During the last few years especially, there has been a flood of dubious issues, not just on chess. The breakup of the former Soviet Union resulted in a slew of new "nations" that are a conspicuous part of the problem. Many of them or their agents or unscrupulous dealers have "issued" stamps that appear to be attractive but may never have actually been used to mail a letter.
Collectors are welcome to buy whatever they want to, I guess. My solution? To try my best to acquire covers on which these topical stamps were actually used. In most cases, of course, that's impossible. But here, I present some of what I have found.
The first four covers are FDCs from Azerbaijan. Disney stamps are quite popular, these days, and a few involve chess. Enjoy these. By all means let me know if you have additional images to share for this (and other) exhibits.
The next two are from Armenia. One honors Tigran Petrosian, World Champion from 1963-1969. The other commemorates the 32nd Chess Olympiad in Erevan.
