Post Your Chess Sets

URL for these beautiful boards? Thanks!

Is that 2nd from the bottom board bowing a bit? I love borderless as well. Saves on space and weight. But had a bad experience with a borderless walnut and maple board. It was warped straight out of the box. I returned it (Etsy), and didn't bother looking into it further. How have your experiences been? 

Panerai,

All the boards in the photo were custom made. The three un-warped boards were from Bill's Woodpile on Etsy. The warped maple and Bubinga board was from the Colorado Woodworker. That board was warped right out of the box! The maker claimed that the board wasn't warped when he shipped it (in the wintertime) and that the Bubinga and walnut must have reacted differently to the temperature changes, thus warping the board. I ended up negotiating a substantial discount and kept the board.

I tried planing and sanding the board, and that helped a little. What really helped was time. After about 2 years, the bow was reduced by half. By that time I had replaced the 2.375" board (border) but kept the now 'slightly warped' board for playing in closer quarters. Now, my opponents wouldn't even notice the warp unless I pointed it out.

P.S. None of the other boards has warped after 4+ years. Each is stored vertically in a chess bag in my makeshift storage rack behind a bedroom door, which is always open.

Touche! LOL 

No URL, pics were shot in my back yard. Here's a closer look. The first three boards were from Bill's Woodpile on Etsy, the 4th Amish board was store-bought. The custom boards were made to my specifications with the grain structure running horizontally throughout. The Amish board came that way, which is why I selected it.

2.5" Padauk & Northern Ash

2.125" Bloodwood & Maple

2" Bloodwood & Ash

2.25" Walnut & Maple (Amish)

I hate spending money for premium products and then getting substandard, defective and poor quality. Beware of The Chess Baron it seems to me so far that he is unwilling to stand behind his merchandise when there is a problem...not his fault I must have gouged the board with a knife and put a crack in the boxwood queen. I wish I would have shopped around before I purchased from Chess Baron.

@loubalch Dang. The color and grain pattern of that 2" Bloodwood & Ash board is perfect. Looks like Bill Nelson of BillsWoodPile on Etsy is "Taking a Break" since March of this year. I'll keep an eye on his page to see if he re-opens. Looks like quality work.

Yeah, that and the 2.5" Padauk & Northern Ash are my favorites. Notice how the grain structure on the ash squares in each row matches up across the board.

Yup. That Padauk/Northern Ash is my second favorite. You can tell he put some thought into the color and wood grain. That's not random.

This picture of the 2.5" board shows the color more accurately.

I love the Walnut and Maple Amish board (and the others, too, but especially that one)...wow. Time for a road trip.

I recently scored this interesting chess box (12" x 6.9" x 5.8") from Cooper's Pens and Things on Etsy. No mistaking this for a sewing box or a humidor. Unfortunately, this item is currently out of stock.

All absolutely beautiful.Just loving the photos and enjoying my day with the love of my life.Maybe I'll hit her up for one of those boards.

@loubalch - Beautiful!

It currently houses the Mahogany 1950 Dubrovnik set from Staunton Castle.

 Love at first sight. Must own. Find money, convince wife - then own. Danum Series https://stauntoncastle.com/collections/chess-pieces/products/danum-series-4-4-premium-staunton-chess-set-1

I 2nd MCH818 recommendation. The JK Creative borderless boards are excellent. I love mine. 

It was because of your review I purchased mine from JK Creative. Pretty cool huh?  

@Brynmr what a WOW! set.

Seldom would I use the word staggering to describe a set.....That Danum Series set is staggering for sure.....I can understand why it would be a must have for some folks.