So I finally got a decent job in my field, and my wife (our financial czar, for a number of reasons) has cleared me for a couple of small toys. I've purchased a new TV and an ipod touch (not the iphone, because I'll be long dead before I give those maniacs at AT&T a cent of my money), and now she wants me to get a chess set. She's actually pretty excited about it, too.

I know, right?

Seriously, try to get her interested in some really elegant embedded system code and she goes catatonic, but I actually catch her watching me play chess over my shoulder.

So back to my point: I've been given the go-ahead to get a decent chess set. I wasn't given specific constraints, but I'd like to keep it below $100 if possible. I saw a few different spots to buy them, but I was wondering if anyone could give me some tips on a set that's worked for you. I like heavier pieces and overall solid construction, and I want the thing to be usable (i.e. sans the frilly nonsense that digs into your fingers as you clutch your opponent's fallen king in your hand and attempt to squish the perceived animus out of his little wooden skull).

Oh! I'd also like a good amount of board visibility. I imagine I could get used to anything, but I don't want it to look too cluttered.

Cool.

Oh, and that shirt looks great on you, by the way.

I've bought stuff from chessusa.com.  They have a good selection of wood sets.  You can buy board-piece combos.  Or, pick out a board and mix in you own choice of pieces.  Keeping it under $100 should be no problem.  I also have a mousepad roll-up board, with the 2 1/4" squares, and plastic triple weight house set for pieces.  That's good to pack up to take you, and the pieces are very sturdy.  Plus I don't have to worry about my 5 year old breaking them.  That would probably run you $60 or so.  I do, however, LOVE the look of nice wood set.  And you can get one in your price range.

I just made a purchase from wholesalechess.com, they rock! You are cheating yourself if you don't at least check them out.

I forgot.  I just used wholesalechesss also.  I bought a fold up, magnetic travel set.  Very nice, AND only $35.

thanks guys :).

If anyone has specifics about what I should look for, I'm all ears (eyes?). Different woods seem to be valued differently, but I have no idea what the characteristics are, and at what price point the optimal value is.

If anyone has specific boards to recommend, that's very cool. I actually prefer they not be of the travel/foldable variety, I prefer a smooth surface, and can probably just buy a case if I want to transport it.

If you're going to be sipping cognac in den, look at House of Staunton.  They have some items under $100.

http://houseofstaunton.com/

As far as specific woods go, it's pretty much personal preference.  Don't worry about value for a particular type of wood.  Check a few out, and see what fits your eye.  Or, what fits your home's decor.  The wood set I have sort of matches the room it's in.  So, when people come over, they see it, and maybe think I have some kind of class.  It's more of a showpiece.  That's why I also bought the other set, to beat around.  Although, I have played a lot of games on the wood one.

houseofstaunton.com

TheChessStore.com

Two awesome places for every type of quality cheesboard you can imagine! The chess store has lower pricing, but Staunton's boards are also very cool.

At your price point wood sets are fairly low quality. My preference would be a plastic House of Staunton set on a vinyl board. Just like the kind used at all the best chess clubs. I find the best size vinyl board is one with 2.25 inch squares. The Staunton pieces that are replicas of Jaques of London Staunton sets that began production around 1850 fit perfectly on that sized board when the king is 4 inches tall with a base diameter of 1.75 inches. The House of Staunton plastic set I have is perfectly made and looks great. It's size is one that really lets you see the pieces and for the first few weeks feels the board seems quite big especially if you're used to little portable sets like I was.

that's an interesting notion...I hadn't even considered a plastic set. I suppose a nice plastic set might beat out a crappy wood one.

You'll find that House of Staunton plastic sets aren't inexpensive especially if they're big. And I made an error in the size. The king diameter is 1.75 inches but the height is 3.75 inches. This is considered to be the small club size. The other two sizes are a 4 inch king and a 4.4 inch king. Eventually I'm going to get a really nice wood set with a 4 inch king from House of Staunton (that's the day my wife gives her approval!) but until then the plastic set is fantastic. And the size makes all the difference in the world although the 4.4 inch set is often too big for home applications.

How about the feel of the plastic pieces? I've never really liked them, but maybe I've just never used decent plastic pieces before :).

Also, my life is worthless until I buy the ones made out of mammoth ivory.

These are high quality. The shapes are perfect. From a short distance you'd be hard pressed to tell the plastic ones from the wood ones so the finish is excellent. Take a look at the House of Staunton website. I got the 3.75 inch Collector set. The pattern is over 150 years old. Get their best quality cloth backed vinyl rollup board and you'll have what many of the best chess clubs use around the world on a daily basis. Any you'll have some change leftover from your $100 to start saving for the ivory set. That's what I'm doing although genuine ebony is more my thing. One thing. House of Staunton has live chat on their website. Use it to ensure you get the correct size board. The standard for this type of set is that the kings diameter should be .78 of the square size but talk to them to be sure.

Wooden Sets

Exclusive Pieces - Rosewood £74.95

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Exclusive Pieces - Rosewood Top-class wooden set in traditional Stauton design One of our best selling ranges. The king stands at 3.75 inches(95mm) and weighs 88g. All the pieces are lined with felt bases and are triple weighted for that extra quality feeling. The light pieces are made from boxwood and the dark pieces are made from rosewood. Fits perfectly on any of our 50mm square boards. Please note the pictures show the ebony version of this set. Back to Wooden Sets