The really interesting question (unanswerable, of course) is this: Go back in time and present this board to Bobby Fischer and ask him to play on it. Will he be so flattered with the logo that he loves the board, or will he be so distracted by the logo that he's willing to forfeit the game by refusing to play on it? 
new mousepads boards at American Chess Equipment
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Aug 3, 2019
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#22
Aug 3, 2019
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#23
This looks nice Shelby, by looks alone I'm a fan of the way these look. I contacted ACE a while ago about their range of mousepad boards and payment options and never got a response though, so I left things at that. I might still be interested in getting one or two of these.
Aug 3, 2019
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#24
The problem I see is with people saying that a logo or other print on the h1 square is distracting to play Chess and there is no evidence proving such a thing.
In fact there are a number of tournaments that provide the equipment that have logos on the h1 square and sometimes on the a8 square as well.
It is easy to look at your monitor, phone or tablet and imagine the terribleness of these logos on a Chess board during play. When in real life and play they are not even a consideration let alone have any significance.
Eyechess wrote:
The problem I see is with people saying that a logo or other print on the h1 square is distracting to play Chess and there is no evidence proving such a thing.
In fact there are a number of tournaments that provide the equipment that have logos on the h1 square and sometimes on the a8 square as well.
It is easy to look at your monitor, phone or tablet and imagine the terribleness of these logos on a Chess board during play. When in real life and play they are not even a consideration let alone have any significance.
I can compare the logo as to watching a professional baseball game sitting behind home plate or where netting is used to protect the fans, you don't even notice it while watching the game.
Aug 3, 2019
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#27
ChessAuthor wrote:
I thought I said that.😀
You certainly did. It bears repeating.
The point is, if your goal is to maximize sales of a product, you won't achieve it by producing one where a significant percentage of the potential market finds something annoying or distracting about it, irrespective of whether those perceptions are real or imagined. It's Marketing 101.
Aug 3, 2019
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#29
On the other side of the coin there are those that will buy the board because of the logo. I know one fellow in particular that will buy the board because of the logo and name relatability to the history.
Please understand that I personally want my boards to only have the squares and no letters, numbers or logos of any kind anywhere on the board.
This new board with the army green squares really is nice. The logo does not stop me from buying the board and I know that others in my club will see the board with a set on it in a complete game, and they will want to buy a board for their own use. Because this logo is not too large or gaudy, it will not even come into consideration.
We also need to consider the market of those that will actually spend the money and buy a board. Those complaining would most likely not buy this board even without the logo. They are simply being a critical minority and not really in this market.
Yes, if Shelby would offer this board with no logo and no letters or numbers I would buy a few, quite a few.
And if he would offer it without the black borders on each square, that would even be better, for me.
But Shelby does know his market and what they will buy. You and I can armchair quarterback all we want, but the majority of buyers will end up dictating what is available.
Aug 3, 2019
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#30
Even HOS wood boards offer the option of their own logo in the corner, or not, just like they offer the option of coordinate notation on the side, or not. Options are nice. But we are not talking about a wood board costing hundreds of dollars here. These mousepad boards are practically throw away price, and are made to be functional and portable, not works of art, ffs.
Aug 4, 2019
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#31
forked_again wrote:
Even HOS wood boards offer the option of their own logo in the corner, or not, just like they offer the option of coordinate notation on the side, or not. Options are nice. But we are not talking about a wood board costing hundreds of dollars here. These mousepad boards are practically throw away price, and are made to be functional and portable, not works of art, ffs.
Yes. Yes. Yes.
forked_again wrote:
But we are not talking about a wood board costing hundreds of dollars here. These mousepad boards are practically throw away price, and are made to be functional and portable, not works of art, ffs.
This has nothing to do with whether people might like or approve of the logo.
Aug 4, 2019
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#33
DrChesspain wrote:
forked_again wrote:
But we are not talking about a wood board costing hundreds of dollars here. These mousepad boards are practically throw away price, and are made to be functional and portable, not works of art, ffs.
This has nothing to do with whether people might like or approve of the logo.
Huh???
For people who expressed their like or dilike of the logo, it has everything to do with whether people might like or approve of the logo.
edit: Oh now I see. You posted your disapproval of the logo, so "this" doesn't have anything to do with whether people approve, "this" about whether YOU approve. Got it.
Aug 4, 2019
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#34
If I recall correctly Shelby mentioned something about customized board printing.
If you really would like to buy the board but the logo is the only thing stopping you, you might want to contact Shelby to see about getting that board customized without the logo.
If, however, you would not buy the board anyway, then thanks for your input.
For rollup boards, dark color squares should be pastels and/or lighter hues to enhance contrast with the dark pieces. No lines bordering the squares in the interior of the board. No logos anywhere, especially inside a playing square.
Although I'm partial to the blues and greens, I would have no issue playing on boards with any of these colors for the dark squares (although the gold may be a little too light for a dark square)...
Food for thought....
Aug 5, 2019
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#36
RussBell wrote:
Dark color squares should be pastels and/or lighter hues to enhance contrast with the dark pieces. No lines bordering the squares in the interior of the board. No logos anywhere, especially inside a playing square.
Food for thought....(I more prefer the blues and greens)...
I pretty much disagree with all the above. I think the best looking boards are dark squares, wood grain, shades of brown, just like wood boards, and I would say never use bright white for the light squares. Use cream, beige, gray, light yellow, etc.
The darker the square, the more the dark pieces are camouflaged. Lighter colors for the dark squares provide more contrast with the dark pieces. My recommendations here pertain to rollup, mousepad and vinyl boards. If you want wood colors and grains, buy a wood board.
Aug 5, 2019
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#38
RussBell wrote:
The darker the square, the more the dark pieces are camouflaged. Lighter colors for the dark squares provide more contrast with the dark pieces. If you want wood colors, buy a wood board.
Well the problem you mention would be the same problem with wood boards, but as long as you don't mix black pieces with black squares etc (or even if you do), its really not that much of a problem.
Plastic pieces could also be pastels and bright colors but normally they mimic wood piece colors, so why shouldn't boards do the same? No sense in debating personal preference, I just expressed mine.
forked_again wrote:
RussBell wrote:
The darker the square, the more the dark pieces are camouflaged. Lighter colors for the dark squares provide more contrast with the dark pieces. If you want wood colors, buy a wood board.
Well the problem you mention would be the same problem with wood boards, but as long as you don't mix black pieces with black squares etc (or even if you do), its really not that much of a problem.
Plastic pieces could also be pastels and bright colors but normally they mimic wood piece colors, so why shouldn't boards do the same? No sense in debating personal preference, I just expressed mine.
You are certainly entitled to your personal opinion. I am entitled to disagree with it, as you are with mine. By the way, the vast majority of plastic pieces don't mimic wood.
Chess board with sky blue squares.....pleasing to look at, pleasant to play on....(this one happens to made of paper)...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZy5JSq816s
I also bought these boards and find the army green to work very well with Walnut and Maple pieces.
The logo on the h1 square is really a non-issue when playing a game. A Rook sits on that square, covering up the thing anyway. And as the game progresses with the square becoming empty, it is the position and the rest of the board that has your attention.