2021 Official FIDE World Chess Set.

Whats the problem with your black pieces? Paint or carving issues?

Scratches (like from big-grain sand paper), one cut, three cracks in wood, one flaw (bubbly artifact), more scratches. Only 4 pawns and one bishop are great. And the white pieces are all excelent. Though two white bishops have visibly different tone than the rest of the white pieces.

@Zbieraj, @Lotsoblots, @Pawnerai I am sorry to hear about your sets. Hopefully it will get resolved soon.

I haven't even mentioned scratches and paint flaws...I thought they were the norm.

How bad are the paint flaws?

On one DGT knight there were 4 patches of missing paint on the back and front where the light brown showed through. Here's a *really* rough photo that barely captures it (I couldn't get the lighting right but it's VERY obvious in person):

There was a long line around the base in front and on the mane (it's actually not just the circled area) and all over the nose. The replacement piece they sent out was not the same neck style/width so I colored in the missing areas of the original knight with a sharpie pen and continue to use it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It's obvious if you're looking for it but it's better than before.

Geez that is a bummer! The sharpie covered it up very well. I don't think I could spot it if you didn't say anything. I know it is probably more noticeable in person. Having multiple neck styles can be annoying too. I am glad they will address those issues for you.

Sorry for the confusion ... this photo is pre-sharpie. It's putting my terrible skill as a photographer in full display. The lighting/glare is sort of masking out the brown and making the black brighter but in person it was extremely obvious, as is the rough area near the bottom of the mane. The patch on the ear was really bad because you could see the raised area where the paint ended at the borders.

Oh! You know what... I thought the light brown spots were the reflection of the light. The right ear has a reflection. I assumed the left one had a reflection as well. Now that I understand the issue, I would definitely be fixated on those brown spots especially seeing how those spots would be facing me.

[edit] Btw, my vintage B210 has brown spots on the white king. It bugs me. It looks like someone touched it after they touched a brown stained king that was still wet. I always turn the king to the other side so I can't see it.

I had a similar stain on a white bishop (which they replaced). I wish I could be less picky about these things!

Me too! I know some people don't seem to care about these things. It seems like life would be much simpler if we didn't either.

It's easy to drive yourself crazy - just consider all that stuff "pre-vintage" indicators.

Haha! I wish it was that easy. The funny part is if the set is vintage then I can accept it as-is. If the set is new then it somehow feels strange to have exposed wood on an ebonized/stained piece.

Yeah, I've been able to overlook scratching and somewhat poor painting and other minor imperfections even though other sets (of much less cost and higher complexity!) have no such issues. When this particular knight had flat out missing areas of paint, though, I had to deal with it. What really bothers me in a set like this is the stylistic variations on the knight, its most iconic piece. I hope they can tighten this up over time.

Well, my opinion of World Chess isn't very high (for a number of reasons starting with their web site and culminating in my recent customer (dis)service experience after ordering the Academy Edition) but reading you guys' knight adventures has been telling.  Bottom line is they're just sloppy with a long (scripted) list of excuses.  That's why I suggested that the plastic knight's mold might be the best reference relative to Daniel Weil's original intent as there's no "carver variability" or "design creep" and cutting molds is expensive.  My thought is that such euphemisms equate to simple "lousy quality control".

OMG, I so don't want to send back the set... I mean I will do so this weekend, but man... This set is so perfect for me, so freaking amazing that I really don't want to take out again my German Knight Timeless set . I mean that will mean weeks without my new beloved set . It is just like coming from Porsche to old Russian Lada vehicle... (with all the respect towards GT set which after all is a standard in global tournaments).

@GrandPatzerDave Sorry to hear you had a bad experience with World Chess. My experience with customer service of WC, however, was excellent. They responded immediately and addressed a minor cosmetic issue by sending a free replacement. Some of the well respected members on this forum have mentioned variations in the way knights were carved but I have not experienced this on my WC Club pieces, aka the Studio Set.
Regarding Daniel Weil's original intent, I had posted previously in this thread, but his original illustration as found in the FIDE handbook shows the knight to be more elegant looking and the black pieces are not black but dark brown with natural grain of the wood visible.

I have a FIDE WCC repro from ChessByIndia with a 3.75" king before they sold out and it uses Sheesham wood for black. This choice of wood seems more accurate to Daniel Weil's original intent than the ebonized black of World Chess.  Sheesham wood FIDE WCC repro are no longer available since being sold out.

I feel your pain. I decided long ago to only use a 2.25" board for everything so all of my sets must fit on a 2.25" board. Back in 2019, I ordered the HoS 4" Collectors II in ebony. The king had a base of 1.8" which was slightly larger than what was recommended for a 2.25" board. I figured what the heck. A little snug fit won't hurt me. When I received the set, I absolutely loved it. The king was slightly too big but it was ok. The problem was the pawns were massive. I couldn't keep the set as a result. I had to return it and it broke my heart. 

Luckily the final product is not like the one in the Fide handbook.

I agree with @zbieraj, this wch set is so much fun with unique design, proportions, many interesting details but still remaining simple enough for tournament use. 10/10 for me.

I hope everyone gets their faulty set/pieces back and sorted out, and then have many many hours of play. I am really courious how this set will age, looking forward to it. 

@dobtom Don’t get me wrong. I love the final product. The reason I didn't take the plunge is because my tastes have changed after reading the postings here and now prefer the dgt version with its slim style knights. That and the fact that I cannot justify spending a hefty sum only to find it’s like a box of chocolates, where you don’t know which knight you’re getting or whether all the pieces are carved and painted in a presentable manner.

(Edited)