Another chess set with misrepresented colors

I’m getting pretty fed up with chess companies, and realizing it’s too much of a risk to order from most of them.

I ordered a Česká Klubovka set from Staunton Castle which arrived in a different color than what I expected based on their product photos. See this comment where I analyze the colors of the images online vs. the chess set I received.

And now I have the same problem with a Chavet chess set I ordered from Royal Chess Mall. It’s a beautiful set for a nice price, but it’s hard to appreciate that when another significant aspect deviates from your expectations. This is how the set was presented, with this stunning red Mahogany stain:

And this is what I received; dark brown:

I feel so pedantic and embarrassed to complain, but I ordered the set specifically for its dark red color. I put in a claim at Ebay for a replacement or a possible return. I’m guessing I won’t get a replacement, but the option to return seems likely; but either way, I would have to pay the cost of shipping. I’m really bothered by that.

Why does there seem to be a trend of chess companies misrepresenting what their chess sets look like? I don’t understand the practice, because I’m likely not the only person who complains based on the product not looking what one expected to get. Or maybe I am; maybe I’m the only one pedantic enough to be bothered by this? I don’t know.

Is there anything I can do to avoid this from happening again? I’m starting to feel that ebony and boxwood are the only safe purchase because you know exactly what to expect; when it comes to stains or wood types you’re not familiar with, there is going to be a level of uncertainty. Maybe I should request photos taken with a phone camera before I purchase a set that gives me reason to expect color variance/deviations? I’m not sure how feasible that is given that most chess sets may not be in stock, so there won’t be an opportunity for photos until the set is finished some weeks after payment.

Should I contact companies and ask for clarification on the exact colors and how representative the product photos are? Should I assume online photos are not representative and put in a special request to get the exact color stain I want? Are there chess companies I should avoid because their product photos are often not representative?

I’m starting to feel I can only trust the product photos of House of Staunton, Regency Chess, and Noj…

Oh I just realized it’s not just the color that is off; my knight has a thinner neck, and the angles of his face are off. The diagonal line in front of the eye should go backwards instead of forward (which would reduce the length of the line from the jaw to the neck), and the line above the eye should be more horizontal (which would shorten the line from the temple towards the ear, thus making the ear appear shorter than in my version).

Are such strong deviations in the angles to be expected, or is this knight simple not up to standards? Either way, I like the angles in the product photo much better. My knight has a more pronounced cheek, longer ears, and a thinner neck.

I didn’t specifically notice anything off when I inspected my knight before I compared it with the product photo, but I did have a sense of it looking less elegant. Turns out my intuition was correct. I think my knight does look less gracious. What do you think?

I agree with the. The carving was the first thing I noticed. The knight you received looks less elegant to me as well. Now, I really, really love Chavet knights and I looked at a lot of Indian reproductions of Chavet sets, but something about the knights was always a little off, and I have to like the knight to like the set.

I endet up buying two second hand sets on ebay. I don't even know, if they are real deal, I'm not an expert and one came in an unmarked box and the other on in a plastic bag, but I'm quite happy with them.

For me, Indian Chavet reproductions are almost too perfect. It doesn't feel like a Chavet set, if the white pieces don't have swirls, the wood is not gnarly, the dark stain is not a bit uneven and if none of the queens leans. 😄 

These are two of my Chavet (or Chavet-ish knights).

This will happen when you buy KO sets ? DKW is the king of them ?

Hey my fake set ani't Real !

edited comment Andrewsmith 

Another useful topic that I would like to avoid locking. I have removed comments that were personal attacks, off-topic or repetitive. Please let's keep the discussion friendly and on topic.

Don't be fooled by the "3rd Party" protection since in that set, there is still no "free returns". If it doesn't say "free returns" then it's the same as buying directly from the web site.

I have created a new topic to discuss purchasing chess equipment online. That would be an ideal place to discuss 3rd party purchase protection (and more). Otherwise, let's please stay on topic with the variations of the OPs chess set.

@WandelKoningin I stated in a post earlier, I agree with you that the shape of your knight does seem to be significantly different. And suggested that you send your comparison picture to RCM to show them what you got. Also mention the difference in the color of stain.

Here is my exact same set from RCM. I tried to get a good pic with my pieces up against the screen for comparison. I will note that when I look at this in real life, the colors do seem to be extremely close, but this pic somehow makes the screen pieces look a little pink. In real life, the color of my pieces look very close to what's on their website.

I also compared my knight to the silhouette of their knight pics, and I can't tell a difference with mine...so maybe you have a validate complaint with yours. I can only decern a difference on a cut angle on my knight's nose, but, as being hand made, most differences will be seen on the knights of most chess sets, so I'm not bothered by this minor difference in my set.

Well as the king of KO , You should know ? i am not into fake sets of any kind ! DKW

The knight in the op also doesn't have a sharp edge at the bottom of the head, it looks like somebody slipped with a tool and damaged that edge. Maybe I'm mistaken but on the side of the head near the bottom there seem to be some tool marks left. Together with the wrong shape and wrong angles around the eyes (which btw Yenster1's knight also share with the OP) it could be that an apprentice did that knight and it found its way into sales instead of the firewood pile (if by accident or deliberately I don't know and can only guess... ). I saw somewhere that it can take a long time to learn to make perfect knights, so what happens with all the botched ones?

You mean , you have no class , DKW the king of KO !

Lets remain friendly and on topic by discussing the variations in OPs Česká Klubovka. If you want to discuss the merits of collecting other reproduction sets I recommend you create another topic.

Looks nice!

With this set, I actually didn’t care about it being true to the original Chavet sets; I wanted a set that looks relatively minimalist and polished. Most knights are so ornate which I do love, but the Chavet reproductions are beautifully minimalist while maintaining elegance, unlike the German knight sets like the European (which seems to be the same design as Chavet except for the knights).

Your knight looks exactly the same as my knight to me; the same protruding cheek and deep-cut ears. That worries me a bit, because that seems to suggest that the knights are just cut that way, rather than my knight being flawed. I’m not sure if that is relevant though, because either way it deviates from what was presented online.

But at least they got the color right with your set! I think I would have accepted the set if at least it was that reddish color. I think your set is beautiful. Maybe the knight is also more true to the original Chavet knights? At least, DelphinSnow’s knights have similar cheeks. I prefer the cheek seen in the production photos of Royal Chess Mall though; the fact that it consists of just one angle instead of two is satisfying to me. It’s that minimalism that attracted me to this set.