Gift Chess in Ukraine - How to Choose?

Gift chess - an ideal status present

For more than one century, chess has been an elite gift. Once they were given to kings, padishahs and great commanders. The ability to correctly build strategies in chess games and win them has always been considered a sign of being chosen. Nowadays, good chess sets – a wonderful status gift for a manager.

What is special about an elite gift?

The famous French writer Andre Maurois very accurately described how to distinguish a gift that was chosen with love. In his opinion, such a gift has three distinctive features:

● the desire to guess the taste of the person to whom it is intended;

● an original idea;

● a special manner of giving.

The choice of a present for a manager, business partner, and colleague must be approached with special care, because an inappropriate thing can inadvertently offend a person and even ruin your relationship with him. An overly expensive item causes surprise and can be regarded as a desire to bribe.

A win-win option for a business present - a gift set of elite chess. With such a gift, you will emphasize the recognition of a person's intellectual abilities, respect for their professional successes and personal qualities. Gift chess have a respectable appearance. With this choice, the giver emphasizes the high level of intelligence and special status of their recipient.

Chess is a universal gift

Despite the huge number of entertainments that exist today, chess does not lose its relevance. It helps to improve memory and develop logical thinking. Regular practice with strong opponents allows you to improve analytical skills and learn to predict your opponent's actions several moves ahead.

In addition, chess games with worthy opponents teach you to quickly assess your situation, build a strategy and follow it measuredly, and if necessary, quickly make adjustments. Battles on the chessboard will allow you to develop such important qualities as self-control, perseverance and the ability to gather your strength at the right moment.

Many businessmen, analysts and experts try to play chess every day, devoting their free time to an intellectual game. Therefore, chess sets — a universal present that will satisfy the preferences of men regardless of their occupation and age. A lot of women play chess, in whose professional activities analytical skills are important. They will also be happy to receive a good set or chess clock as a gift.

Fans of the game will appreciate the attention paid to their hobby and the good attitude of the giver. Those who have not yet mastered chess will be pleasantly surprised by a gift that they may never have received before. With its help, they will discover one of the oldest intellectual games in the world.

An elite chess set not only performs a useful function, but is also a decorative element in the interior. It will become a real decoration of the study, library or living room. Such items easily conquer the hearts of aesthetes and intellectuals and raise their opinion of the owner of beautiful chess pieces.

In addition, elite chess is very durable and reliably serves for many years. They are even passed down as an inheritance, and they become a family heirloom. If a person already has good sets at home and at work, you can buy a spectacular timer or mini-chess as a gift, which is convenient to take with you on business and private trips.

Features of handmade chess

Expensive gift sets of chess are made by hand. They are often regarded as analogues of works of art. Even strict classical pieces cause admiration. What can we say about sets with pieces made in an unusual design solution. They are distinguished by their original appearance. The following options are possible:

● warriors in the armor of certain eras;

● heroes of any historical events;

● characters from mythology;

● embodiment of a philosophical idea of ​​human passions, vices, etc.

Fans of modernism and minimalism can choose unusual chess. In such sets, the pieces have special shapes with an original combination of materials and color schemes. Manufacturers offer interesting sets for children, for example, an analogue of the chess that Harry Potter played. Having received such a gift, the child will learn the basics of the ancient game with greater enthusiasm.

Expensive sets are made with figures from different materials:

● valuable wood;

● stone;

● metal.

Wooden figures are often decorated with exquisite carvings. Figures made of brass and zirconium alloy can be coated with gold and silver. They can be decorated with precious and semi-precious stones. Sometimes, when making pieces, several different materials are combined: wood and metal, wood and genuine leather, etc.

The chessboard in such sets is also a work of art. It has a perfectly smooth surface that does not make it difficult for the pieces to move. You can purchase sets in which the board is made of the following materials:

● valuable wood species;

● bronze;

● brass.

It is impossible to say unequivocally which material for the chessboard and pieces is better. Each option has certain characteristics. When choosing a gift, you should take into account the entire range of material properties and the appearance of the set. The choice is easier to make if you know the preferences of the person to whom the set is intended.

Gift sets come in the following types:

● with a chessboard that folds into a convenient case for storing pieces;

● with a mini-table that has a pull-out drawer for storing pieces;

● with a chessboard on elegant molded legs and a pull-out drawer for storing pieces.

The color range of the sets is also impressive. In sets with wooden figures, there are different shades of valuable wood. Figures made of stone fascinate with the beauty of transitions of natural shades. The shine of noble metals has always attracted people's eyes.

The color of the chessboard - this is not always a classic combination of black and white. When making bronze and brass boards, designers use different colors that advantageously emphasize the elegance of the figures and their shade: red, blue, green, mahogany, brown, etc. Wooden boards are made of two types of wood. For example, a mahogany-colored board is made of mahogany wood and inlaid with oak inserts.

Designers create an idea for a set, think over its color scheme and a combination of textures of different materials. Then they implement the idea using various techniques. The result is a set of pieces and a chessboard or table, in which everything is thought out to the smallest detail: from a unique design to the reliability of the fittings.

By buying chess as a gift, you invest in an object of art that will become a noticeable part of the interior and at the same time provide a pleasant pastime for the person to whom they are intended. Aesthetes will definitely appreciate the large number of spectacular elements and interesting details of exclusive chess.

Stone chess

Chess pieces made of stone are often called game figurines. Monolithic pieces with smooth lines are interesting to look at not only because of the design, but also because of the natural texture and color of the stone. Even without complex decor, the pieces look solid, they are pleasant to hold in your hands. Stone sets are collected by collectors.

Manufacturers often use onyx as a material, and less often - marble, granite, serpentine, jade, lemezite, etc. In some models, the stone can be combined with metal or wood.

Each stone has its own properties that positively affect its owner. For example, black onyx has powerful masculine energy. In ancient Greece and India, it was believed that this stone brings good luck and gives an additional charge of energy to a person who boldly goes towards his goal. It helps managers to maintain a cool mind, control their emotions and achieve the respect of subordinates. White onyx protects the owner from negative influences.

You can buy chess pieces made of black and white onyx as a gift to a manager. With such a gift, the giver will emphasize that he respects the high status of the person to whom he gives them, appreciates their professional and personal qualities and wants to achieve even greater heights.

Wooden chess

Wooden chess pieces look attractive and noble, they are pleasant to hold in your hands. The high quality of the products allows you to use them for many decades. They become family heirlooms that are passed down from generation to generation.

The pieces are particularly attractive due to the delicate carving and contrasts of wood shades, which differ in different types of wood. Designers create gift sets from wood in various styles: from classic to exotic.

Chess boards, game tables, and special cases for pieces made of wood look very beautiful. They can be decorated with paintings or intricate carvings.

Wooden sets have the widest price range. The price largely depends on the material, and chess pieces are made from a large number of types of wood. For example, inexpensive, colorful, and light boxwood is used to make sets with light pieces in the middle price segment. Dark ebony wood is used for the most expensive sets.

Carved chess

Initially, chess pieces were carved from the bones of elephants and walruses, and sometimes other animals. Then they were decorated with carvings. The manufacture of such products required a highly skilled craftsman. The cost of chess pieces was quite high, so the game was available only to kings, aristocrats and rich people. Chess was considered a royal gift for a long time!

To reduce the cost of the set, both the pieces and the board began to be made of wood. Gift chess pieces in the wood carving technique are made by hand. Each chess piece has unique curls and patterns, which makes the set exclusive. To prevent scratches on the smooth surface of the board, the base of all pieces is covered with a soft anti-slip material.

A chess piece made in the wood carving technique can be called a small sculpture. First, the author draws a sketch of each piece, carefully thinking through every detail, achieving a harmonious appearance. Then he embodies his idea in wood. The most common types of wood for making carved chess are:

● oak;

● walnut;

● beech.

Products in the expensive price category are made of mahogany. They look very beautiful and status. You can buy such chess in Kiev in specialized stores or convenient online stores.

Metal figures

Chess figures that are completely made of precious metals are very rare. As a rule, they are made to order for an exhibition or a private collection. Sets containing precious metals belong to the VIP category.

The most common materials for gift chess are brass and zirconium alloy.

Brass is a non-ferrous alloy, the main components of which are zinc and copper. It may also contain other components, but in small quantities. The alloy has a small mass, high corrosion resistance and excellent decorative properties. It is used in many industries and in jewelry.

Jewelers appreciate brass for its diverse color palette and good anti-corrosion properties. The color of the metal is preserved in products for a very long time. For the same reason, brass is actively used to make gift chess pieces. They look luxurious. The material allows you to make figures of the most complex shapes.

Zirconium alloys have very high strength characteristics and corrosion resistance, so they are used in many industries and in medicine. Beautiful gift chess sets are made from the alloy, which can have a gold and silver coating.

Features of gift sets of different brands

Many companies specialize in gift chess sets, and only the best have become brands that have weight in the global market of gaming products. The most popular products from the following manufacturers:

● The sets of the Greek brand Manopoulos are distinguished not only by their high quality, but also by their luxurious appearance. Moreover, the company's designers are constantly developing new gift sets that satisfy all the desires of the most demanding aesthetes.

● The Spanish brand Anframa produces gift sets where the details of the figures are decorated with patterns in the ancient Damascus style. Gold or silver patterns give the pieces a special chic.

● The Italian brand Cre Art creates real masterpieces. Its designers develop elegantly turned chess pieces. Gilded playing boards become a worthy background for them. Such a status set is intended for chess battles, but in the break between them it will adequately decorate an office or living room.

● The Italian brand Renzo Romagnoli is famous for producing not only beautiful gift sets of chess, but also playing trunks that simultaneously accommodate chess pieces and chips in a poker set. Each game will allow you to spend time interestingly and profitably.

The products of the listed brands not only differ in style, design, manner of execution, but also belong to different price segments: from the VIP category to the budget one. When the store presents a diverse assortment from all brands, the buyer has the opportunity to buy chess to his taste and at the planned cost.

A brief history and legend of chess

At the beginning of the article, we listed the components of a gift chosen with love, according to André Maurois. You already know how to complete two points from this list:

● determine what a person will be pleased to receive as a present — a nice chess clock or gift set;

● order exclusive chess online that he will appreciate.

While you wait for prompt delivery to Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Odessa or another city in Ukraine or another country, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the legend of the origin of the game. You will need it in order to complete the last, third item on the list - to make a gift in a special way.

If you give a person a chic set and tell an interesting legend about how the intellectual game appeared, you will have a high chance of becoming the giver of the best present. The person will be pleased with your attention to his hobby.

A brief history of the emergence of chess can be presented as follows:

● A game similar to modern chess was invented in the 5th-6th century BC in India.

● It became popular and later spread to neighboring countries, where the rules were slightly modified.

● The game appeared in Europe only in the 9th-10th century. It was the Europeans who composed its classic rules.

● The modern rules were finally formed in the 19th century.

However, information about who and how invented one of the oldest intellectual games can be found only in the legends that have survived. There are many of them. We chose the most beautiful one.

When India was a very powerful country, its ruler was famous for his invincible army. Its power was made up of war elephants, which were specially trained. After the ruler defeated the armies of all opponents with the help of his war elephants, he did not know what to do and became bored.

Then he announced: «If anyone invents something that interests me, he can ask for anything his soul desires». Sages from all countries began to come to him, demonstrating various inventions made of gold or precious stones. The emperor received many wise men, but nothing they showed him interested him.

Once a poor shah came to him and brought with him a board with a grid and small wooden figures. When the ruler saw all this, he became very angry and said: "What is this? Everyone showed me their inventions made of gold and jewels, and you brought some wood." However, the shah humbly replied: "The interest of this game is not in the gold, but in its wisdom."

The emperor looked closely at the figures and noticed that they looked like his army. This interested him, and he agreed to look at the shah's invention. He arranged the figures on the board and explained the rules of the game. Then he turned to the ruler: "Your army is powerful and invincible, but can you win on a small board, having the same army as your opponent?"

The ruler, who had never known defeat, could not refuse such an offer. He was sure that he would win easily, but he lost in the first game. This disappointed him, and he wanted revenge. During the second game, the emperor carefully considered all his moves. Every time he attacked the enemy king, he said: "She is checkmated". When the emperor won, he said: "Shahu mat". This phrase translates as "the king is dead".

The ruler liked the game, and he asked the shah what reward he wanted for his invention. The shah modestly replied that he asked for one grain for the first square of the board, two for the second, four for the third, eight for the fourth... He doubled the number, and it became like this.

This is where the beautiful legend ends. It never says how the ruler settled with the wise shah, because his request is only at first glance very modest. If you count the grains for all the cells of the chessboard, you get an astronomical number: 18446744073709551615. Even today, such a quantity of grains is not harvested in a year on the entire globe.

We will never know for sure who invented chess - a fascinating intellectual game that has outlived its creator for centuries. However, you must agree that the ingenuity and wisdom of chess are worthy of admiration!