Post your Travel Chess Sets

Actually, pegged, magnetic or slotted wallet.  Depends on what you like, Mr. Lim.  I happen to like peg-in chess sets, but others prefer the thin wallet sets with slots that hold celluloid pieces.  Those were popular dating back to the 19th century, as were the peg-ins.

I believe the history of magnetic sets is more recent; they seem to be the most popular today since the peg-in sets made in India have pieces that are poorly defined, sized and carved.  Of course, there are two types of magnetic sets: standard Staunton and flat disk, wallet style.  Again, it depends on what you prefer, a three-dimensional or two-dimensional set.

For sentimental reasons, I prefer the Swiss set in Post #91 because it was my first wood peg-in set that was a Christmas present from my parents when I was in junior high school.

Thanks for the post, Hanliang.

Yes, I have seen a peg-in St. George about that size, but with differently shaped knights and a 2" king.  It came with a folding, case-type board measuring 7-3/4" x 4-3/4" x 1-1/4" when closed.

After cleaning it up and having the case inscribed, I gave it to my best friend as a birthday or Christmas present, I can't remember which.

Thanks @fightingbob. I am looking for a set that can be played while on a plane. This hopefully would reduce my son's screen time during travel. I am leaning towards a pegged set too. In my limited experience with a magnetic set, I find the pieces to be moving a lot. I think a pegged set would provide a better anchor for the pieces. So far, I am loving all the pegged sets in this thread.

Sorry about the orientation. 

Thanks for the post, DLeviathan.  Do you know the manufacturer of this set?  Just curious.

I do not know the manufacturer. It was purchased at a church rummage for two bucks. It might be hand made. The fold is in the wrong direction as it should be between the players. 

Thanks for your post, tawp.  I didn't know these Indian sets went back to the 1980s.  They are still being made today; you can find them on eBay under a "pegged chess" search.  Here is an example of one with a Marine Corp emblem attached.  Since the search turn up sets with various emblems, I assume these are given as gifts.

Yes, tawp, smell doesn't get the same accolades as does the sense of sight, sound and even touch, but it's most important to a persistence of memory, so to speak, and conjuring up emotions.

Good observation about your set versus the contemporary ones.  These are not as detailed and they have macrocephalic heads, which drive me nuts.  Also, you would think sandalwood would be a selling point yet I don't see this mentioned either.  My feeling is they aren't sandalwood, but who knows.

Anyway, count yourself lucky to have a 1980's edition.  For my Indian peg set, which is the smallest I could find, see Post #17.

Oh, that must be a splendid set, good to know!! The style of cylindrical knights in my post is easier to turn than more common st. George set. To me they resemble the helmet worn by the knight, but it is just imagination I didn’t really research it yet. But I like the design of st. George (especially those with stable Kings with rimmed cap surmounted by a pointed finial), one of the most elegant forms!

That is really a good buy, DLeviathan! The vacant bays at each sides are very considerately made. But it seems not easy to go around with.

Just before I sent the St. George to my friend, I snapped a few photos.  Here it is cleaned and polished.

By the way, the set came from Dorset, United Kingdom, which is not uncommon.  Peg-in sets like the St. George and the Whittingtons are often listed on the American version of eBay but with an address in the U.K.  They are likely listed on eBay.uk as well.

Frankly, I've never seen another one like it, but I haven't been looking lately.  I know they're out there.

Thanks for the pictures! What a lovely set, the rooks and bishops are gracefully made in particular. The box also looks unique and old, with lock and made of birch or oak? I guess the plague (JAB) on the casing is the name of a previous owner? 

Indeed it is the first set of this kind. It must be very difficult to find on the Ebay these days.

You're welcome, Hanliang.  I'm not sure the make of wood used for the case; perhaps my friend who now owns it has an educated guess.

By the way, this set required a little refurbishing in addition to cleaning.  In the first photo near the king's rook you can spy a square dowel end-wise beneath the board.  This dowel and high psi epoxy was required to re-glue the board to the case.  It had popped up about 1/8" in this area alone due to warping.

I also discovered that the lock was broken, probably years ago.  I thought I could fix it, but once I removed the lock I could see it couldn't be done.  I would have had to replace it, but I didn't have the time or know exactly where to start looking.  I figured my friend could take care of it since he's handy.

As far as JAB, those are my friend's initials.  This brass, plaque-type insert was never engraved and had a coat of old, hard varnish over the top that would have cracked and chipped upon engraving.  I taped around the insert, and spent an hour or two removing the varnish and polishing the brass.  After getting it in proper shape, I had in professionally engraved in an old English font.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

Best,
Bob

Interesting enough Bob, maybe all surviving old sets have carried some anecdotes like this. The best we do is to preserve and pass on to future owners. Nice glueing works and I didn’t spy it out Interesting though is the original insert which was without anything when it came to you!

My first peg-in set. This was purchased from Bristol, UK on EBay. Maybe many people here have seen it before as I saw it being listed for quite a while. Chinese board made of Ebony and bone, with a boxwood set of miniature chessmen (not original to the board) in a small mahogany box . The box is quite mysterious, the name carved on the lid is believed to be an owner or the original maker. The box looks like a Chinese style but could well be made in UK. At the bottom there is a very vague line of inscription seems to be “Cumberland xxxxx Co. xx”, which may support this idea. 

Great thread Bob ,

How did you get your white bone chessmen / Queen  looking so white .

Also what do you use for a 2nd queen of the pegged kind .

I like these little travel chess set's of the vintage kind .

For your first peg-in set, that's a nice one, Hanliang.  Believe it or not, I recognize the pieces from a West German set I own.  Actually, the pieces are very similar but not exact; the knights, bishops and queen differ.

I assume my pieces are original, but some of the pegs appear to be whittled down.  The set measures 4.5 x 4.5 x 1.575 inches when closed.  I've posted a few photos below:

As you can see, my set has a cardboard case and board; it's much less attractive and resilient than yours.  The only downside with your kind of design is that when you're traveling with a game in progress, it can't be saved and picked up later.  You have to remember the position or write it down in Forsyth–Edwards Notation (FEN) and recreate it.  For some, that's not a problem; others like the convenience of a case.