Is the cheapest chessboard on Amazon absolute trash?

Bonjour hi everyone!

It has been a while since I’ve written to you as I’m currently working on my next one-man show. However, I couldn’t wait to spend some time with you a new ⭐️TOP BLOGGER⭐️.

For the occasion, I wanted to do something special. As most reviewers showcase the most expensive chessboards on the market, I decided to go in the other direction. I asked myself: 

“Is the cheapest chessboard on Amazon absolute trash?”

(Yes, I know that it's the title of this post, but that's really what it's about. This is the opposite of clickbait. Finally, some honesty on the internet!)

Presentation

To start things off, I must preface that, as I’m in Canada, my Amazon inventory is different from yours. So, my cheapest chessboard probably isn’t the same as yours. Mine is from a company called Yellow Mountain (although I’ve also seen it under different brand names) and looks like this:

I got these bad boys on sale when they were $5. Yes, I said “these”.

I bought not only one, but two of them. My enthusiasm might have been fueled by the prospect of a good deal or by a few beers. Maybe both. I’ll let you guess.

Pros

Unfolded, this chessboard is small, but very playable at 20 cm x 17 cm (7.8 in x 6.8 in) when opened. For a travel chessboard, it makes perfect sense.

However, its strength lies in its thickness… or lack thereof. From the side, you wouldn’t believe it’s a chessboard. Or you would think it took a massive amount of Ozempic.

That portability is unprecedented. You can slip it almost anywhere: a purse, a purse, and I even had it in the inside pocket of my autumn coat. I would pull it out in front of my friends like I was a magician making a card appear out of nowhere.

There is also a built-in locking mechanism to make sure it doesn’t open randomly once folded. The whole thing weighs about 14 grams, or 0.031 pounds. Sometimes, snobs brag about the weight of their chess pieces. Here, they couldn’t.

This lightweight design doesn’t hinder functionality as you can still play chess on it. The squares and pieces are big enough to read, and the magnets are strong enough to handle a few shakes. Well, as long as you’re not playing while jumping on a trampoline. I can’t promise the pieces will stay in place in that case.

Cons

To keep it thin, they make the pieces even thinner. If you have short nails, the magnetized pieces are really hard to grab. You won’t be able to play short time controls, since you’ll spend most of your time trying to pick them up like really tiny coins off the ground.

It's also super anticlimactic. Your opponent watches you struggle for several seconds while you try to capture their pieces. That kinda ruins the element of surprise.

While trying to grab the pieces, you'll inevitably scratch the board as well. However, nobody will cry: "On no! My precious $5 chessboard now has scratches!"

So, I bought two of them, but I only have one left. The other one broke. The low price of this plastic thing makes it the least durable chessboard you’ll ever encounter.

The small plastic hinges are really delicate. Open them with care like a museum guide handling century-old books with white gloves.

The thing is, the idea of a travel chessboard is that it can handle a few bumps. Here, drop it once and it’s done. Your immortal games won't be that immortal with this board.

Verdict

This chessboard is very portable. This picture was taken while I was doing puzzles on a plane. Yes, it fits comfortably on my tray. It's pretty crazy and useful. I think that for that kind of use, it’s ideal. It’s really easy to differentiate the pieces in the low-light environment that is a plane. I’m not sure I could say the same about any other small travel chess set.

Unfortunately, that’s about the only specific (and very niche) use for this board. I mean, for $5 more, you can get one that you’re not afraid to break every time you open it. I know, paying $5 more is basically doubling the price. Here I am talking like I'm in the 1%.

But I’d rather pay $10 once than $5 twice. Since I know this one will break easily, I almost never use the second one I have. I can bring a more durable, magnetized travel chessboard of the same size with 3D pieces with me everywhere, and it would only be a few more centimeters thick. Yes, those are three times as thick as this one, but when do I really need a chessboard this thin?

For real, the plane is the only place where I actually have to check the weight of everything I bring so carefully. I’m not sure there is a real demand or need for such a thin chessboard when it comes at the expense of durability (or lack thereof).

In the end, what do I think of it? Well, I have to factor in the low cost. I can’t just say “this feels cheap” because… it actually is.

So, here’s what I’ll say: if you ever need to travel and do puzzles by yourself, and size or weight is a major issue, this works. You can play chess with it.

If playing with another person on the go with no time controls is your thing, this works. With the magnets, you know the pieces won’t fly anywhere. You can play chess with it.

So, is this board worth $5? Yes.

Should you pay a bit more and get more durability? Also yes.

If you enjoyed this post, you might look at my archive here.

Follow me on Instagram here if you speak French. You can if you don't, but you won't understand anything, but hey, I post puzzles from my own games in my stories two-three times a week!