Four HoS Sets

Hi Everyone,

I have recently picked chess up. Picked up because I played chess sometime when I was a teenager (who hasn't?). I have been a Go player for 15 years and is an amateur 2dan now and with some spare time, I took a closer look at chess. As a side effect of that, I have also bought some chess sets, four sets in total from the House of Staunton over the recent few months.

The sets are:

1. The Championship Series 3.75" King

2. The B.H Wood Chess Pieces 3.75" King

3. The Fischer Spassky 1972 Series 3.75" King

4. The Grandmaster II Series 4.0" King

Here are some photos:

Note; In the photos above, Square C=Grandmaster Series, D=Fischer Spassky, E=B.H and F=Championship Series. Same direction for the Kings and the top view picture.

As far as I can see, there are no major quality issues except for some finishing that is not well done where the wood was not properly finished or polished. Otherwise they look very good and play very well.

I find that I played with the Fischer Spassky set the most while indoors (love the size and the weight) and Championship Series the most while outdoors (lighter weight and perhaps cheaper in case my dogs decide to eat one of the pieces). The B.H set is really something different with very big butt (base... haha) but after some time, they look great! I have not played enough with this set but I suspect I will play with it more and more. It has a very interesting design which is growing on me. The Grandmaster series is the biggest of them but not as heavy as the Fischer Spassky set. I find that the knights look a bit overly detailed and the pieces a bit too clumsy to play. 

Just a short post on these pieces and sharing some pictures while I continue my journey to explore this chess world. Cheers!

 Nice chess sets ...

PS: Hum! you seem to like "outlaw" cigar

i prefer "The" Co...ba

Sharp eyes! Love the CoRo too 

I prefer "sweetness" to "strong personality".

Wish you a nice day Smoke Maker friend

I own two of those four sets you have listed, The Grandmaster and the B.H. Wood. Both are excellent playing sets IMHO. I tend to lean more favorable towards the B.H. Wood set because of it's low center of gravity stability playing rapid, lightning or blitz type games. You've made some great choices, enjoy them for a long time playing with family, friends and challenging opponents. 

I don't own a B.H. Wood set, but I would intuitively have thought that such was the case. Looks like a great playing set. Is it weighted?

Yes it’s weighted guite appropriately @ 44.5 oz. Outstanding for blitz, lighting & speed type games. I own the ebonized version but the golden rosewood is nice as well. 

Very nice sets. I have 1 of those sets and you can't go wrong with HoS. 

At the risk of hijacking the thread, what are your impressions of chess as compared to Go? In particular is Go opening theory(opening moves) as automatic as it is in Chess? Does Go training help, hurt or no effect on your Chess play? 

This question and discussion would get a lot more attention and answers in the correct Forum, not Books & Equipment.

I suggest you post this, as a new Topic in the General Chess Discussion Forum.

Please note that the HoS Zagreb '59 set has small piece bases.  I own one and find I am not playing with it much at all because of this.

I also use my HoS Championship set as well as the HoS Lardy.

The B H Wood set does have wider bases and handles quite well during play.  Of course some of the piece dimensions are different, but during play this set really is nice.

In a choice between the Zagreb and B H Wood sets, I would choose the B H wood set.

Oh really? The description says 1.5 king base but I'm guessing you are talking about the minor pieces?  Bumper. I was hoping it would be my secondary set or at least better than the French series pieces in terms of overall performance.  But once I'll get them, I will know aha   I know for sure I will always prefer BH wood sets over anything else. If someone ask me for my recommendation for a wood set, I would definitely recommend the championship set any day follow by the HoS folding tournament boards. I heard the grandmaster piece set is also an excellent choice but I need to check them out personally before anything.  I'm currently experimenting with other "low budget" Staunton pieces and the 3 main colors. The Club series and wholesale's standard Staunton pieces are next on my watchlist. Keeping an eye out for deals. Father's day should be an interesting one. 

If you are looking for the inexpensive Staunton sets, I suggest you consider the HoS Pro Line Series set.  It plays like a Marshall Series set but works great on a 2.25" square board.

I own all the folding tournament boards from HoS and like them very much.  I also own, or have owned, a lot of the other lower priced HoS sets.  The Classic Series is nice, but I don't personally care for it.

The Championship is really a nice set.  The Grandmaster set is fun to play with as well.  The Pro Line is a bit heftier and plays quite well on a HoS folding tournament board, 2.25" of course.

Yes, the problem with the Zagreb actually is the small base size of mostly the pawns.  The King and Queen pieces are fine.  The Bishops are a bit narrow as well as the Knight bases.  I am not the only person to feel this about this set as well.

I just checked the Pro Line series and you are right, I'll definitely keep the pro series in mind. I love the pawns of the set and I would considered getting the set in Ebonized. Also, they do seem like the ultimate set for blitz. So if the question of high quality and durability for blitz, Pro Line series is the way to go Buddy.

Ah so it's the problem with the pawns? I thought it was more with the rooks. I know some people wanted the rook to be a little bit taller.

But getting the set as a cheap alternative to the Dubrovnik/Yugoslavian design, I'll take the imperfections haha Maybe I'll swap out the pawns from the French series or something ;D 

I have since added two more HoS sets being the Dubrovnik and the Zagreb 59. Here are some pictures, from left to right: Championship Series (3.75"), B.H. Wood (3.75"), Fischer-Spassky 1972 Commemorative (3.75"), Zagreb 59 (3.875"), Dubrovnik (3.75") and Grandmaster II Series (4.0").

Some notes (my personal bias and preference):

1. Kings: The Fischer- Spassky set has the most slender king which looks refined. I love the king in the Zagreb set with the pointed finial (it also comes with a cross finial) but it can be a bit too sharp. Next I prefer the Dubrovnik king (which also comes with a finial of the opposite color). The reason for the preference towards the Zagreb king is that the design looks a bit classier and finer. 

2. Queens: The Fischer-Spassky set has sharp crowns which I felt a bit too pointy. Of these, I love the queens in the Zagreb set the most. It is elegant and practical at the same time. 

3. Bishops: The sexiest bishop must be the one from the B.H set with its squatting position. However, again in terms of design, I prefer the Zagreb bishop for its elegance. It is also no less stable than the B.H bishop. I also like the bishop from the Dubrovnik set.

4. Knights: The knights from the Championship series must win for its simple and practical design. However, the knight from the Zagreb set must win for its sadness. I like this distinct looking knight but it is a bit too tall for my liking. The knight from the Dubrovnik set is chinless which I do not quite like. My preference for knights therefore goes to the B.H set followed by the Fisher-Spassky knight.

5. Rooks: The biggest and heaviest rook comes from the Zagreb set. I think I can grow some finger muscles just by playing with this rooks a lot. Of the rooks, I like the one from the B.H set the most for its clean design. The rooks from the Championship series is too small for my liking. The one from the Dubrovnik set is not bad also.

6. Pawns: The pawns from the Zagreb set is too tall! I really dislike it. I love the pawn from the B.H set the most followed by the one from the Fisher-Spassky set. They look classy and practical without looking like an overgrown pawn (or underground bishop for that matter!) or looking like a dwarf pawn.

In general, I love playing with the Dubrovnik and the Fischer-Spassky set the most followed by the B.H Set. In fact, I play with the Dubrovnik set the most but for outdoors, I always use the Championship Series set. I use the Grandmaster II series the least and am thinking of letting that set go.

Thanks for reading.