Will my board look overcrowded?

Hello

Ive bought a handmade board of 5,7 cms square. The chess pieces i like the kings base is 4,7 and the pawns 3,3. Ive done some research and its recommended that the king is between 75%-85% of the square. This se would be 82% but the shop recommend it for chess board between 6 and 6,5 cms.

Anyone using this ratio? would it be look crowded? whats your thought of using pieces with a bigger base (or at least on the top of the recommendations)? anyone using a similar ratio that can show me how it looks?

thanks for your time

thanks very much

Only you can decide if your board looks overcrowded. There are rules of thumb but that´s all they are. Also, if you compare USCF and FIDE guidelines they differ somewhat.

the problem is to decide if it looks ok or not i have to buy, hence the question to see if im lucky and someone using this ratio who can show me a photo

thanks

Which pieces?

Yes, your board will look overcrowded.

3.3 The side of the square should measure 5-6 cm. Four pawns should fit on one square.
https://handbook.fide.com/chapter/StandardsOfChessEquipment2022

That´s an opinion, not a fact.

There are slender pieces with wide bases and there are tall pieces with narrow bases so to judge if the board looks desolate, overcrowded or just right without actually setting up the pieces on the board is impossible (or at best guesswork).

The photo below shows a 55 mm square board with HOS Collector Plastic 3.75" pieces. The base of the king is about 4.44 cm, which is about 80.7% You can just about fit two pawns diagonally in a square. This set has broader bases than some, which accounts for the higher percentage, but I don't think the pieces look too tall for the board. I sometimes use pieces with slightly broader bases on the same board size. I think it looks about right, but others may disagree. It is a matter of individual taste.

And taste, often as not, is aquired.

thanks. i really liked the set and i got it . ill post after christmas how it looks

thanks

Here are two photos of a much smaller board. Square size 32 mm, king base 27 mm. That's about 84.3%. I would say that I have a higher tolerance of a higher percentage when it comes to small sets on small boards like this.

If it doesn't look exactly right, then you've got a great excuse to buy another, smaller set, or bigger board.

We´ll hold you to that! Good luck!

Aaaannnndddd ... that's how it starts.

Many years ago, my bride of 2 years (back then) bought me a chess set with board (I have since discovered it is a Drueke board). The pieces were not expensive, not weighted, generic Staunton pieces. They were too large for the board.

I kept it set up and occasionally played games on it.

Then I started to get more serious about chess and decided to get smaller pieces that fit properly.

And so began the journey ... I then of course had to get a board for the larger pieces. Of course since I had a larger board now, I looked at better pieces ...

Now, 12 wooden boards later (including one I purchased in London and carried back to the states in my suitcase), 22 wooden chess sets later (including one from Latvia and another from Russia, a Filipino set from @EfimLG47 via @Powderdigit, and some very nice sets acquired for much less than their sticker price), numerous vinyl/foam/silicone boards later, and numerous plastic chess sets later (including the much sought after "Butters"), as well as several e-boards, I can say that it is a hobby that can take hold of you and not let go.

Oh, and those oversized, unweighted pieces - they are still with me, probably the only set I would never dream of parting with.

Good luck to you, @Xixinis!

But it is still too small. If the bishop can not pass thought the king and queen on adjacent squares.

Whilst I agree with the principle behind these conventions (and some of my sets/board adhere to them), in reality it is only a problem if you see it as a problem. If you naturally pick pieces up to move them (i.e. over the potentially obstructing bases of other pieces) rather than slide them, then there is no problem. If it seems crowded to you, then it is. If it doesn't, then it isn't.

Remember chess is a two player game. And it is not about what you see as a problem.

If you are not playing anyone. And the chess set is for display or study. Then nothing about a bad chess setup is a problem.