How about a tournament set, which will be useful if he starts playing in tournaments, anyway? Portable is it's main function. It is 20" x 20" when set up, though.
http://www.wholesalechess.com/shop/chess-sets/tournament-chess-sets/heavy-tournament-chess-set-combo
I have a set similar to this one and I love it. The bag has a spot for whatever clock he will use, also.
Why exactly do you want a 10" set? For it to be portable?
As squareofthepawn said, standard tournament-style board are relatively portable--but they're not something you could play on a road trip, or take to school in your backpack, for instance.
If you're looking for something like that though, a cheap but functional magnetic set is probably the way to go. That way you're not worried about it getting messed up.
I'm not sure where else you can get these, but I bought the $7 folding travel magnetic set here: http://kca.jliptrap.us/eq.htm
I've had it in my backpack every day for going on 4 years and it's still holding up (and due to my large courseload, I've gone through 2 backpacks). I've taken it on airplanes, road trips, camping/backpacking trips . . . you name it, that $7 set has endured it.
The pieces are also strongly magnetic--unlike most sets where tilting the board will cause the pieces to slide around, the pieces in this set will not move even if the board is held at 90 degrees.
So yeah, it's not fancy or "nice" but it gets the job done without feeling like you're going to break the pieces or lose them or anything. I'd recommend it for sure for a utility travel set, but if you're going for something nice for your son, just stick with the 20" tournament boards.
Thanks, we did look at the tournament sets, but they are too big rolled out and do not lay flat. He is still pretty small and prefers the smaller sets as we rarely have a dedicated place to play when we take it out. He won't take it to school but would take it on vacations, to restaurants etc. We have done cheap, and it is just not something we are looking for. He said he definately wants a smaller board 10" to 12" and wants the number and letter coordinates. The perfect set would be well made, of wood, weighted wood pieces and easy to store/travel/setup. If it was magnetic with magnets that actually work, and foldable but still high quality then all the boxes would be checked!
If the problem is the board lying flat, there are two easy fixes. You can store the board flat (I keep my board on a table permanently and only roll it up to transport it), or you can try a silicone mat board. The silicon is a little herd to get used to at first (it's rubber), but it never takes a permanent roll.
You might also look into some generic 10-in-1 game sets like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/10-Games-in-an-Aluminum-Case/17243968
I had something like that for my first set that I played with my family. That seems sorta like what you're looking for, although the pieces would probably light and I doubt you'd find one with algebraic coordinates (which doesn't mean you can't write them in).
Give me a minute, and I'll try to put up a picture of my magnetic set.
On the following page, you'll see the option for 10, 12, and 14 inch magnetic sets. These can be held at 90 degrees, or even upside down. Perfect for playing in the car on a trip.
http://www.wholesalechess.com/shop/chess_sets/travel_chess_sets
Thank you for the new suggestions. I am grateful for the replies and thanks for the picture. I did see that magnetic chess from wholesalechess.com and it looked good, it is actually #3 on our list of options right now.
After a few hours on google this one has become our #1 favorite so far, just wish it had the number and letter coordinates, double queens and weighted pieces :) maybe there is no market for such a quality portable set?
Dennis
It's the best so far, if we do go this route, wondering what would be the best way to add letters and number coodinates given it already has the nice polish layer already on it.
Here's another place to look:
http://www.chessmate.com/chessmate1.html
I don't have experience with them but at least one person in this forum has given them a good review.
Those chess mate sets look of great quality
But don't have alpha numeric either.
The chessmate seems like the most portable option out there if you want extreme portable. We want somewhat portable, small footprint (10" to 14") but high quality. The chessmate feels overpriced for what you get. I wish he showed the board folded and what the material looked like...what is it with chess websites, so many look built in 1999 and never updated.
I also found this set, which has double weighted pieces, and double queens, but it is creeping up into too big to carry around, is not magnetic, and does not have the coordinates. Looks like I need to prioritize the must haves.
So after much consideration I ended up purchasing this set:
11.25" Golden Rosewood / Maple Flip Up Travel Chess Set
This set is magnetic with strong magnets, has the alpha and number coordinates that are non distracting, double queens, no splits in the board, and nice storage. To top it all off they will also do engraving, see below.
The only items missing were higher quality felt and weighted. I can replace the felt down the road if needed and the only weighted magnetic pieces I found were $209 for a computer chess board and those pieces were too big. I may need to add some hidden magnets in the board to keep it attached to the base, but will determine that when it arrives. It should arrive in about a week, hopefully this will turn out to be great quality set.
Dennis
Greetings! My first post...
A bit frustrated trying to find a well made smaller portable set. So far I have tried several folding sets and magnetic sets and even paying $60 you get really poor quality felt, pieces that are too light, storage slots made of cheap plastic etc.
I have a nice home set, but trying to find something would be proud to gift my son, who has found chess to be one of the things he is really good at. He is 10 turning 11 and beat the chess teacher at school twice and everyone else in the class up to 8th grade several times.
I am willing to pay up to $150 for a well made set. It does not need to be mangetic, but might be nice to avoid bumps at restaurants or on the beach etc. It does not need to fold, but would be nice if it was easy to transport.
That last set we just tried and will be returning is this one:
10.5" Magnetic Wooden Travel Chess Game