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Our Zagreb 3.25" is the smaller brother of our Zagreb 4" pieces in rosewood. And because it doesn't make use of Rosewood as its bigger brother does, the price is also smaller. The black pieces are ebonised and their appearance comes very close to the glamour of real ebony.
The Zagreb set is of the traditional Staunton design with a nice twist in that the three tallest pieces (i.e. king, queen and bishop) have their top in the opposing colour. But the real star of this set is the knight, which is of the Russian style. A nicely modelled mane and a sleek, curled neck - just like an elegant dressage horse. It won't be easy for you to sacrifice that piece in your game!
Now a few words about this beautiful set's metrics: The king stands at a height - you guessed it - of 3.25" and puts around 36g on the scale. Because both sides were crafted from the same wood, the pieces' weights are nearly identical. As in the case of the Zabreb 4", the pieces are all weighted and that gives them a good balance and a firm stand on the board. A board of 1 2/3 inches (about 42mm) square size is recommended to place the king with its 1.3" base comfortably in its square. Of course, all pieces have a felted underside to protect both board and pieces from ugly scratches.
The Zagreb 3.25" is a good choice if you prefer a smaller chess set but you are still looking for top-quality and good looks. Yes, it's not ebony but it looks almost like it is but for a fraction of the price. And the pieces are just amazing to handle...