mongolian-chess-set-circa-1900

Gareth Williams writes: “The Mongolians have a tradition of carving their sets based on the culture of their local society. As each set is individually carved, rarely are two sets exactly the same. The names of the chessmen also alter to some extent, depending on the district the set originates from...the rook is usually a symbol of movement, such as a wheel...Mongol carts are small and compact, perfect for nomadic travel, carrying their houshold belongings and folded animal skins for erecting as their homes. Domestic animals, such as rabbits, hens, goats and dogs, would be used to depict the pawns.”