folding boards

@Krames - I picked this up recently, almost as a joke - it was just a cheap local find. That said, I really like it and it sits as a functional and decorative piece on a low table. 

Practically speaking, the magnets are good, the construction is good, the pieces are basic but attractive. 

I know it is not a folding board - rather a magnetic travel set with a ‘hidden’ drawer for storage. It is potentially a good option for you to consider. 

I've never been a big fan of folding boards because the ones I've seen have always had some sort of annoying flaw...big gaps and/or height differences between the sides and/or flimsy hinges. However, I'm intrigued by the World Chess folding board:

https://shop.worldchess.com/shop/6j1pa5xa9ii5ng6j4k4bzza14tkqkm

Does anyone here have any experience with this board? Is the felt-like material sturdy enough to serve as the hinge?

That JLP folding mechanism is so cool! I've never seen anything like that before...and they've certainly priced it to reflect that. O_O I wonder how reliable and sturdy it is, or if it would be relatively easy to fix if it were to fail.

This is one of the larger, folding storage type, chess boards I've come across without pieces. Just the board. 18inches overall size when opened. 2inch squares. $139. From Chessbaron.

Not bad, thanks for sharing Pawnerai. I'll keep that in mind if I need one. I grew. up where folding boards were commonplace.

@Krames, I have one of the JLP boards. They are made to the same level of quality as the old Drueke boards, though Drueke never made a folding one AFAIK. The hinges look fairly fragile, but that’s an illusion, they are not. They are high quality, solid brass hinges, and they use four of them. And when the board is flat on the table, it’s actually hard to see the joint between the halves. The fit and finish are immaculate, and the the high production values are evident in the alignment of the hinges and almost invisible joint.

@Krames, here you go. The set, BTW, is an 1853 tournament size Jaques set. And yes, some people on this forum will give me sh*t even though the elephants have been dead for 168 years, and I own it legally. The game is Nehzmentdinov-Tal, 24th USSR Championship, 1957. 1-0

That board looks beautiful. It has class. l’m thinking perhaps it has to do with the green felt.

@madmacsback Beautiful board! I really love the video Rafael did of the 2.25 foldable version. It seemed really solid in the video. As for the ivory set, WOW! That's as far as my judgement goes. Ivory is really not my thing because I just prefer wood sets, but your set is just... WOW! Congrats on owning an amazing set.

@madmacsback  The craftsmanship and construction of JLP solid boards is awesome. How long have you had the folding board? I imagine the folding aspect of the board may add another variable in slight board warpage. Still flat as a pancake? Any wobble when pressing the corners?

That's incredible when one stops and thinks about it. Two halves of a solid wood chess board connected with drilled-in hinges so precise that there's zero wobble after 3 years use and climate acclimation.