The large chess board set up in the square of the Metropolitan Cathedral “God’s Birth” in Chisinau remained without four pieces – two horses, the king and the queen, IPN reports.

Mayor of Chisinau Dorin Chirtoaca said the municipality realized that it was risky to place the chess board in a public place. “In Moldova they steal at all the levels and everyone steals what they can,” said the mayor. If the stolen pieces are not found, there will be made new ones.

Two horses were also stolen from the chess board last September, but the police identified neither the thief nor the pieces. The horses were the heaviest of the 32 pieces and weighed by 13 kg.

The chess board was put in the square of the Metropolitan Cathedral on August 8, 2012. Its size is 4×4 meters. The pieces are made from pine tree and weigh up to 13 kg.