Tambarskjelve

Thanks for your dissertation on your CP 1849 set. I was going to buy this set when it was back in stock. But  now I'm a little leary hearing about your poor customer service with Steve and CP.

tambarskjelve, thanks for your story.  I'm sure we'll all keep it in mind.  I tend to agree with the sentiment that thechesspiece site is rather large and difficult to navigate.  This may speak to the amount of attention from the owners.

Regarding the size of the pawns head I have this to say:

Maybe I am a bit crazy, but what I am looking for in a reproduction is something exactly as close to the original as possible including design choices which result in an inferior chess set.  The Pawn ball top and collar would be a good example of this.  The original Pawns were too delicate, too likely to have the top break off or the collar to chip compared to most modern chess pieces.  I am certain the various reproductions available have slightly altered the Pawns in order to make them easier to produce, easier to ship, and to reduce the number of potential returns.  But this is sacrificing quality for convenience, and when I am paying in the hundreds of dollars for a chess set I do not think this is truly acceptable (no matter if other sites charge the thousands). 

Any attempt to "improve" the 1849 design defeats the entire concept of a reproduction.

  Wow, it's disturbing to hear about so much trouble trying to get things right. I bought my set from the CP last winter. There were several cracked pieces that I attributed to extreme cold during shipping. It was probably in the 70 - 80 degree F range in Florida when they shipped and well below 0 F and extremely dry by the time they reached me. The CP, I think I dealt with Steve, shipped replacement pieces before I even had a chance to send pictures of the damage.

Yes, there are occasional brown dots that I finally decided were in the finish rather than in the wood. They are very small and almost unnoticeable. The turnings and carvings are better and have finer detail than a New York 1924 HOS set I have. The color of the antiqueing is an almost exact match of a cheap set I bought in the 1980's. It is yellower than the antique finish on the NY 1924 set. HOS told me they were developing the antiqueing process and sold me the set at a discount. Someone made a point about the finish being too even. That's probably true. Real wood ages unevenly depending on the wood grain and density, the amount of dirt and finger oils, and probably even the climate. The artificial antique finish is completely even.

I've been trying to find time to take some good pictures of the two antiqued sets I have alongside my naturally aged set. My guess is that as soon as one manufacturer was satisfied with their antique finish then other manufacturers started using the same technique. Or maybe they're from the same manufacturer, I don't know.

Anyway, gotta go, duty calls.

Tambarskjelve Thanks also for the review. Much trouble and it didn't seem to have an end game played out. Gomer...I am finding it hard to believe that your set was checked over before shipping and the pieces could have cracked that fast but maybe so, I am not an expert by any means.  All I know is whether the CB set is that inaccurate or not I will be happy if I do not have any problems with the set or customer service. That in itself means a lot to me.  I will also wait to see if Alan Dewey goes with CB for his 4" BCC and 3 1/2" Jacques or changes sources. 

While we all criticize,lament,grip,disagree,bitch, and dissent about the critical points of the 1849 set and who has the best and at what price we should all be thankful we can buy such a set.  What does this have to do with the thread, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

It's just sometimes we lose sight of what the endgame is, and I guess this is different for eveyone of us.  For some it is perfection finding the ultimate Jacques set at a reasonable price. For others it is just getting a really nice playable or display set regardless. For me I am happy I wake up each day and can still take care of myself.  Many Holidays I buy mutiple chess sets and donate them to the poor hoping I bring just a little happiness in their lives.  This hobby sure was important in my child hood  and I hope it helps someone else too. 

All of you WSC has the club set for $4.99 this Thursday only,maybe work out shipping with them and add a vinyl board now or later and donate a few sets to your local charity,church,or social services center (whatever they call it). Just maybe you can make a idfference is a childs life. Also download the basic rules on line and include them with each set. 

You can all bash me for posting this on this thread but it was just getting a little too much for me and I am just a guilty as anyone.  

WSC = Wholesale Chess for those wondering.

I think I'm going to stick with Vikram.   Chess Bazaar has been very good to me, and the communication was always fast and effective.  The main thing is to always, always, always be cordial in your tone when corresponding with anyone from India (or any other country for that matter).  Make sure to add the Hello's, hi's, your name, regards, etc.  It may seem like too much of a formality, but I assure you it isn't.  Just these little tokens of respect will get your messages taken more seriously and responded to much more quickly in my experience (in areas that extend beyond chess). 

There is another person named Ram (not short for Vikram) who works with Chess Bazaar and usually handles the live chat.  He is also very helpful. 

I just put togethr a deal for 12 sets pieces & boards ( I had coming from another source) and will download the basic rules/moves and include it with each set. All I need now is a box to pack each set in, probably will go to ULINE for that. The set WSC has on sale is very nice for $4.99 and although I ordered 12 sets which put in 12¢ under the free ship thresehold they were nice enough to wave the shipping when they heard they were for underprivalged children.  Thank you Robyn at WSC.

I might have spent a bit too much but the wife will understand. 

that is nice of you, but what it have to do with what we are talking on this line of forum?

I share your madness, Jack. I understand that many of the features in the original Jaques set were not particularly robust, and this may have been one of the reasons why they simplified their designs over the years. HoS, for example, told me that they blunted the ends of their queens' coronets in the collector series because the really sharp tips tended to get broken in play. But it is precisely those delicate features that I like most about the 1849 design! If I wanted a set that stands up to heavy use, I would go for a more modern design, probably the BCE set, where they've taken the Staunton design and completely overhauled it.

PS. LuftWaffles, Alan Dewey does not need to run a chess store to lend credibility to his restoration work. He's already known as one of the best (if not the best) in the world.

Like I said ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.  

The ist batch is expected to ship out by the weekend according to CB

What GNK said which leads me to believe the first batch was qty.50 and has not shipped and now the 2nd group is ready?  That means the first 50 must have been done for quite a while.  Something is just a touch off here, there has to be a reason. 

Anyways David no one will get the first set for at least a week since they haven't even shipped. 

That is very strange indeed that the 4-5 people that ordered here have not recieved a set yet..?? I recieved my Dubrovnik in 3 days here in Missouri..!

I think part of the delay is for kingside stamping of the rooks and knights.

In defense of CP:

   In the past year I’ve purchased a dozen or so chess sets and boards, plus storage cases, clocks, and other accessories from most of the major chess vendors, including three sets from the Chess Piece (CP).

   Personally, I found Steve at the CP to be extremely knowledgeable and very responsive to my questions and concerns. Where there were issues, they were resolved unbegrudgingly, in a friendly and expeditious manner. 

   Not to discount Tambarskjelve’s issues with CP, but there are two sides to every tale. I have, in another thread, shared a negative experience I had with Chess Bazaar (CB) regarding one of their chess sets.

   The point is, if any of us are going to slam a vendor, isn’t only fair to allow that vendor to respond? I would have welcomed CB’s response explaining why they never answered any of my four e-mails, or responded to American Express when I challenged the charge. So I’m left in the dark as to why they never did -- was it the holidays? Sunspots? Bad curry? I guess I’ll never know.

   I’m relatively new to this forum, and not fully aware of the proper etiquette, but I feel anyone besmirched should at least be offered the right to respond.

No one is stopping them from logging on and posting a reply. Of course, they may be unaware that a negative review has been posted, but what’s the alternative? I don’t think you should have to tell someone that you’re going to post a negative review of them, because that may come across as some kind of blackmail, and, besides, if you’ve tried and tried to sort out a problem and you’re getting no response, at some point you’re entitled to walk away and tell others about it.

Very nice pictures and great looking chess set. That is their $5499.99 set with a mahogany casket it looks like?  Every detail looks fantastic. 

I agree. I thought it only fair to share that I had a positive experience with this vendor. I'm just saying, in such cases, the vendor should feel free to respond if they choose, without getting slammed for doing so.

Mike, for that kind of gelt the pieces should be gilded!

I hope this isn't anyone chess set from India. Look how they toss those packages. OUCH!!

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