3.75" K Sets

My boards are all 2.25", including a table that I had custom made. Therefore I typically look for sets with a 3.75" K. Can any collectors recommend quality wood, tournament qualifying sets currently available that have 3.75" Ks?

Second question: I thought that I once read that sets in which the bishops have an opposite color dot on top, e.g., the set on the cover of Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, can not be used in rated tournaments. Is this true?

The Player's Series sets at HoS are excellent in 3.75" . BUT I wouldn't use a wood set in a tournament this day and age (SADLY). You are probably like me and have a lot of respect for other people's stuff. But I played all through the '90's with many who didn't. And those who get into time trouble can inflict some serious "wounds" if you know what I mean . Not sure why the Soviet style sets wouldn't be allowed because those opposite colors are what drew me to them in the first place. I used to see them in tournaments back in the day but maybe it has changed. Alas -Ron http://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-players-series-chess-set-3-75-king.html

There is no stipulation in the USCF regs regarding the color of the finials. If you like opposite colored finials (and I do likewise), then I would recommend either of these sets for use on a 2.25" board (I own both).

The House Of Staunton Dubrovnik set (3.75" king with 1.75" diameter):

Or the House of Chess Zagreb set (4" king with a 1.63" diameter).

Here's a picture of the Zagreb set on a 2.25" board.

In my opinion th House of Staunton Players Series is one of the best if not the best 3.75" sets to play with.  It is also inexpensive.  I am using my Player Series tonight in the first round of our city championship.

The opposite colored finials are also legal for tournament play.  

I like the HOS Dubrovnik set, but am a little concerned about how the 1.75" diameter will look on a 2.25" board. In your opinion does it look natural?

It's an excellent fit on a 2-1/4" board, with a scaling factor of 1.75"/2.25" = 77.7%, still within the 73%-78% guidelines recommended by the USCF. If that feels a bit too crowded, you could always move up to a 2-3/8" board, which reduces the scaling factor to 73.7%. Again, within USCF guidelines.

In a pinch, where space is limited, you can even get away with using the Dubrovnik set on a 2-1/8" board, as seen in the picture below. This borderless chess board has a 17" x 17" footprint, a lot smaller than your standard 2-1/4" roll up tournament size board; which, with indexing, is about 20" square.

For more info on the latest USCF regs, refer to the following table.

Personally, I use my HoS Dubrovnik on both a 2.25" and a 2.125" boards. The 2-1/4" when I've got plenty of space, and the 2-1/8" when space is at a premium. Pictured above is my Dubrovnik set on custom 2-1/8" chess board.

In my opinion, no.  It's way too crowded.  Some people can tolerate those proportions, but I think they are terrible.  You would need 2 3/8" squares for that size for it to look and feel comfortable.  I don't subscribe to the USCF guidelines.  The 73-78% guidelines are ridiculous in my opinion.  The standard tournament set sold with standard roll-up chess boards are 1.5" kings on 2.25" squares for a ratio of 67%.  This is the most common ratio in tournaments everywhere and most people are used to this or slightly larger.  It allows for easy visual clarity of the positions and comfortable sliding of pieces down diagonals between pieces.  For me, the sweet spot is about 72% and anything higher than that starts to feel crowded very quickly.

This is just my opinion, and you'll find many differing ones on this subject, obviously.

OMGchess14,

A 1.5" diameter king on a 2.25" board looks rather diminutive to me, but as you say, different strokes for different folks.

The main problem I have with this configuration are the pawns, whose diameter in this size set is probably around 1", which makes for a scaling factor of less than 44% on a 2.25" board. This makes for a presentation where, IMHO, half the pieces on the chess board seem to be swimming in their squares.

The method I recommend is to start with a board that falls within the 73%-78% USCF guideline. Then, if the pieces feel too crowded, move up to the next size larger board; if things are too spacious, move down one size.

I understand.  The thing that I always think back to is that this is considered the standard piece set with the standard sized board, and probably 75% of all uscf games are played using that size ratio.  Most people are very used to it.  That's why I think people are more comfortable on the lower side of that range and even a little under it.  I know I certainly am.

Guys, I actually think you are both right.

Something we need to remember is that the body of the pieces also matters as to what size square they are best on.

And Lou has a very good point in saying we need to consider all the pieces and their base sizes for a board.

The USCF plastic set that has the 1.5" base diameter does look good on the 2.25" square size because the body sizes of the pieces as well as the diameter sizes of all the pieces plays into the consideration.

I have had a hard time being happy with the sizing of my HoS Zagreb 59' set.  While the King diameter is big, the other pieces and their diameters are smaller, specifically the pawns.  I have refrained from using that set in any kind of serious game because of these poor dimensions.

Like OMGchess14, I really like the lower percentage sizing of piece diameter to square size, and I also think the above picture of the HoS Dubrovnik on that 2.125" board looks kind of crowded.  It works mind you, but it just seems crowded to me.  Yes, this is personal taste, but I am well known for having great taste

Quite awhile back, Lou brought up the sizing proportions of all the pieces in a set in relation to each other.  This is a good point.  For instance the set that HoS called their York Series and now Carl at Official Staunton calls the Paul Morphy Series set (which I just bought one of from Carl and his company) has a 1.5" King base along with a 3.5" King height.  When I started a thread about how much I liked this set, Lou got on and pointed out the sizing between the pieces was perfect.  This gives the set an extremely well balanced look to it and aesthetically makes the set very desirable.

That set works perfectly on a 2.0" board.  And the percentage is exactly at 75%.  I have put the set on a 2.125" board and it doesn't work as well.  And of course the 2.25" board has the pieces lost as a small blip in the sea.  Also that set on a 1.875" board is too big for that square size.

So, what I've come to is what Lou suggests and that is to put the actual set, all the pieces, on a board, take a step back, and evaluate how it looks on that size square.

The Staunton designed sets and the Dubrovnik designed ones are known for having larger bases.  The Lardy and some others have smaller bases.  This is where the height and largeness of the body of the piece come into play as to the best square size.  Taking a Staunton design set with a King base diameter of 1.5" will need a different and most likely smaller square size than a Lardy set with the same King diameter.  And I do believe the plastic USCF sets are more of the Lardy style than anything else.

What?!?  You don't like lima beans?!?  Just what kind of Chess player do think you are then?

I do find it interesting, Lou, that you and I have a lot of the same tastes and thoughts when it comes to Chess sets. 

You are pretty much the only guy on here that I saw owned a House of Chess Yugo (Zagreb) 4" set.  I bought one in the same wood that you have, and I love it. 

I have also read of sets you own and your tastes, and I find we are in agreement a lot more times than not.

Anyway, I will try to get back to the topic of this thread, 3.75" King sets or more specifically what size set works best on 2.25" square sized boards.

This board size is my favorite and I have found the following sets work great:

1. HoS Players Series

2. HoS Fischer-Spassky set - on sale/clearance for $149 which I have taken advantage of twice (Golden Rosewood and Ebonized) now (I sold the Pawn Sacrifice version to get rid of the leather pads on the kings)

3. Noj made Best Chessmen Ever, Stage 2, Walnut, with stainless steel bases

4. Noj GM Pavasovic

5. Noj Dubrovnik II (3.6" King but the bigger bases make it sit bigger on a square)

6. Rochester Chess Center's Ultimate Rosewood Chess Set (looks and feels as good or better than the plastic version).  Every time I use this set it receives compliments from my opponent.

7. House of Chess Yugo (Zagreb) 4" King - I have it in Bud Rosewood, nice, very nice on a 2.25" square board.

8. HoS B. H. Wood set that has remarkably wide bases and handles quite well.

9. HoS Lardy that is sized very similarly to the solid plastic sets we all know and, ahem, love.

Ron, that's quite of collection of sets. Are a majority of your sets sized for a 2.25" board?

Lou, yes the majority are sized for 2.25" boards.

I have 4 sets for bigger boards, HoS Morphy 4" Blood Rosewood, HoS Marshall 4" Rosewood, HoS Classic 4.4" Ebonized and now the HoS Mechanics institute Rosewood.

I also have a few sets for smaller boards, 2.0" to 2.125" boards.  HoS Classic 3.5" Golden Rosewood, HoS York Series Ebonized 3.5" which is only available now from Official Staunton as the Paul Morphy Series, an Official Staunton Paul Morphy Series set in Sheesham, and a couple of very inexpensive sets from The Rochester Chess Center in Rosewood where I also bought my folding 2.0" wood boards.

The Noj Dubrovnik II sets can play quite well on a 2.125" board and even works well on a 2.0" board.  Of course this is the set you see Bobby Fischer used so much on a 2.25" vinyl board as well as a couple of wood boards in some published images.

:i'm selling my dubrovnik set on ebay for 159 with free shipping on ebay. it currently lists for 199 and shipping will run another 13 bucks. if you like opposite color finials, check it out. and the pieces are robust enough for otb play.

My boards are all 2.25", including a table that I had custom made. Therefore I typically look for sets with a 3.75" K. Can any collectors recommend quality wood, tournament qualifying sets currently available that have 3.75" Ks?

Second question: I thought that I once read that sets in which the bishops have an opposite color dot on top, e.g., the set on the cover of Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess, can not be used in rated tournaments. Is this true?

Ron, since I play most of my chess offsite, I have a wide selection of differnt size chess sets (from 3" to 4.5") and boards (from 1.75" to 2.5").

I have 6 sets sized for a 2.5" board, 4 sets for 2.375", only 2 sets for 2.25", 3 sets for 2.125", 3 sets for a 2" board, and 3 more sets that can play on either a 2" or 1.875" board, and finally, 2 sets for a 1.75" board.

It's about time to recycle 2 or 3 sets back into the cosmic universal flow.

Geomancer1001,

I don't find anything in the USCF regs that expressly forbids using a set with differnt color finials. The question probably wouldn't arise unless your opponent objects to using the set. In that case, it would be up to the arbitrator to decide.

I really appreciate your taking the time to really help me. I am new to these forums. My original intent was to merely purchase a new set to replace my current HOS Professional which I have on a custom chess table. This forum has piqued my interset in purchasing several different sets over time. I do find chess pieces to be aesthetically pleasing.