Walnut and Sterling Silver Chess Set
Artifact SeriesHead of State Gifts
Artifact IDFO.754242.3.a-gg
Object Type
Set, Chess
Gifter
President Serzh Sargsyan
Artist
Andranik Badalyan
(Armenian)
Artist
Ashot Galstyan
(Armenian)
Intended Recipient
President Barack Obama
(American, 1961)
Date
2010
Medium
wood (walnut), metal (sterling silver, gilded silver), leather
DimensionsOverall (Board/Box) H 2 3/4 in x W 16 in x D 16 in (7 cm x 40.6 cm x 40.6 cm )
Overall (Rook) H 2 3/8 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (6 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (Bishop) H 2 3/4 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (7 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (Knight) H 2 3/4 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (7 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (Queen) H 3 1/4 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (8.3 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (King) H 3 3/8 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (8.6 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (Pawn) H 2 1/8 in x Diam 1 1/8 in (5.4 cm x 2.9 cm )
Physical DescriptionWalnut chessboard with gold colored metal numbers and letters along the outside border (likely gilded silver) and black velvet base. The game pieces are walnut with gilded and sterling silver tops that are lined with soft leather on the bottom.The chessboard also doubles as a storage box for the game pieces. There are total of 33 chess pieces: 1 chessboard/storage box (.a), 16 light walnut pieces with sterling silver tops (.b-q) and 16 dark walnut pieces with gilded silver tops (.r-gg).Overall (Rook) H 2 3/8 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (6 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (Bishop) H 2 3/4 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (7 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (Knight) H 2 3/4 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (7 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (Queen) H 3 1/4 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (8.3 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (King) H 3 3/8 in x Diam 1 1/4 in (8.6 cm x 3.2 cm )
Overall (Pawn) H 2 1/8 in x Diam 1 1/8 in (5.4 cm x 2.9 cm )
Historical NoteReceived on the occasion of the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit hosted in Washington, DC.
Custodial History / ProvenanceThe item was a gift from a foreign official to President Barack Obama during the Obama Administration. It was received through the Executive Office of the President and maintained there until its transfer to the National Archives in January 2017 for deposit with the Obama Presidential Library.Additional Details
National Archives Catalog CollectionBarack Obama Artifact Collection (National Archives Identifier 63542091)
National Archives Catalog SeriesGifts of State (National Archives Identifier 66540613)
Use Restriction StatusRestricted - Possibly
Use Restriction NoteCopyright or other proprietary rights may be held by individuals or entities other than the Obama Presidential Library and Museum. The Obama Presidential Library and Museum does not warrant that the use of materials will not infringe on the rights of third parties holding the rights to these works, or make any representations or warranties with respect to the application or terms of any international agreement, treaty, or protections that may apply. It is your responsibility to determine and satisfy any copyright or other use restrictions. Pertinent
regulations can be found at 36 C.F.R 1254.62.
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