Two Sets from The Chess Empire

I have purchased two chess sets from The Chess Empire over the past year and wanted to write something about the quality of the sets and the customer service. Both service and quality have been excellent. The sets are exquisitely carved and polished. Rishi, an owner of TCE, has been responsive to each of my emails, and not just in a perfunctory way. He has answered my questions fully and specifically. None of the pieces I received had any fault – no cracks or other defects.

Each of the sets I purchased was ebony and boxwood. With only a few exceptions, TCE routinely stains their ebony. But Rishi readily accommodated my request for unstained sets. There was no charge for this change; the only disadvantage of ordering the sets unstained was that there were a few extra days’ delay in shipping while each set was made. However, the delay was very brief – two to four business days.

The first set I ordered was the Collector II Series, which has a 4” king. What most attracted me to this set was the traditional Staunton knight. I loved the simple elegance of the design and the finished piece did not disappoint. I almost felt that I was holding something that was alive when I took it out of the box; the pieces felt soothing in my hands. I also like the thickness and shape of the rook. Perhaps the one piece I am less than happy with is the bishop. There is nothing wrong with the bishop and it fits perfectly in the genre of Staunton sets in which the Collector II Series fits. It is just that I personally like bishops with rounder heads. But I knew what the bishop looked like when I bought the set. Indeed, the bishop's shape is probably what most people want when they buy this style set. I love this set. It likely triggers memories of chess sets I had as a child, all of which were of Staunton design. Here are some photos. 

The second set I purchased was the St. Joseph Series, which features a 4.25” king. For some reason, the price of this set increased substantially recently, even though the price of other sets, such as the Collector II series, have not. I can think of several reasons for the price change. But the fact that some sets have increased in price while others have not make me think that pricing chess sets is likely a result of many factors in addition to QG or demand. As in the case of the Collector II Series, what drew me to this set was the knight. As you can see below, the carving is somewhat intricate and the face and overall design appeal to me. Also the bishop in the St. Joseph Series has the rounded head that I like. The king’s finial is different from any I have seen, though I am not a collector (I have 5 sets, which probably qualifies me as a neophyte for this group!). It is delicately carved. I am thrilled with this set, so much so that my lust for more sets has subsided – at least for now 😀.

Both sets are well balanced and weighted, though I think the St. Joseph Series is the winner here.  The set has a bit more heft. Each set is comfortable to hold and play with. Pics of the St. Joseph Series are below.

Great to hear of your excellent experience with TCE. I've been holding them in my back pocket for their beautiful Chavet B210 reproduction but have always been a bit concerned since I don't hear their names too often around these parts and their pieces are on the slightly more expensive side. Nice photos and set! Congratulations!

Congrats on both purchases @RichardHG! I also do not prefer the Collectors bishop as well. I don't like the one in my 3.75" set and I didn't like the bishop in the 4" Collectors II when I received it from HoS. I think both bishop's head is too stretched. It should be more oval or round like other Staunton bishops from that era. Other than that I love all other pieces in the set. For me, the knight and the rooks are the best.

St Joseph set looks really very beautiful..the knight looks similar to Imperial design.

I had a positive experience buying from TCE in the past.

If there was any constructive criticism I could offer on their sets, it would be the Pawn design.

They carve the most exquisite knight designs but almost all sets seem to have very similar pawns. You could take a pawn from one set and put it into another and in most cases, not even realise the swap has been made.

In Amritsar, the two top carvers seem to be from TCE and Staunton Castle.

With TCE, the main focus seems to be on the knight carving and they do an extremely good job with it. Recent example is the Hastings 2.0 on their Etsy store. Gorgeous knight design.
IMHO TCE scores better on the knight carving compared to others.

In case of SC, there seems to more attention to other pieces as well. The over sized base in the rooks, which is very much popular nowadays, thanks to Dubromania. The stem of the pawns seems to replicate the stem in the bishops. Overall there seems to be more harmony among the pieces in the SC designs. Whether it was the 3.5 Morphy or Walter Grimshaw or the Antique Warrior, there is a unique pawn design in different chess sets. Even with Antique Jaques sets, the pawn design evolved over the years.

Another positive about TCE, is their very responsive and personalised customer care. Why not leverage on this and offer customized solutions. Maybe two pairs of knight designs in a single set for an extra charge. Or as Richard mentioned, an extra pair of bishops with rounded heads. Maybe even a tres corone, a set in three woods.

When I was getting my set, Gaurav emailed me asking if I wanted green felt or black leather under the pieces. Wasn’t even aware, this was an option. This was truly a very personalised buying experience.

Agree with you on the quality of SC. I haven’t seen any OC sets. Have you seen TCE sets?  Each of mine has been exquisitely carved and polished. Everything about the two TCE sets I have evidences that TCE belongs in the same top tier. 

TCE's Chavet Reproduction looks *beautiful*, even at the relatively high price tag of $250. They also seem very responsive...over the past couple days I held an email conversation with Rishi regarding a custom 3" king version of that same Chavet set. In the end it was a bit too steep of a price for me to take the plunge ($600 all told to make the tools and customize the specs and carve the pieces), but I'm sure I'll be buying something from them in the future. If I wasn't still so pleased with the Staunton Castle Chavet set I bought last year I'd have pulled the trigger on their regular set.

Very fine looking sets....These guys come off as quality sellers.I wonder how good their boards are,since I've had my eye on one of their Sheesham boards,with Maple squares and that nice maple inner border.....Sweet!

Problem with Chess Empire is their luxury sets are too delicately made for practical chess and so get damaged easily. Their mid range sets might be better but they are over-priced. Also more importantly, the import tax for European customers is not covered by Chess Empire and for a €150 chess set the customer ends up paying an extra €50 or so for import tax. The good thing about Royal Chess Mall and Chessbazaar is they also cover the import tax. 

Yes,but C.B. is always up and down with their quality.

Having bought 12 sets from them I am a pretty good judge.Still,I'd buy from them again(if I was on the market) however it's a crap shoot.

No denying that.

I got one set from R.C M. and it was perfect.

C.B. does try to make things right,but after relatively numerous issues,the hassles wear on you.

Just my 2 cents.

مجموعه جميلة

The quality of CB has improved a lot since the old days and some of their chess sets are better quality than Chess Empire. Chess Empire luxury sets are too delicate for practical play and one single damage ruins the whole set besides their medium range sets are too expensive compared to other reputable chess sellers. For example, an average tournament chess set from CE costs around $130 and if you add import tax to it it comes up to $150-$170 which could be the price of a luxury set from Royal Chess Mall or Chessbazaar. In addition, CB customer service is far superior and no quibble whereas with CE you must go the extra mile to get customer service.  Also, CE antique reproductions are not accurate copies but nor are the CB’s or RCM’s therefore better price would make all the difference. The good thing about CB is their economy and mid range chess sets are better price and several of them even better quality than CE with free shipment plus import tax. It is amazing that House of Staunton is cheaper than Chess Empire in many of its similar chess sets. 

My experience has been great with TCE. I have purchased from TCE, CB and SC. It terms of responsiveness, TCE has by far been the best. Don't misunderstand; I have not had any problems with any of the three sellers.

In terms of whether TCE sets are delicate, I can only speak about the ones reviewed in this thread. Neither is delicate for play at all. The pieces are beautifully crafted , detailed and polished. But they are also well made and sturdy. I don't hesitate to use them.

Thank you!

I purchased a chess table from chess empire for over 1,100 USD and it was damaged. One of the legs would not screw in. They offered me a $50 credit. Luckily, I found a furniture repair specialist that was able to repair the screw in leg for $150.

There is not much recourse when dealing with these companies in India. Most chess pieces are perfectly carved in beautiful woods, but you don’t always get what you’re promised. I’ve had issues with Royal Chess mall (knights didn’t match on an 1820 Calvert reproduction), they offered a $25 credit but left me with a poor chess set.

excellent experiences with Chess Bazaar, House of Staunton, and Staunton Castle.

let the buyer beware!!