Question 1

Where is this made?

Accepted Answer

The box and pieces are both made in Poland. The box is made of Birch and stained as Walnut. The pieces are made from the wood of Hornbeam trees grown in Poland which are one of the hardest trees in existence, much harder than Oak, Acacia.  Hornbeam wood is white in color and the light pieces are stained as maple and the dark pieces are stained as walnut or Acacia. The fact both are stained explains for the consistency in color of the box and the pieces. The pieces are polished and not painted with a lacquer or polyurethane. I bought three of these boxes with pieces and bought regular size extra queens from three trees workshop that were made of Acacia and Boxwood in India for $12 per pair for my chessboards I made with 1-3/4 inch squares. Very pleased. Wegiel does not provide extra queens, and my extra queens are smaller in height than the ones with this set. I researched everywhere for extra wood queens and they were either smaller or much larger. Hope this all helps.

Question 2

What is the actual diameter of the king base?  Customers are showing varying results.

Accepted Answer

1 1/4 inches

Question 3

would they fir ok on a 1 and 7/8" squares board?

Accepted Answer

Yes they would.  And you will love them as they are beautiful for the price.  Great quality too.

Question 4

anyone know what kind of finish is on these pieces- polyurethane?  lacquer?  I want to antique them with red and brown highlights.

Accepted Answer

The case and pieces are not finished with a laquer or polyurotane, they are polished. Polishing involves wet hand sanding with finishing sandpaper in various steps usually starting with 320 grit and working up in steps using 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 5000 etc..  Same procedure is used restoring headlights but in tht case chemicals cleaner is used in the final polishing part. In the case of the pieces I just bought and received, I believe only a 600 grit was used, the higher grits lead to a smoother feel. If you apply multiple coats of a water based polyurothane to these pieces and use a polishing technique going all the way up to the 3000 grit sandpper after the last coat you will have a smooth shiny glass type look and feel. Easy to do with chess boards, but very labor intensive doing the pieces. My advice is leave them alone, they are beautiful and you only need a damp cloth to clean them. One or two coats of waterbased polyurothane will protect them from scratches and body oil and other fluids from attacking the wood. If they are for kids, add the poly and hand polish using 320, 500 or 600, and finally 1000 grit paper. keep clean with damp cloth.

ASIN	B000Z9G456
Age Range Description	Kid
Best Sellers Rank	#417,398 in Toys & Games ( See Top 100 in Toys & Games ) #10,162 in Board Games (Toys & Games)
Brand Name	Wegiel
CPSIA Cautionary Statement	Choking Hazard - Small Parts
Color	Brown
Customer Package Type	Standard Packaging
Customer Reviews	4.6 out of 5 stars 1,026 Reviews
Edition	Standard Edition
Educational Objective	To enhance cognitive skills and strategic thinking
Game Mechanics	strategy, turn-based
Genre	strategy
Global Trade Identification Number	00810126013101
Included Components	Chess Pieces, Wood Storage Case
Indoor Outdoor Usage	Indoor
Item Dimensions	7.68 x 5.04 x 0.04 inches
Item Dimensions L x W	7.68"L x 7.68"W
Item Weight	1.9 pounds
Manufacturer	Wegiel
Manufacturer Part Number	SH-CH104-A
Manufacturer recommended age	5 years and up
Material Type	Wood
Model Number	SH-CH104-A
Number of Items	1
Number of Packs	1
Number of Players	2
Operation Mode	Manual
Power Source	Manual
Rulebook Availability	No Rulebook
Set Name	Handmade European Professional Tournament Chess Pieces
Size	8.3"L x 5.7"W x 3"H (21cm x 14.5cm x 7.6cm)
Supported Battery Types	No batteries required
Theme	Sport
UPC	793631690756 787799855669 810126013101 772223334322
Unit Count	1 Count

Wegiel Handmade European Professional Tournament Chess Pieces With Wood Storage Case

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