House of Staunton

Hi:

Some time ago I asked for recommendations for chess sets. People recommended House of Staunton so I looked at their sets and made up my mind I would like to get one from them. I am wondering what other people prefer…

I originally thought a all in one box set would be nice, now I am thinking of buying the board and chessmen separately. I have a budget of around 200-250$. Can anyone give me their opinion in what type of set they prefer (box or board separate, etc.)? I am sort of leaning towards a separate board because they look heavier/thicker…

Is there a quality difference? I understand the sets are cheaper typically. If someone can recommend a board and or a set from House of Staunton I would appreciate it….I have NO IDEA what I am buying!

Best!

Mike

I've had my eye on the HOS Reykjavik II set forever as an expensive, "someday," set.  The deep crenelations on the rooks and other details make it distinctive, without drawing attention to themselves.  It's one of their more popular sets, so you'd have a ton of options in terms of wood and wether you'd want a 3.75 or 4" king.  The board you get would depend on the wood.

I'm not the biggest fan of HOS boards either.  Mainly because, on the lower end, I don't like that HOS logo on h1.

I also kind of like the Zagreb '59 set.  But I go back and forth on that one.

Realized after I typed this that I may not have answered your question.  So, get them separate and then match the board to the pieces.

BTW: There are a fair number of video reviews of HOS sets on YouTube if you want some more in-depth looks at some of their sets.

This is within your budget.. I have this set and have been quite pleased with it..

http://www.chessbaron.com/chess-X2011.htm

B

There are a lot of good and nice wood weighted and felted pieces,  I have acquired several "standard stauntons", and forget (if I ever knew) who made them.

However, I think the best boards are made by Drueke. Solid walnut and maple blocks (veneer tends to crack over time) and they are the only company (that I know of)with the fore-sight to have all there wood grain, including their border wood, going in the same direction permitting ordinary expansion and contraction without cracking.  Most companies just have the border grain parallel to the edge.  Note the top and bottom borders of

http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/chessexpress_2163_62686088

They creep up in price periodically, but I think you can get a 2" to 2.25" square model for $120 or so.  Unfortunately, my short look failed to find one and I could only find a 1.5" and 2.75" model.

I have an ancient one that I acquired used and beat up, but it remains perfectly flat without cracks or separation.

Hey Mike, HOS is a great choice.  You can get a little nicer set direct from India for the same price, but it won't have the same prestige factor and I understand the reluctance to buy from Ebay.  If you want to take one last look on Ebay, I would recommend ChessBazaar as reputable.  Back to HOS.

The only problem with buying a standard Staunton set at your price range is that the knights tend to be rather crude, and most people look at knights first when judging a set.  The Zagreb '59 set in ebonized boxwood (dyed black-turns a little choclatey after 20 or so years) is on sale for $150 right now and neatly sidesteps the knight issue by having a highly stylized knight that was a tournament standard in Europe for many years.  That's a set that does show up in tournaments here in the states as well (although most go with plastic) because of it's no frills design.  The "frillier" the set, the easier it is to damage-the pawn collars, the points on the queens crown (crenellations), the king's crown, knight ears, etc.  Just because it lacks frills doesn't mean it can't be a handsome set and the proportions of the Zagreb are classic.  One thing many hate about the set is the opposite colored filials (king's cross, queen's top) on the monarch, but you can set it up Russian style with same colored filials on the monarch, but opposite colored on the bishops.  People like the opposite color on the bishops because it makes them easier to keep track of, but most think it's a little goofy on the monarchs.  Add a 2.25 tournament board for $70 and you're in business.  HOS has recently restocked their boards so you can get one without their logo (unless you like advertising for them).  I would recommend getting notation since it will help you to learn.

There you go, my honest recommendations.  Oh I like African palisander boards, but mahogany and maple is more standard and will give marginally better contrast.  If I didn't already have a dozen sets in the house (and I don't know how they all snuck in), I'd pull the trigger on the Zagre '59 myself.  Have fun shopping.

This is not a great find, but if you prefer a small set with 1.75" squares, this is a steal.

http://www.chessexpressstore.com/drueke-chess-boards.html

as is their 1.5" board.

HOS is selling the 1.5" Drueke for $79.  Apparently, new 2-2.25" boards are sold out.  Hopefully they are not discontinued.  If the 2" comes back on the market for reasonable money, I am going to stop procrastinating and grab one.

Ishmael:

Great advice. Thanks so much for taking the time!

Mike

EP:

Ill check that out. Very interesting point you make about the boards. I want to have this board forever, for my kids (one day I hope), etc..Ill check it out.

Best,

Mike

I highly respect your advice baggogno.Thanks for the considerate responce. I appreciate the time greatly. I think the set you mentioned was mentioned a couple times already. Im checking it out.

Mike

I got my eye on this now

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/product_p/zastcombo.htm

Its a bit out of my price range....maybe. Its my favorite on the site. Anyone have it, or have an opinion? I dont know if this is the same set a couple people were referring to earlier (I want the set, not just the chessmen).

Mikr

I don't have that boards, but I do own that style of piece and absolutely love the look of them too (my set is in boxwood and rosewood, not the ebonized version on the page you linked to). TBH, I'm not sold on the board in that set because the patterning on the dark squares could be a bit difficult to stare at after a while. The board I bought with mine was one of these, but it's pretty basic. I'd actually recommend getting your ideal set first and then saving up for a board you really like later on rather than having to compromise on both fronts because of the price.

If there's anything else you want to know about the Zagreb set, let me know.

EDIT: While I own one of these (Zagreb 3.875"), I'd actually suggest you get one of these (2.875" set) unless you are going to be playing a lot of actual games with it. For analysis/study etc., the slightly smaller pieces are much better, but I image that they would still feel great. Although it's east you visualise how big 3.875" is, when I recieved mine the pieces were much bigger than I somehow expected.

I love the look of this board guys. The chessmen are nice too. Im pretty much deciding what wood would be best. Is ebony the classic wood choice since it is a naturally dark /back color? The rosewood looks nicer to the eye though...

Mike

I much prefer rosewood as well, because I like to be able to see the grain in each piece. With ebony, the pieces will be a very dark - almost black - colour that would probably suit that board better.

One thing to note, though, is that there is a difference between ebony and ebonized pieces - similar to the difference between gold and gold-plated jewelry.

I think I agree with you.

Sorry to see you entangled in chess materialism so early in your career, Mike.  It's a nasty and expensive addiction.  If you want to see grain in your pieces, then blood rosewood (often called bud rosewood) is not what you want.  The grain of lesser rosewoods is almost totally absent.  What it does have however is an incredibly rich dark red that will change to burgundy depending on the light.  It's considered the top material generally available to make sets from and is even more expensive than ebony.  I have the HOS Sheffield in blood rosewood and it is stunningly beautiful.  I also have a high end ebony with traditional staunton knights and it too is gorgeous, but not quite up there with the blood rosewood.  You will of course eventually need at least one of each.   That combo set is gorgeous of course but I fear that you are treading a slippery path that can only end in the tragedy of chess collectordom.

lol! You are right! But, this is what Christmas is for ! Ask someone else to spend thier money on you! Haha! I have a generous wife, but I am generous too....

Get heaviest prices u can afford. Also go by king height & diameter when u buy your board so prices ain't too big or too small.

Also get set with extra queens

The Drueke boards are no longer being made either by the Drueke Company, or by Carrom which took over the Drueke line.  The boards show up fairly regularly on Ebay for prices in the $100-200 range.  And it's my understanding that one of the Drueke family has started to hand-produce new Drueke boards of the same original design--he is also selling these on Ebay for $175 and up.  They are incredibly lovely boards.  The Drueke chess men are a little clunky, but I like them.  They also show up on Ebay, and a few sellers have new rather than used sets. 

But the bottom line is that they're out of production, and if you want them you need to grab them when you can find them.

Im pulling the trigger on this set:

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/product_p/zastcombo.htm

Getting the Blood Rosewood.