Philippines  (Asia)

Philippines. This is a typical Philippine "Staunton" set, very recognizable by the elongated cross on the kings and the bulging bases. The older sets, as this one, are made of Narra and Kamagong, which are very rare timbers now protected by the laws of the Philippines. Chess sets of these rare timbers have therefore not been produced for several decades. The newer sets are made of lesser quality wood. There exist also Indian replicas. There was a time you could see the old sets at eBay at regular basis, but nowadays they are seldom offered.

Philippines. The 2nd set is a nice example of a so called "Moro" set. The Moro chess set design is coming from the island of Mindanao by the Maranao tribe, part of the Muslim Moros - a name derived from the Spanish term for "Moors' - which are the largest non-Christian etnic groups in the Philippines with about 4 million members. With the characteristic very ornate knights are these sets easy recognizable. Every set has a different carved knight, but the okir carvings are very specific.