A Few Questions

So I hope you guys don't shoot people around here for a lurker's first post being a bunch of questions.  If so, I'll have to accept the book being thrown at me.   I'm looking to buy a new set and as is usual when I begin to over research things online I'm having trouble.

I'm torn between buying an "economy" set, such as:

• TCS Lardy 3.25
• HOC 3.5

What do you want to do with the set? Travel? Display in the living room? Play w/ your kids? Make friends jealous? Play Blitz or standard time controls? Treat as an investment? Upgrade from a cheap plastic set? Depending on how you answer some of those questions, your choice of ideal set might be different.

What style you end up picking is really a matter of personal taste. I would advise to consider the following guidelines:

- Pick a Staunton (ie stay away from theme sets and other non-standard designs)

- Pick a size between 3.5" and 4", w/ a King base of at least 1.5"

- Unless you plan to play a lot of fast time controls, pick a set that is nicely weighted

- Pick a design aesthetically pleasing to you

- Stay away from fancy knights. 

- Stay away from anything labeled "heirloom"

- Stay away from sheesham/padauk and more exotic woods - limit yourself to boxwood for white and either stained boxwood or ebony for black (exception can be made for Rosewood, if you like that look)

- Don't pick a set that's been artificially "antiqued"

- Pick a set that comes w/ extra queens

- Buy from a reputable vendor w/ a replacement policy

- Go with an economy set. However, if you do feel like spending money, spend all the money on the set, not the board (a cheap vinyl board will do, you can upgrade to a better board later)

- Don't buy combos 

- Don't buy clearance items

- Buy a set w/ felted pads, not leather pads

- Don't buy a Jaques (unless it's a vintage set)

These are my somewhat random thoughts. I'm sure others have other views on what matter most.

Not looking to travel with it and not looking to make anybody jealous. Looking to have a nice set to play with, that I might possibly display in the future (maybe in my office), and that I'll still look at as a high quality set years down the road.

Definitely would only consider staunton sets (although having trouble settling on a variation).

Was looking at appx. 3.25-3.75. You think 3.25 is too small?

I see weight listed sometimes and sometimes not. How do I know what is sufficient weight?

"Heirloom" and "ecoonomy" were definitly just terms I chose.

Interesting take on rosewood, not what I would have expected.

Thanks for the feedback!

I read rhat you do not plan on playing tournaments and are not going to display the set.

I agree with a lot of what Frank suggests above.  Here are my thoughts:

- I would not get a set smaller than 3.5".  This size set will match only boards with 2" squares and a touch smaller.  There are no vinyl boards of 2" size that I can find anywhere, for instance.

- 3.75" sets usually are suited for 2 1/4" boards which are plentiful in all types.  Actually 3.6" to some smaller dimensioned 4" sets are just fine for this size board. 

- Your budget will have a lot to say about what woods and kind of sets and boards you will get.  You have listed some sets that are over $100 so I will assume you might spend some money on this set.

- Ebony is fine, but it can have problems with cracking and it is one of the more expensive woods out there.  Blood Rosewood is often more expensive than Ebony.

- If you like the deep brownish, reddish color Rosewood is a good and hard wood for Chess pieces.  Sheesham, aka Golden Rosewood is a less expensive wood that is brownish but the wood is most often a lighter color than regular Rosewood   I have some Rosewood sets that are well over  10 years old and they have darkened quite a bit and are almost as dark as ebony. 

- Ebonized pieces are stained black.  Depending on the manufacturer the Ebonized can be good and now fade or wear off, or can have problems with the edges of the pieces showing the white color of the underlying boxwood they are made of.  This is a less expensive wood than Rosewood, Ebony and Blood Rosewood.

If I were going to buy and have only one set for playing, I would consider one of the following:

- As my first choice because of its nice design and playabiility, I would get the HOS Players Series Set in Rosewood, http://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-players-series-chess-pieces-3-75-king.html

I bought this set from Frank Camaratta back in 1998 and gave it to a young fellow from our town who had just become a Master in 2004.  I decided to get it again this past December when I saw they had lowered the price from its original plus they had a great sale going on.  I am currently using this set in our Monday night club rated tournament, and I have received at least 3 compliments on how nice it is in 2 club nights.

-- From the Chess House is a nice 3.75" set in Rosewood at a decent price.  I think this set design is balanced and looks nice.

http://www.chesshouse.com/3_3_4in_French_Staunton_Rosewood_Chess_Pieces_p/cp7429-dq.htm

- The Chess Store has a nice set for a little more money, but the design looks similar to the Jaques set you mentioned in your post.  Sure it is not a duplicate but it is a nice design.

http://www.thechessstore.com/product/GSR350/Grande-Staunton-Chess-Set-in-Rosewood-Boxwood-3-5-King

Of course you can find competitive and similar sets on other sites.  This is just a sampling.

Most of the places offer set and board combos.  The ones you list concern me because the pieces don't look that great in design.  Buying the pieces and board separately usually means you will get better quality.

The House of Staunton has an option where you can buy a board at a discount at the same time you get the pieces.  They also offer a box as well, but I usually get a tackle box type of case and that works great.  The Chess House and The Chess Store also have suggestions for boards they sell that would match the pieces.

I suggest you make sure the dark squares of the board do not totally match the color of the dark pieces.  You need contrast to be able to see what the pieces are on the  squares.

Another place that has some very nice sets and suggested matching boards is Your Move Chess and Games, http://www.chessusa.com/

Good luck in finding your "happy" setup.  If you have any questions, ask and we shall answer.  Also let us know what you decide on.

Although a Liberty Pinney isn't a standard Staunton set it is close.  HOS right now as I type has some dark rosewood & boxwood sets left 4" although I hear it might be close to 3 3/4" but none the less it's $59.95 on sale. They have sold a ton and I expect the quantities won't last too much longer.  They sold out of the ebonized & boxwood already for $49.95.  These are at 1/2 price, well made, and should last a lifetime.  Very easy set to look at as is a Staunton set since it could be classified as such and I would classify it as that. JUst an alternative as you may want to pick up this set as well as another you have your eyes set on. 

Have fun putting a chess set together, it is the greatest hobby I know of.

Thanks for all of the helpful feedback!

I've done some more looking and I think I'm beginning to narrow my focus.

I'm going to likely stick to the 3.5 - 3.75 range, probably going with 3.75.  I also really like ebony, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to find a set that I like in my price range.

Any thoughts on this set?  (If they become available again...)

This set I like http://www.chessbazaar.com/the-dominator-weighted-staunton-chess-pieces-in-ebony-box-wood-4-0-king.html

Since individual tastes vary ymmv

Chess Bazaar has this set in stock.  I'm leaning towards pulling the trigger.

The hard part is what board to get.  I was thinking something simple like this.  At least for now.  Is there any reason flat boards are typically better than folding?  Would I be better off getting a flat board and a box for storage?

Also, any opinions on what board colors go best with ebony/boxwood?

Thanks again!

I really like the looks of that set, and it's a great price for Ebony.

I also have recently become a fan of the smaller sized sets.  This 3.5" set looks like it will be a lot of fun to play with.

The board you have linked to looks like a very nice one at a very good price.  I especially like how the frame or border is a bit elevated from the playing area.

It looks as if you have a nice setup planned there.

That set reminds me of the HOS collector series. Especially the slightly large rooks and slender pawns.

One thing you might want to consider is that 2'' boards are very popular, but they are under "official" FIDE tournament board size (which is 55mm or about 2.16 inches), and also smaller than the larger (not official) popular board size (which is 57 or 58mm or 2.25''). It is largely down to taste.

I personally rather like the HOS folding palisander and maple board; however, I think I like a sheesham, rosewood or walnut board for ebony pieces. They might be difficult to see if the board were too dark.

Again, on a personal note, I am waiting for the Dubrovnik 3.6 inch pieces to become in-stock again on Chess Bazaar. Board-wise, you are at an advantage, because the US has the best of both worlds: a wider selection of boards which originated in Poland (HOS get lots of exclusives), and a larger possibility of getting a nice Drueke board.

Ulbrich, a German company, also make a nice frameless board, if that floats your boat.

All of the above are pretty much on my to-buy list.

So like an idiot I didn't realize the chess bazaar sale was ending and when I went to buy the set yesterday the price had jumped. Anybody know how often they have sales or know of any discounts?

Email them or go on at night and talk to them on their web site and ask if they will honor the sale.  They like happy customers.

$$ +  =