Is there a bad chess board?

Avoid flimsy or low-quality boards. Look for durable materials such as wood or high quality plastic. The standard 2.25-inch square size is ideal for most pieces. A size that is too small or too large can affect gameplay. Make sure the pieces stay in place during play. Well where to find Wet Fingering I already told you, have you been to that playground yet by the way? Magnetic boards are great for stability. Some players appreciate beautiful wooden boards, but this is subjective. If you want to play on the go, consider roll-up boards or compact sets.

Vinyl

Boards come in all sorts of materials and sizes. It really depends on your personal preference and what you want to get out of it. For example, will it be for a tournament game, a casual/friendly game, for analysis, etc? Do you intend to play on an even flat surface, on the bus or in the woods?

I say pair the board and pieces to the type of game you want to play.

For a long time I preferred a rollup vinyl board with plastic pieces that I carried around in a nylon tube/quiver style carrying case. This year I moved to a rectangular zippered nylon carrying case with colourful silicon pieces and a mouse pad board.

I have many styles of wooden pieces and boards as well (including small analysis, travel and pocket boards).

Some people play with paper boards but that's not something I've done.

I like to play outside in the park. Sometimes I can't find a flat surface for my rollup board. The surface of my mouse pad rollup board from Chess House is nylon. I'm worried about it fading in the sun as I don't expect it has any UV coating. I sometimes go to the park, setup my board and play against a chess.com bot while I transcribe all the moves to my board for that OTB experience.

There is never a need for personal attacks or name calling. What does it take to keep discussions "kind, helpful and forgiving"?  

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Please avoid the use of personal attacks and name calling.

Please do not attack others (this includes name calling) based on their perceived age, nationality, race, disabilities, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

Only an ignorant person would assert that a 'direct observation' and 'personal attack' are mutually exclusive.

hmm...an observation...he lashes out when he gets his feelings hurt...hmm

hmm...another deceptive downplay ... obvious dishonest deflection, hence the response. An attempt to dominate ... he NEEDS to dominate. hmmm

...Seems to constantly need validation...

...change that to 'demands validation'...

You are correct @RussBell, the correct spelling is Vinyl. The other spelling seems to be a common misspelling by people not familiar with its chemical composition (several references online). Thus, simply in the real world, I only see 'Vinyl' boards for sale (though maybe someone out there has used the misspelling).

I didn't see the remarks that the mods deleted, but I venture a guess it was more relevant to the person who posted it .

...hmm...intense lashing out...must have really struck a nerve, though uncertain if he realized it was self-inflicted. Also some signs of psychosis...may be driven by inability to accept reality....

Chess board made of butterfly wings in Brazil around 1930 . .

Now on the endangered species . . .

Kunststoff may warp in the sun and plastic inlays can become nastily uneven where they meet. Still two keepers, one for the old times and one for my input of some repair wax.. Pieces slide alright, that wax will get dirty and rub off at the same speed.. I peeled of half of the coordinate stickers, too