pad board. I love the hand carved knights, I love the pieces. I have never seen another set where each piece rates a 10 out of 10. This Soviet reproduction has it all! Highly recommend. and a special thanks to ChessBazaar.

I previously purchased ChessBazaar's 1950's Soviet Latvian reproduction set in boxwood and ebonised boxwood and have to say that set made quite an impression and is outstanding in every way. But when ChessBazaar recently released this set in an antiqued boxwood version, I couldn't resist also having this stunning and unbelievably gorgeous set in my collection.The antiqued boxwood and black pieces display a striking board presence which makes this a fabulous playing set and a set every collector should have in their collection. This set will make you one happy camper, so take my advice and get this awesome set.