I'd like to find high quality small Staunton pieces.  It doesn't matter if they are plastic or wood, price doesn't really matter either.  The king height should be 2.5" , king base 1" - weighted would be nice too.

It seems you can get small but crappy pieces or good but huge pieces.  Anyone know of good small pieces somewhere?

thanks...

If you've got some money:

http://houseofstaunton.com/Store/product_name=The+Anderssen+Dropjaw+Timeless+Chess+Set+-+2.875+inch+King/exact_match=exact/user-id=/password=

or are they too big for your purposes?

the height is OK but the base width is .5" too wide  ...  nice quality though

Oh well. I was looking around a couple years ago for a good quality 2-1/2" set but never found one good enough. There were small okay wooden sets, but I wanted something better.

I have an old Dreuke analysis set which I think fits your specs, but I wanted more than lightly weighted plastic pieces if I could get them. The design was pretty decent though.

eBay might be a best try nowadays for such a set.

don't know if this link will work for you but it seems chessusa has several 2.5" sets!

http://www.chessusa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=YMCG&Category_Code=25INP

Thanks. I have seen those before now that you give me the link. Happily (I hope?) I have moved past improving on my little Dreuke set. There was a 2.5" ivory set I also had to pass on on eBay as the bid got too high, but it was pretty nice.

I guess none of those sets work for you either?

no actually , I'm just about to pull the trigger on this set...

http://www.chessusa.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=23-D20&Category_Code=25INP&Product_Count=9

to use with this board

http://www.chesshouse.com/16in_Mahogany_White_Birch_Wooden_Chess_Board_p/chw31.htm

what do you think?

I think the little ebony set on a wood board will look very nice! Post a pic or two when it comes in.

I have a nothing fancy 3" ebony/boxwood set I use on a smallish teak/maple board, so I appreciate such sets. I got such a deal on the pieces too...$12 plus low shipping a few years ago on ebay from an Indian importer. Not great quality but geez, ebony men and decently heavy, and the ebony is almost all black with just some brown on a couple pieces.

The small size is handy for me. When I had my account on ICC I would set it up in front of the screen and the small footprint worked well, and it was easy to play on it.

Dang. I had a pic of it already in my chess.com file lol.

Bigger squares than your intended one, so spacious. I also have a 1.75" board but I like the one you see a little better.

nice set ... really nice.

would make a good thread don't you think?  post pics of your real life chess set

I meant the goldendog one , although the cluster***k above has a certain je ne sais qua 

Heh. I've got a bunch of sets and pics of almost all reasonable combos of pieces and boards. From the cheapo solid plastic USCF set on the old vinyl board to HOS Collector on decent wooden boards. Reb has made fun of me that even my cheaper sets are too nice, but I do have some crappier gear I haven't passed along yet like I have others.

I'd be happy to see what others are using or just appreciate.

Some very nice men and boards have been posted here...seasterl comes to mind...and others. Yeah I'd help pad the thread.

uscfsales.com  --  click on travel and analysis sets.  They have several, both plastic and wood.

I had a set of HOS 3" Collector set that I really loved, so I ordered up a mult-color 3" Collector set to expand the collection.  When I received the pieces, they were actually scaled down to the size suitable for 2.5 - 2.75" sets even though the king was, technically, 3" tall.  When comparing the pieces with the other set I start with, there was a clear difference in the size of the rest of the pieces.  Unfortunately, they're almost too small for my (large) hands now!  I have a HOS Harwitz set (3.5", I think) and find them perfect for smaller boards with 2 1/8" squares.  So my vote would go to the HOS 3" Collector set. 

If I had the will to drop a few bucks on another set, I'd pick the Harrwitz.

It would go well with an expensive 2-1/4" board I have that currently doesn't have a proper set of men (read: the right size, good quality) for it. I like more space so 3.5" men w/broad bases go well on this board. I already have a 3.5" ebony but it's middlin' quality.

This is what I have and I love it!

http://www.chessmate.com/chessmate1.html

This portable travel set comes with a set of magnetic Boxwood and Dark Indian Rosewood, Staunton style pieces (2" King height).  The 9.5" square folding board has a laminated, clear matte scratch-resistant coating, and a marbled-foil inlaid border.  It all comes in an elegant, imitation leather zipper pouch for easy storage and transport.

The larger board and pieces are more comfortable to hold and to play games with than smaller travel sets, yet this superb chess set is portable enough for playing in style whether you are going by plane, train, bus, boat, or car.

Check out Jeremy Silman's review of the TravelMate Deluxe!

http://www.jeremysilman.com/book_reviews_js/Chessmate_Travelmate_Deluxe.html

Baznik,

Your choice of pieces and board are nice, but the 1 5/8" squares of that particular board may be a bit big for the set that you have chosen.

1 3/8" or 1 1/2" squares would be a better fit.

I did wonder about the extra 1/8" but often find boards/pieces too crowded for my taste.  I'm guessing these will be just right (for me).  I sure hope so because the money's gone now! 

I hope you enjoy your new set.

I'd like to see a picture if possible.

it'll take weeks to get here (cheap mail by passenger pidgeon) but sure ...