Ex-soldier creates bin Laden chess set

TORONTO, July 28 (UPI) -- A former Canadian soldier said his chess sets featuring Osama bin Laden on one side and U.S. or British officials on the other is a hit with armed forces.

Jeffrey Train, 48, of Toronto, said he came up with the idea for the chess sets while serving at Afghanistan's Kandahar Airfield in 2006 and designed U.S. and British versions when his tour of duty ended, Sky News online reported Thursday.

Train said the chess sets, which have become popular with soldiers serving overseas, feature Osama bin Laden as the king and a burqa-clad woman as the queen.

The British version of the set features former Prime Minister Tony Blair as the king and Queen Elizabeth II as the queen.

The former soldier said there are two versions for the United States, one featuring former President George W. Bush and one with current President Barack Obama.