Post your sets!

True - just look at BigLew's crinkled green vinyl board previous page.

That is about the most elegant set I've ever seen. The proportions are perfect to my eye.

He has the nicest pieces and boards, doesn't he?

What's left is a modern ivory set and from there to the pricey antiques, but he's looking good as is.

I considered the ivory set, but they're not as heavy as the wooden pieces.  After a year to fill the order, I did manage to pick up a set of custom HOS 4.4" Golden Collector in a white lacquer color but with a matte finish.  They're probably the coolest looking pieces that I have.  Sometimes I mate them with the yellow antique boxwood pieces on the board.  I've been playing off and on for almost thirty years.  Sometimes I'm obsessed with the game and other times I just want to help my daughter develop her mind and strategy.  The big 3.5" board was really for me, but I did find it useful for her, as well.  Some boards can be distracting, but sometimes not as much as you'd think.  Over the course of a few years, I had a second job and did some collecting.  (Hey, it might as well be chess sets, right?!)  I've since closed the collection and just enjoying what I have now.  I remember when I spent years playing on a $10 plastic magnetic set, then a $20 wooden set, then the computer changed the scenery, then more travel sets and vinyl roll-up mattes and plastic pieces until eventually, the custom stuff came.

Here's a Bolivian rosewood board with 2.5" holly light squares and quartersawn spalted American sycamore dark squares, ebony accents, with HOS 4.4" Golden Collector in ebony and golden rosewood.

... and for the purist, ebony and holly (2.5") with HOS 4.4" Collector in ebony and boxwood.

"... and for the purist, ebony and holly (2.5") with HOS 4.4" Collector in ebony and boxwood."

Wow!  I'm a simple guy, so that board really appeals to me. 

I know what my next board will be!  Thanks.

 Excuse me, Please read and look at that post again (#27 ) that is a genuine leather board yes it is roll up and it does have a little curling but that is part of the appeal and charm of playing on real authentic cow hide! It is a tan colored soft leather with Forest or Hunter green dark squares.

However Vinyl boards will almost always lay fairly flat  much flatter than the leather if kept and stored rolled tightly w/ checkered side out around a piece of PVC pipe or broom handle. The  Dreuke plastic set pictured pictured below or the ChessCafe Special set bottom right are on vinyl boards. I included the pipe in the bottom pic. And although it maybe not be as perfectly flat as wood it is not distracting.

You are right the neophrene (mouse pad) board as pictured bottom left with a blue and yellow Ultimate Triple weighted set. Does have the advantage of almost always laying flat. In fact I keep it folded, not rolled, in a $5 Wal-mart lunch box (also pictured) w/ the pieces and blue Saitek clock, instead of springing for an expensive chess case or bag.  However the the mouse pad style board, does get dirty easy and its rough surface prevents pieces from sliding or gliding over it easily during blitz games. However, if it does get dirty it can be machine washed!

My equanimity was wrecked by the badly placed white pawn on b2 in the bottom picture. BigLew, how could you?

That Black b-pawn ain't sitting so pretty either!  

That's amazing. I retract my earlier statement. This is the most elegant set and board I've ever seen.

Crazychessplaya wrote: My equanimity was wrecked by the badly placed white pawn on b2 in the bottom picture. BigLew, how could you?

1,000 apologies sir! J'adoube!

The best part of this thread is that white/black sides are set up correctly (with the exception of BigLew's pawn), as opposed to so many online chess stores!

Yeah, and I liked the touch of both Kings being in check in the funky position in the two photos in post #49.  There's a lot going on in that position.

Wait! The blue set in BigLew's picture has the black king and queen in wrong position.

Another 1,000 apologies, That is what I get for setting up those sets at 4:30 am to take a picture.  Rather 4:30 BC , Before Coffee!  But the point of that picture was to show the boards laying flat, not the pieces. And instead of posting 3 pics, I quickly set up the other last 2 on the same table and tried to show the pvc pipe used as a core for the vinyl board and how a mouse pad board can lay flat even after being folded for months in a lunch box . I didn't think any one would really be interested in seeing these common sets. (But in case you are, links are provided below).  So I didn't put much effort in to the position of the pieces, sorry!

chess cafe  (very similar to goldendog's set in post #13)

Blue and yellow Ultimate set

BTW you're welcome Bronco70!

I have the same set and the pieces are beauitfully weighted and lovely feel to handle and move.

Incidentally I took them on a plane and the guys in security took me and my bag aside because the x-ray showed something comcealed in the base of each piece under the felt. Fortunately i convinced them that they  are weighted chess pieces as I had a roll up vinyl board and a chess clock as well as about 5 chess books. No contraban here.

I staged the photos when I was taking pictures of the boards and sets, so I placed certain pieces where their detail could be seen without covering too much of the board but to still make it somewhat interesting as if in the middle of a game.  Whenever I would try to play to the middle of a game, it just wouldn't yield the look I needed.  I was commissioned to do photos of all my sets for the builder, so I wanted to keep some level of consistency.  The photos I posted were some of the ones with pieces on the boards.  The compliments given are very much appreciated.  I have certainly enjoyed using the sets!

Wow seasterl, those are some nice sets.
 Here's a board from customchess.com I picked up on ebay and an antiqued HOS New York 1924 set.

@ Goldendog

Do you mind me asking where you purchased your chess board on the first page?

A link would be perfect!!!