The Taj, 3.55" Rosewood

Description

The Taj resembles Indian design with a noble touch and the spherical, opulent shapes will remind you of the world-renowned Taj Mahal. What the pieces lack in height is compensated with their rather opulent features: Short and round, yet noble. The elegance is further proven by the knight who shows a surprisingly high amount of details: Eyes, ears, nostrils, all clearly visible and carefully crafted, and then there are the teeth... The knight proudly shows them off in a fierce battle on the board. Plenty of details for a set in our medium price range.

Other pieces don't need to hide behind the knight though: The rook shows a spherical battlement with a total of six merlons, towering over a wide base. It won't be easily brought down in your battle against your opponent. The Queen is of - pardon - opulent proportions and is decorated with an 11-jagged crown. Eleven spikes is a bit more difficult to craft symmetrically than an even-numbered crown, but the beauty is in this unnoticeable deviance from symmetry. Finally for the king: Needless to say, that it is the most opulent piece on the board and emphasises the similarities to the design of the Taj Mahal.

Now for the metrics: The white king puts 60 g on the scale and the black one weighs in at 63 g. Fine Rosewood has been used for the black pieces and the white ones are as usual from boxwood. Although the king stands at a height of only 3.55 inches its base is 1.6 inch - quite unusual proportions but beautiful ones. This makes a board with 2 inch squares a good choice.

If you fancy an Indian touch to the usual Staunton design, then these pieces are a great choice. They also come with plenty of fine details and high craftsmanship which you would normally expect from more expensive pieces. They would also make a beautiful addition to any collector.