Press releases

24 Dec 2019

Belarus president receives custom-made chess set as gift

MINSK, 24 December (BelTA) – Editor-in-Chief of the Ekho Moskvy radio station Aleksei Venediktov gave Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko a custom-made chess set as a present following an interview in the Palace of Independence in Minsk on 24 December, BelTA has learned.

The chess set was made for the Belarusian president at the request of Aleksei Venediktov by the art studio founded by Belarusian artist Leonid Golovko in Moscow. The game pieces include Prince Alexander Nevsky (the white king) and Pope Innocent IV (the black king) who symbolize Orthodox Rus and Catholic Europe. The white queen impersonates Alexander Nevsky’s wife Princess Alexandra Bryacheslavna of Polotsk. Two bishops look like Metropolitan Kirill III and Mongolian Sartaq Khan, Alexander Nevsky’s sworn brother. The white pawns are the mighty army of Rus. Every pawn has a different face that reflects its distinct character. The black queen impersonates Mongolian Batu Khan. Black pawns represent the Teutonic Knights. The game pieces are made from porcelain with gold and platinum gilding. The chessboard is from curly birch.

The art studio uses unique enameling techniques to make game pieces look like their prototypes, including costumes, postures, and characters.

Other owners of custom-made chess sets made in the studio include actor Chuck Norris, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, chess collector Johann Tinti, and chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov.