In addition to a Room, might I suggest:
DKW vs MagicTW ChessBoxing!!!
•you could settle brains & Braun,
•you could charge a streaming fee,
•it would settle things,
•it’d be more entertaining.
My 4 inch Boxwood and Gaboon Ebony chess set. Displayed on a Striped Ebony and Birdseye Maple chess board with 2.5 inch squares. With a ZMF-Pro chess clock. This chess set has been my main tournament chess set for over 20 years. A great set design for play and display.
Due to the fact that I started chess in Lockdown and I still have never been to a club nor seen a live competition (… and I hear many experienced members chuckle as I walk through these virtual halls😊)… I have no place in commenting on what works in certain environments but here are two sets in my home, currently replicating online games.
If an experienced chess player came to my home - I would not set up the red Biro Sandor pieces on the gloss red board - visually stunning though it is; there’s just not enough contrast nor space for my liking.
That said, when I place those same pieces on a larger ebony and maple board it is magnificent, the contrast is great and it’s very playable. The Biro pieces are brilliant.
The other set hails from New York in the ‘80’s - as best as I know - and the board I picked up cheaply, locally. I really like that combination … and so, hypothetically, if a GM knocked on my door now - to be polite I’d say choose your board … and my guess … while they might admire the red on red … we’d play on the other set.
So… we might toast the visual beauty of this combination …
But we’d play on this old set and board…
And it would not be a timed game because there is no room for a clock!! 🤦♂️😊
I love ‘em both but the more I play the more I want form, function and clarity on the board. I’ll always display different sets though because I love the diversity of designs through history.
(..) Despite being luxury chess sets, they are not only visually appealing but also practical for actual gameplay. They seamlessly blend both strategic functionality and aesthetic beauty.
Khalifman versus Akopian, Las Vegas 1999
...the more I play the more I want form, function and clarity on the board..
That´s why I actually prefer decent plastic tournament sized Staunton pieces for serious play. Clarity and no distractions.
(..) Despite being luxury chess sets, they are not only visually appealing but also practical for actual gameplay. They seamlessly blend both strategic functionality and aesthetic beauty.
Khalifman versus Akopian, Las Vegas 1999
Funny!
A new favourite! A Dubrovnik Standard (King 90/31 mm) set of pieces on a cheap wooden board with 40 mm squares and notation. Perfect for analyzing.
Ziryab I like your set up. Where did you get the pieces and board? The board looks great.
I bought the set and my wife bought the board. Probably both came from USCF sales. The board was made in Spain. I’ve had them about 20 years. I used the pieces in tournament play until one got a small chip. Then I switched to plastic, then a French set, now a different French set. I’ve posted both French sets in this thread.
Yeah I agree. The board and pieces look good together. Nice setup @Ziryab!
I used it as my tournament set until the mane on a black knight was trimmed from banging around in my tournament bag.
The chess set that I showed earlier ...
https://images.chesscomfiles.com/uploads/v1/theme/101305-0.2651045e.jpeg
... turns up again on Perry Mason, "The Case of the Stand-In Sister." Here, the board appears in proper orientation. Raymond Burr even handles a rook as he's thinking.
Behave, gentlemen! Or get a room...