How do sets compare for play and analysis?

Ipcress, I'm not sure what the set's called. I call it my 'Stubby Noir" set. I picked it up used from Alan Dewey, and he wasn't able to provide any information as to its orgins, other than it was a contemprary set of unknown origin. The bishops, knights, and rooks seem to share some design elements with some of the pre-Staunton sets of the early to mid-1800's as seen below.

With their wide bases and squatty stature, they're very stable. In fact, it would take a brick and bat to knock them over! The king's base to height ratio is 48%. The only other set I have that even comes close is the HoS Dubrovnik set with a ratio of 47%.

Love Stubby Noir, Lou.

I like using my little Lardies because the shapes are so familiar and universal.

Here's the final position in Lombardy-Pavey, 1955, 1-0.

Does anyone know a place that sale analysis size silicone board ?

Nice setup, Chuck. What size board are you using? To save space I've had all my custom boards made up without frames ("boards without borders"). Allows me to use the largest possible set in the smallest available space.

Shown above: 2", 2-1/8", 2-3/8" & 2-1/2" boards

I've long admired those beautiful boards! The squares on my French rollup are about 1.6". Also, we've moved on from coffee to Helles and from a brown Lardy to a black lacquered one.

Having brought the caliper out, I measured the pieces. The kings are actually 3.4", not 3.0" as I originally reported. The setup is more crowded than I typically would play with, but I don't mind it being a bit crowded for analysis. Between the dull brown pieces and the lacquered black ones, I prefer the dull brown ones. Both the color and the finish are easier on the eyes.

Yes, when comparing the picture the Brown does look easier on the eyes for analysis and play.

Nonetheless, they both look to more than adequately do the job.

Chuck, you're in good company. Have you ever noticed how crowded the boards were back in the bygone days? Looks like the king is taking up about 90% of the square.

Good point, Lou. Thanks for the classic pics!

Where do you guys get or have made borderless wood boards?

Pretty cool looking.

Mine shown here is a vintage French roll-up board. There is a cloth backing to which each rank is attached separately. I had been looking for one casually for a while and found this one offered on Ebay. I got it for something like twelve bucks. 

Lou's got the real gems.

I have one in black and maple with 2.1" squares, an Ulrich that I bought from Niggeman, to use with my red BCE set. I also have one of Ifekali's prototype BCE magnetic boards in a red-orange, which I bought directly from him through his website. The manufactured ones he's been offering lately have small borders. Finally, I made a borderless black and maple magnetic board.

The Ulrich board...

My homemade modular magnetic board...

Finally, the prototype BCE modular magnetic board...

Cgrau: Lovely stuff!

Say, I like the simplicity cum elegance of the BCE set. Perhaps that is where I am heading in my desire for a chess set best suited for staring and analyzing.

ipcress12, I also own the BCE set.  I believe the one pictured is of the series that Jonas had made in India and sells on his web site.  It is less expensive than the ones he has Noj make.

I also own a Noj made BCE set but that one has the stainless steel bases and is now quite expensive.  It wasn't so when I bought mine.

Anyway, that black one made in India works quite well for analysis or play. 

I also own 2 of the BCE magnetic boards, but mine are both the newer produced ones with the narrow borders.  Those are really nice boards and with them coming apart into 4 equal pieces it is very portable.

Well, it's got that look of a chess set from the future without looking cheesy.

I assume you can still purchase from BCE? The website page don't seem to have been updated in a while.

Ron is correct that the BCE shown on the red-orange modular board is the Indian-produced so-called Tournament version. It's the only photo I had in my gallery of that board. The black and maple Ulrich board, however, sports my friend's black NOJ version. Here is my  red NOJ version that you can get from NOJ of Slovenia through their website. I upgraded the knights and have kingside stamping. 

Here are some pawns from the three BCE sets I was comparing...

Thanks! I think it captures the essence of the Staunton design stripped of most of the embellishments. It's great to play with. I've never used it for analysis, but I'm not averse to doing so.

Ac couple more shots of my red NOJ BCE-S1E (for Stage 1-Eastern: Stage 1 is the most streamlined, collarless version; Eastern means the finials and bishops are homage to the Dubrovnik set; NOJ also makes Stage 2 sets with collars and Western sets with crosses and miter cuts).

Ipcress, I had three of the boards shown above made up at Bill's Woodpile on Etsy. Can you guess the one board Bill didn't make. . . I'll give you a hint. . .it's the warpped one, which I ended up keeping after he offered me a 50% discount. If you contact Bill, tell Lou says hello (the guy with all the crazy design ideas).

https://www.etsy.com/listing/163589136/hardwood-checkerchess-board-25-squares?ref=sr_gallery_41&ga_search_query=chess+board&ga_order=price_desc&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_page=7&ga_search_type=all

Thanks, Info! I agree 1000%. I'll post a separate topic on them in the next few weeks. I don't want to divert this one from its focus. If you order, give yourself lots of lead time. NOJ is a small, family operation, and your set will be hand crafted for you. Jonas (Ifekali) may have the Tournament version in stock, but I'm not sure what he's up to these days. Entertainment websites in Slovenia indicate that the talented and loquacious Slovene has gone Bohemian (apart from his passion for Chess, Jonas is a TV and movie star, and a renowned stand-up comedian--I have watched a Slovene film on Amazon Prime, a kind of hybrid Deliverance meets Hostel 2, where Jonas plays the mad, fascist mayor of a backwoods Slovene burg who terrorizes three female college students canoing up a river into the wilderness in search of themselves--he plays that role quite convincingly, I might add).

When I was fairly young, my parents made me watch The Deliverance with them before I went on a white water rafting trip. They thought it would teach me safety. They were a bit shocked. "Boy, those are some purty lips you got there."

I love Spanish sets (among others)...particularly ones having boards with green squares. Does anyone know where you can purchase these online and/or own any they can post?