Official FIDE World Championship Chess Set

Does anyone on this forum own one of these FIDE sets?

And what do you think of them compared to other sets you own or have played with?

The price of this set is now a lot closer to $200.  In fact there is an eBay offering for the set and a board for just a bit less than $238.

Does this set play well?  What do you folks think?

  ,,,,       

I think that the knight which many people complain about is absolutely teriffic in real life. I saw it and held it in a shop in Stockholm. However, the set was some kind of updated version, with a strange finial on the king, and the ebonizing wasn't very thourough. For the price I would demand that it would be perfectly done.

Since this set is used in recent World Championships its playability has to be decent IMO. In the Carlsen/Annand match it looked great to me. The Knights are also one piece of carved wood.!

I've been holding off until a plastic version is available. 

 Which shop was that? 

I'd love that. 

Schackhandeln.

I'm a lowly patzer hardly worthy to venture an opinion on a FIDE Official World Champion Chess Set.  (Wink and sigh!)  But...

I basically don't like it, even though it is certainly very, very beautiful.  First, I'm surprised it isn't a 3.75"-er, which I thought was the FIDE standard--though that's not really a reason to dislike the set.  I also didn't like the top of the king--but that's mostly a personal preference, not really a comment about the set itself.  (I prefer a more standard king.  UPDATE: after writing the above, I find that the king's design has been growing on me.)

My favourite chess sets have fairly narrow columns and wide bases that look like they're "blobbing" out from the bottom of the column--almost like some kind of ooze dripping down onto the board.  What that means on a practical level in relation to this set--which has fairly narrow bases--is that the king and queen look like they might tip over--and that really does bother me.

Having said that, the minimalist features of the set are really well-done, and the packaging and marketing images really do look phenomenal and incredibly stylish.  In short: it looks very nice, but I wouldn't want to play on it. 

FWIW, the King is 3.75", or 95 mm...

What bothered me about the set wasn't so much a particular design feature, but the ridiculous price... Why pay that kind of money for a machine-turned ebonized set?

I agree, Frank. 

Raphael at the Chess House now has this set on sale for $230.  I had, or might still have, the chance for a 10% discount on that, bringing the price for the set to roughly $207.  I'm still not moved to buy this set even at that price.

The eBay auction has the set and a board for about $238.  The board has 2" squares which I don't really want.

Looking at the set in various pictures on the internet makes me feel that this set is only worth $150 or even up to $180.  And yes, it is a machine turned, ebonised set.  And the knights are not that finely carved. 

And finally, when I first asked Raphael about this set, yesterday, he told me that at first the sales of it were good but now it is slow.  That's why he has it on sale.

The dealer on eBay that sells the set with the board, also just sells the pieces alone for 180

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Championship-Chess-Pieces-from-Studio-Anne-Carlton-3-3-4-King-/201353293090?hash=item2ee1976d22:g:e3gAAOSwZd1VW8Iw

A good friend got them when they first were available.  They are better in person than in pictures, but I still haven't pulled the trigger.

Eyechess, when you say the knights aren't finely carved, do you mean the lack of detail or do you mean that there are mistakes, or tool marks, in the execution of the knights?

Mazkor, I mean the lack of detail in the knights.  The sets are produced fine enough from what I can see in the pictures.  It's just my opinion that the set doesn't look nice enough for the higher price.

Thanks for that link on the eBay offering on only the set, Bluzuner.  A lot of sets we see pictured play better in person than they look on the internet. 

I wonder how this set compares to others in the same price range.  For instance, the House of Staunton Players Series set, $150,  handles and plays just as well or better than some sets I have seen and handled priced over $300.

Eyechess,

Completely agree on the Players set.  I like the FIDE set, and it's the knights I REALLY like.  From the pictures I figured I would hate them, but in person there is a "stare" from them (when facing head on) that's really well designed.

In terms of handling, I thought they were a little light.  And I don't really care for the thin, tiny collars on them.  Probably why I've hesitated grabbing a set.  Plus, it's really designed for a 2" square board like they used in the match, and I never quite got why a small set for the championship match.

Sure, and you're holding off when the set can be had for $180, me too.

I figured that is what you meant. I think the lack of detail is a good thing though. It's a design decision and not cutting corners. But it doesn't take as long to carve such a knight, and considering how much the price of a set is said to be reflected in the knights this set is way overpriced, imo, which is a shame because I really like it a lot.

FrankHelwig, you're right!  I'm not sure why I thought I read 3.5 rather than 3.75.

IMHO a very average set with unattractive knights and overall a stylized aesthetic that doesn't work well for me.

I think it's a set with nice simple clean lines rather than being a minimalistic set like the BCE. And it isn't easy to design (draw) something really well that appears "simple". Every line has to be just so for it to work. Huge gap there between simple and cheap. Completely agree that FIDE are trying to milk it too much though.

I totally agree about the BCE chessmen. A far more pleasing design to my eye.