Hello... You are not, by any chance, the same Chap from "ChessReviews" are you?
If you are, Its lovely to see you again after a decade of radio silence. 📻 😁 Are you still doing Music?
If you're not the same Chap, please ignore me. Very nice comparison. Thank you. 👍
Hey there,
I’m genuinely flattered that you know about ChessReviews! Yep, it’s still me, and I’m still making music—actually, we made some noise just this past weekend.
Thanks so much for the warm welcome!
Well, you have tens of thousands of views on your channel. There must be quite a few of us on Chess.com that have subscribed to it. Its always a bit worrying, when a channel just stops uploading, but im very happy to see you're ok and still collecting chess pieces and equipment.
For whatever strange reason, i really enjoy watching chess set reviews and seeing all the weird and wonderful sets that have been made over the years. Your channel was definitely among the best so thanks for doing it. Your Grandmaster and professional set review were my particular favourites.
All the best. 🙂
Hey, that genuinely means a lot — thank you.
I never expected those old reviews to reach as many people as they did, and I definitely didn’t expect anyone to remember them a decade later. Life pulled me in a few different directions, but I’ve always stayed close to the hobby. I still collect…
And honestly, I’m right there with you — I still love watching videos about chess pieces and all the cool sets people share. That part of the hobby never stopped being fun for me.
I’m really glad those reviews were useful. Hearing that you enjoyed the Grandmaster and professional set videos honestly made my day. I do have a bit of bad news, though — some of my sets have developed cracks over time, including both of my GM Series sets, which ended up with some pretty gnarly splits in a few pieces.
All the best to you as well — and thanks again for the kind words and the warm welcome back.
Hello SpanishStallion, I was waiting to see whether anyone else might add some additional insight, but I’ll share my perspective for what it’s worth. For context, I only own one set of the standard DGT plastic pieces—the widely available 3¾" set with the familiar Fischer–Spassky look that typically sells for around $30 as of late 2025. I think you know the ones I’m referring to.
That said, my experience is limited to a single DGT sample, so I want to be clear about that upfront. Based on that comparison alone, the Ultimate pieces—particularly the V3s—feel noticeably more solid to me. The V1s do as well. The V2s may be closer, but it’s harder to say with certainty, especially once weights loosen and begin to rattle, which can affect how “solid” a piece feels overall.
I use the word feel intentionally here. I’m not a chemist, and I won’t pretend to have any insight into the chemical composition or molecular structure of the plastics involved. All I can speak to is my hands-on impression, informed by a very limited sample size. To me, the Ultimate pieces feel denser and more robust, if that makes sense. By comparison, the DGT pieces feel a bit hollower and less dense.
I take good care of my equipment and wouldn’t subject any of these sets to stress tests outside the bounds of normal, everyday chess use, so this assessment is based purely on handling and regular play. That said, both sets are more than adequate for their intended purposes—tournament play, blitz, casual games, you name it. Still, if I had to place a bet on which pieces I’d trust more if a king were to fall cross-first onto a hard surface, my money would be on the Ultimates. That’s just my take.
Cheers all, happy holidays!
Hello!
I’m DT — an avid chess set collector. When I went looking to buy the newest version of the Ultimates, I realized there were zero side-by-side comparisons of all three generations. So I put this together.
If you want a full review, check out the video by Pushing Wood — I agree with everything he says.
These photos are meant to serve as reference to help you decide which version fits your taste.
Colors:
V1 (the vintage set) is a light cream.
V2 is a richer, more saturated yellow.
V3 leans toward ivory — and like any plastic, it may develop a slight patina over time.
Size & Weight:
Picture 3 shows the exact differences. V1 is the smallest, yet its king and queen are actually heavier than V3’s. V2 is the heaviest overall, and in terms of dimensions, V2 and V3 are nearly identical — with only tiny variations where V2 is slightly smaller.
Extras:
Both V2 and V3 come with extra queens, V1 does not.
I also included the height-to-base ratio, since that’s one of the key metrics FIDE and USCF use to determine whether a set is tournament-legal.
Build Notes:
V1 and V2 often have loose, rattly weights. V3 does not — just as Pushing Wood noted.
Design fidelity across all versions is excellent; aside from small differences, you really can’t go wrong with any of them.
Availability:
V1 has been discontinued for years, but you can still find it on the used market.
V2 may still pop up here and there.
V3 is widely available as of November 2025.
Hope this helps someone choose the right set for them. Happy collecting!