Post your Travel Chess Sets

Thanks Bob.  I also like the old wood sets, especially the ones you have pictured for us in this thread.  And if I were going to use the set on a train or plane, I would definitely prefer one of those.

Yes, this set is the best for me the way I want to use it.  And if at the time for me to pack up, I want to keep the game position on the board while traveling, David has included a set of the magnetic disc pieces he and Chess Mate are so well known.

I would like to get one of those peg sets still.

Hi Butcher_Bill,

I think the case is homemade, and perhaps the board is too.  I can't say anything about the pieces because I would need to see a close-up side or oblique view, in fact several views.  A closer view of the board and case would be needed too.

Regarding the board's 90 degree rotation in the case, I've only seen this arrangement for sets where the lid is removable,  See the French set in my initial post as an example.  Likely, your set was assembled incorrectly if it was meant for play between two players.  On the other hand, if it is an analysis set it doesn't matter.

I hope this helps.

Best,
Bob

Hi Ron,

I didn't realize your set came with discs too; obviously, I just skimmed the description at ChessMate.

I understand and concur with your distinction between planes, trains and automobiles, so to speak, and your exam room.  The ChessMate looks good and fits quite well where you have it; it's neither too large nor too small, whereas the "wings" of a Whittington would be in the way.

Do you ever have a patient who wants to play while your examining his eyes?

Q: Please read the bottom row of characters; A: d4d5c4 (ha ha).

Best,
Bob

Actually a few kids from the scholastic club I run come to me for their vision care.  One boy in particular has wanted to play after his exam and while his parents were finalizing the glasses purchase.

It must be fun or why do it at all.

Can anyone tell me more about this chess set? The pieces seem quite unique and I am intrigued. Willing to sell for the right price. Thanks, Mon

I can help you with that, Nikka86.  This is a K & C Ltd of London peg-in style set.  You can learn more about it from Post #73 in this same thread.

As you will see if you visit that post, your set is the faux snakeskin variety with non-mitred, concentric-circle-topped bishops.  I won both my sets off eBay, and the snakeskin set sold for $49, but that included $21 to get it to the U.S. from the U.K.  That was in July of 2014.

I'm not interested in purchasing your set, but perhaps others are.

My Golden Castle Mikado set, made in Occupied Japan between 1949 and 1952. The pieces are excellent replicas of the tournament sized Craftsman pieces.

Beautiful, Chuck, simply beautiful.

I once had a Mikado in my hands, but I had to return it to the seller because the eBay listing was deceptive.  If fact, I had to open a case in order to get my money back.  It had replacement pawns with nails as pegs, a rook that must have been used for teething, and a worn case that was hidden in the photo.

So where did you get your pristine copy, and is it a recent purchase?  Most importantly, will you leave it to me in your will (where's the "chuckle" emoji?)  But seriously, you have one nice objet d'art there.  Take good care of it.

Best,
Bob

Good to hear from you, Bob!

The set is in good condition for its age. It does have two replacement pawns, which is not surprising. They are tastefully done. I found it on Ebay. Other than one Frank Camaratta displayed, I've never seen another one.

Every travel chess set I own came from eBay save one, and that came from Etsy.

Del Negro makes a nice metal travel chess set, but some of the sellers on eBay want too much.  I was lucky to find a Del Negro for a reasonable price that came with an 8x8 board for chess and English draughts and a 10x10 board for international draughts.

Price-wise, the most expensive travel sets I own are Whittington-style with bone pieces manufactured at the turn of the 19th century.  Prices realized for such sets between 2012 and 2015 range between $150 and $350, perhaps a little more, depending upon size.  The ones I bid on sometimes appeared dirty but not heavily worn.  When cleaned I found they were surprisingly nice compared to the ones I've recently seen on eBay. I can't say how much these sets in this condition are bringing in 2018.

The king of travel sets is the Jaques In Statu Quo, but I was never willing to pay the price asked for one in very good and not just decent condition.

Regarding the "ivory" set, you will never find one labeled as such in an eBay listing; the one I bid on and won was no exception.  Though listed as ox-bone, I spied the silk inside the lid and read ivory. The sale of ivory on eBay is banned due to the poaching of these magnificent, endangered animals killed for their tusks. Though this is antique, pre-ban ivory, eBay doesn't want to encourage the sale of any ivory perhaps because they can't tell the difference.  Of course, you may still find a set like this listed, but don't count on it.

The price realized for this set in 2013 was just over $150; I have no clue what it would go for today.

I hope this helps, Ze0Lite.

Following the prestigious set from Chuck above, here is my Mikado set of a similar design. I bought from eBay ealier this year. The set came short of one black pawn. I replaced myself with a bovine bone pawn with similar colour. After a little fix, the board now can receive the pieces securely like glove!

The knights looked quite differently from earlier design though, I reckon this might be made at a much later time. 

Regards, Patrick

Thanks for you post, Hanliang, and the photos that accompany it.  I never tire viewing the Mikado.

Beautiful set, Patrick!

What was your "fix"?

Your set is in fact younger than mine, in that it is "Made in Japan," which indicates it was made after the Occupation ended and the branding of exports as "Made in Occupied Japan" with it.

Thanks Bob, for the posts on this subject. I have seen many interesting and hard to find travel sets here!

Thanks Chuck, yes, it should be younger, and I just noticed “The Mikado” title is not on your older set, perhaps it was relating to the meaning of the Mikado in Japanese which means the emperor. During the time it may be censored? It is just my guess..

For my set I checked with the seller as I read about Mikado travel set on chessantiques.com that it is a “status quo” design. But after received I found there was a white knight and a bishop which would drop because their pegs are a bit too slim somehow. So I applied a little super glue to the 2 pegs, after drying up they are rounder and can fit in the peg holes securely. There is some glue marks however on the pegs of the affected pieces, but the benefit is they stand their grounds firmly now.

Hi Bob,

i read your experience with Whittington/old slide-top sets in above. I have a set with pieces in both red & whites which takes on lots of dirts (black color dirt on white pieces and white color powder-like dirt on red pieces). I tried once to wash the white pieces, but did not succeed in washing them off. The red pieces I did not touch them as I think the stain would be gone when meeting water with the wrong agent. Would appreciate if you could share your points.

Brgds, Patrick

Sure, Patrick.  I thought I published my refurbishing technique somewhere on Chess.com, but perhaps not.  Actually, it's not my technique; I learned it from Frank Cammarata, a collector of expensive ivory Stauntons.

• For the white bone pieces I use a tooth brush and a little tooth paste, brushing them under a gentle stream of running water from the tap.  This removes the grime from the surface and crevices.  The pieces may not look perfectly new after cleaning and drying, but highly desirable anyway.
• For the red-stained bones pieces, you don't want to apply any abrasives or use a brush because as you rightly believe you may remove some of the cochineal dye.  The last thing you want to do is have the red pieces come into contact with water.  Rather, I rub on mineral oil, go round and round with a soft cloth, and then wipe it off.  I then go over the pieces with a soft, dry cloth.  The process won't remove all the grime and restore the pieces to a brand new look, but it will certainly make the stained pieces look markedly better.
• Lastly, I apply a light coat of Renaissance Microcrystalline Wax to both sets of pieces and buff it out.  This last step isn't necessary, but for looks and protection I think it can't be beat it.

I hope this helps.

Best,
Bob

Bob, thank you so much for the reply, I will prepare the materials and give a try some of these dates.  Brgds, Patrick

Very good thread. Which is better, a pegged or magnetic travel set?