Gear Talk: Tournament Pieces

In all of my hobbies, I love gear. I've been known to have something called gear acquisition syndrome. It isn't so much a hoarding mindset as much as it is a 'I want things to feel right' one. I believe that when your gear feels right, it gives you a psychological boost and instills confidence. 

For this post, I'll review three sets of chess pieces. I'll discuss aspects of each set and discuss what I really like and don't like about them. Here are the sets:

1. The first set is my old one I used as a scholastic player. It is very comparable to Wholesale Chess's Big Knight Series but I can't say for sure what brand/make they are since they were a gift a long time ago.
2. The second set is Wholesale Chess's triple weighted tournament chess pieces bought from Amazon.
3. The third set is The Chess Store's Protourney Plastic Chess Set bought from their website.

Weight

The king weights 2.5 oz in the Protourney set, which is pretty hefty. The piece weighs slightly more in my old set (and oddly enough in the Collector Series - 2.8oz - as well). Based on Wholesale Chess's website, their heavy tournament set  has the king weighing 52grams or 1.8oz (I am assuming that this is the same as the set they listed on Amazon). This is noticeably lighter than the other two.

Aesthetics

When it comes to how chess pieces look, it is definitely a matter of personal preference. Personally, I like the look of the 'camel' Protourney set as compared to the stark whiteness of the Triple Weighted set. Another thing to consider are the objective differences between how the pieces within a set relate to each other in terms of size. Pawn height is not standardized.

Pictured from left right: Wholesale Chess Triple Weighted with a 3.75" king, The Chess Store Protourney, with a 3.75" king, My old set with a 3 7/8" king

My opinion is that the Protourney pieces have the best pawn to king height ratio. I have found that the pawn height in my old set made it hard to visualize lines on the board and that there is just too much space created by the Triple Weighted set. But how do the bishops, knights, and rooks compare?

Pictured from left to right: Wholesale Chess Triple Weighted, The Chess Store Protourney, My old set 

I hope this image does the pieces justice. I think the balance in each set fits according to the pawn height. No single piece looks out of place within the set. I do think that the Protourney set and my old set look a bit more sophisticated than the Triple Weighted one. Of those two, I think the Protourney set looks better in terms of pawns and minor pieces, but that my old set has a more elegant rook.  Let's take a look at the royals:

Pictured from left to right: Wholesale Chess Triple Weighted, The Chess Store Protourney, My old set 

Is it just me or does the Triple Weighted King look a little bit goofy? I like the crowns on the other two kings better. Other than that, the royals in each set pair well together.

Playability

Ok, so this might sound a little ridiculous for a criterion for chess pieces but I think it is worth mentioning! The Protourney pieces feel best when you move them. You can definitely use any of these sets to play a game, but the Protourney set just instills confidence.

Quality

Huge shout out to my old set for still holding up after a decade! None of the weights are loose and none of the felt pads underneath the pieces are missing. So far, the Protourney set seems to be built just as well. The Triple Weighted set, however, came with some of the weights in the pieces being loose. It is still very usable, just disappointing. One thing I really like about the Protourney and my old sets is that the molding lines are barely visible. I have a wooden set that I love and like it when my plastic pieces resemble them.

Price

The Triple Weighted Set cost $15.99 but included free shipping. I payed approximately $37 for the Protourney set which included two-day shipping. Speaking of shipping, the Protourney set came much more protected than the Triple Weighted Set with styrofoam protecting some of the fragile parts of the pieces. I am not sure how much my old set cost (probably $20-$30) but the comparable set is under $20 (at the time of this blog). None of the sets break the bank.

Overall

The Protourney set is my favorite of the three. It has the best aesthetics and feel, even if it is two times as expensive. I love how elegant the pieces look and how the set inspires confidence when used. The Protourney set might not be the right set for all players (there are a lot more I have not reviewed!), but I think the set offers a little bit more than the other ones.