Post your sets!

I think it would be neat if people would post pictures of their chess sets here. Feel free to include details such as the brand and age.

I'd post mine but I only have one that's any sort of "not-bought-from-Wal-Mart" at the moment and I'm not near it, but I'll post it once I get a chance.

Damn, how much did you pay for that if you don't mind my asking?

Here's my pride & joy set.  Black onyx & grey marble set I bought in Mexico, with the Aztec calendar inscribed in the board.

Next is a small set I bought in Mexico a few years before getting the full-sized one above.  It's also made of onyx & some kind of pinkish-white marble.  It's pretty small, the board measures only about 7 inches on each side, but you can still play a game with it.  It mainly sits on a shelf and looks pretty.

Then of course there's my handy folding wooden travel set I bought in the Philippines many years ago.  The pieces were apparently lathed, but the knights were hand-carved.  It has more traditional Staunton pieces as opposed to the stylized Staunton pieces in the sets above.

I also have an el cheapo folding wooden set that I bought for a couple dollars to use as a training set since it has the coordinates printed on it, but it's not worth showing off.  It's like something you'd find in a dollar store.  My toddler son plays with it mostly, but even he'd rather play with the better sets.

This is my first real set - the board arrived only a few days ago! 

The pieces are rosewood & boxwood with a 3" king. The board is maple & mahogany with 1.75" squares. Ordered online from the London Chess Centre.

That is such a beautiful set. This is the kind of thing I was hoping to see when I started this thread. How much was it, if I may ask?

The pieces were £35 and the board £23. Fairly reasonable prices, I think, considering the very decent quality. 

That's a great deal, I've been looking for a set like that for a fair price. I need a nice wooden set, all I've got is an okay plastic one.

My Collector II (same set as in #2):

A very nice set though the bulbous bases on the K&Qs are a downside. The Collector has low bases and is generally finished a bit better even.

I like sets that don't have the shiny lacquer finish.  Depending on lighting conditions in tournament rooms they can be distracting sometime.

BTM and mate, as I recall.

For purely competitive considerations, nothing is better than matte surfaces. Of course, there's no point in getting ebony or any other expensive wood if it's not going to shine.

I had a library sized (3") set that was quite matte--antique finish is what they called it, but I haven't seen such wooden sets around for a few decades. There was a 3-3/4" version the same.

This very decent wood set (boxwood and ebonized boxwood) has fairly minimal shine and is quite good to play with:

I'm not seeing it either so don't waste energy on it. Fritz likewise.

Here's the board I use

Since I am in rehab right now I can only describe my chess sets. I have : two tournament sets (one has heavier pieces and a mouse pad board. The other set is for sale.) a brown and white alabaster set with one pawn missing, a black and white ceramic set, a cheap glass set for decoration, a couple of travel sets. Many sets that I have given away to promising young players.

                           Very nice posts

That looks like a Grand Master board.

Edit: for the record, my set is the cheapest Chess Central offers.  :(

A set I wish I had:

 Wow, those boards are gorgeous! 

Here is mine.  I bought the pieces about 10 years ago from ebay, but it came with an ugly glass board that was too shiny and didn't really complement it very well.  I decided to try to find a board that went well with them recently, and I think I succeeded.

By the way, I always prefer coordinates on my board.  Had the option to get it without them, but I wanted them.  I know many prefer it without them.