How about, along with name-calling & other rude stuff, that posting an AD in a forum be banned?
WIN A LUXURY CHESS SET BUNDLE worth £800
Sort:
Oct 5, 2016
0
#3
Phedup wrote:
How about, along with name-calling & other rude stuff, that posting an AD in a forum be banned?
I am sorry it offends you ...it is a genuine competition, with a great prize
Oct 6, 2016
0
#4
rcmacmillan wrote:
GM4U wrote:
Phedup wrote:
How about, along with name-calling & other rude stuff, that posting an AD in a forum be banned?
I am sorry it offends you ...it is a genuine competition, with a great prize
Carl, I wouldn't pay much attention. He/she is a free member, after all. It's not like he/she supports the site. Too many of these schmucks hang out here, and many of them are trolls.
Thanks Rob.....need to gett his comnpetition moving, any suggestions ?
Oct 6, 2016
0
#5
Thanks to Carl from Official Staunton for proposing, again, a nice challenge.
Let me explain why this amazing chess set, with a perfect balance between elegance and classicism, is my ideal and ultimate choice.
You may find this chess set here:
https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/staunton-reproduction-sets/products/1851-antiqued-staunton-reproduction-chess-set
Certainly he took a lot of patience and requirement to get this chess set, whithout a doubt, will satisfy the most demanding players or collectors.
The pieces of this chess set are, in my eyes, free from any defects.
The magnificence of the knight is the first and not the least of its strengths.
The perfect and sensual roundness of the pawns (rather rare even in the finest reproductions) is extremely flattering to the eye and certainly to the touch.
The board, both for its simplicity and for the nobility of its components, is just perfect... and I especially appreciate the discrete edges delimiting the playing surface as in ancient chess board.
Finally, this box; oh so beautiful, with clean lines and understated elegance, will be the jewell showcase for the 32 small works of art that will be fully protected within it.
It is hard not to succumb to the undeniable qualities of this beautiful set, representing a dream for many of us.
rcmacmillian,
So now I'm a paying member. I am NOT a troll, and your cat is cute.
Mea Culpa, O.K.?
[COMMENT DELETED]
Oct 7, 2016
0
#11
Thanks for letting me participate in my native language 
Link of my desired set here: https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-sets/products/leningrad-anegre-platform-chess-set
Siempre pensé que mi ajedrez sería una guerra entre yo y mi adversario, una lucha sin piedad, llena de errores y pocos aciertos acaso, en la que prevalecería el ojo más atento. Aquella idea queda en jaque y retrocede asustada cuando veo la magnificencia de este conjunto de lujo. Elegancia y arte son las primeras palabras que cruzan por mi mente.
Partiendo por el tablero, la plataforma es un signo de audacia y potencia, detalle que busca elevar el juego y el espíritu de los luchadores. Las sesenta y cuatro casillas son sinónimo de pureza; no tienen mancha ni defecto, sobre ellas la hueste marcha a gusto y con euforia, sabiendo que cada movimiento es una pincelada más en el lienzo de un alquimista.
Las piezas poseen el tamaño y peso exactos, se puede admirar el don de una mano experta en el acabado. La armonía que hay entre el tablero y las piezas es insuperable. Estamos hablando de una coordinación absoluta. Desde los nobles peones, pasando por el caballero de crin majestuosa, hasta el soberbio rey. Veo vida en las piezas, tanto así que no me extrañaría saber que se mueven solas cuando nadie las está mirando.
La caja no podía ser menos en este hermoso conjunto. De principio a fin, todo tenía que ser perfecto y así ponen el broche de oro, con una hermosa caja que reboza delicadeza y amor por el juego. Un lugar espacioso y cómodo para guardar nuestras piezas luego de una gran partida. La caja pone en evidencia las intenciones de sus creadores; darle el toque final a una obra maestra.
Greetings and good luck to all!
Thanks for the contest!
Oct 8, 2016
0
#12
What a great competition carl! thanks for giving me the opportunity to show my favorite chess set, as I have been looking for a chess set with this distinct look for a very long time...
just to give you all some background... as a young boy, I learned to play chess on my great grandfather chess set, a set that he purchased in turkey at the early 1900's - and as with the all chess pieces carved in the ottoman empire at the time, it had some distinctive marks, such as a king with a ball topping instead of a cross (at that time it was not Permitted to carve crosses ), and the rooks also had 5 slots on top (again to avoid any cross-like patterns) the bishops had a ball topping of the opposite color, and I clearly remember the king standing out as the tallest piece.
now this amazing set is the closest thing I have found to the Appearance of that old set https://www.officialstaunton.com/products/dubrovnik-sheesham-and-walnut-chess-set
(the original board and pieces are still in my grandfather possession, but it was completely worn out beyond Recognition... )
it gets me very nostalgic just thinking about it...
greeting and good luck to all!
Thanks for the opportunity.
In my case the chess set combination that I like the most is this one: https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/value-chess-sets/products/leningrad-anegre-root-wood-chess-set (Leningrad Anegre Root wood Chess Set)
I like this set because I found it simple and functional. But at the same time, it is really elegant. The Leningrad pieces are really a beauty and you know that no one will complain to play with them. They have a mixture of classic and "not so standard" characteristics that make this set really appealing for me.
I like Zagreb knights. There are really awful knights out there, the Leningrad Knights are better carved than the Zagreb and really awesome, the rest of the set is simple and classic. The size seems very usable. I'm used to play in 50mm square chessboards, but I think you can play with the set in a 55mm square too.
The chessboard with the set and the wood of the box make this set even more elegant, I found it a perfect combination of colors and woods. I like also that nothing in the whole thing is distracting and the set keeps functional.
In my opinion, this set is a very good choice for collectors, because of the good carving and excellent design, and at the same time is a great choice for the people that simply want a wood chess set to play with. The combination is not expensive at all (you only need to think in to buy all the stuff separately), and the quality is superb.
Best regards
Hello there!
I’ve been a long-time reader of this forum – it’s really been great going through the reviews and discussions of various sets and equipment, and I really appreciate the time and thought that people have spent on them, so thanks to all! This competition now looks like a great opportunity to break my silence and get involved too, so thanks also for spurring me to make my first post! With that then, here’s my entry:
As a Brit living in St Petersburg, it is perhaps appropriate that it’s the Leningrad set that appeals to me the most, and specifically, the Leningrad Anegre Platform Chess Set (https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-sets/products/leningrad-anegre-platform-chess-set).
That said, of course, a great chess set is not about the name, but about the enjoyment gained from using it (and ‘use’ is important here – as impressive as a set may look, it’s hard to imagine anyone seriously believing that a set should be of purely ornamental value).
So why is it that I like the look of this set so much? Well, to explain that, let me digress for a moment…
Chess is a historic game, and there's nothing quite like playing on a historic-looking, traditional set. That is why I will always be a Staunton devotee. Just like millions of others, I grew up with that style, and I still treasure one such set I was given for my birthday as a young boy.
Since moving to Russia though, I have also come to love the simple beauty of the Soviet-era sets. When I can, I take a trip to the north of the city to scour the main flea market, and have been fortunate enough to uncover some real gems. Needless to say, their appeal goes beyond aesthetics – I love those sets for the fact that they were meant to be used (that word again). And indeed, judging from the chips, discolouration and missing finials that only add to the charm and mystique of these sets, they were indeed both used, and loved.
So, back to the Leningrad set…
Choosing a main, go-to showcase piece that incorporates everything I now love in a set would be a virtually impossible task, but what a contender this looks! Its exquisitely carved knights are a subtle nod to the rich chess tradition of Eastern Europe, while retaining the familiar warmth of the Staunton design. And as someone who is used to buying sets in those ubiquitous folding boards that double up as storage boxes, it is a joy to see these pieces complemented not only with a beautiful raised board, but a storage box that’s a work of art in its own right.
A fantastic combination of East and West, then, and above all, a set that invites you to use it, to do battle with you opponents with it, to analyse long into the night with it (preferably with a single malt in hand!). That is why I love the look of this set.
Chess - The Experience
The beauty of chess is that it can be played anywhere, using virtually any materials you have to hand. If stranded on a dessert island, a board is but a drawing in the sand and the pieces nothing more than a handful of pebbles; we carry chess in our minds, not in bags and boxes. Having said this you cannot escape the fact that a game of chess is also a physical, nay almost visceral experience. We feel the game, we perceive it through sight and touch, through the sound of our opponent’s clocks ticking ever lower. The equipment that we play on is the physical embodiment of our love for the game and the experience in which we wish to be immersed. That is why chess sets have evolved beyond game boards into pieces of art, things of beauty. With this in mind I present my ideal combination, a combination which is more than mere ornamentation, more than a means to an end, it is form, function and beauty bought together in harmony. A place where you want to spend time, a place you want to return to.
Pieces - Stretford Ebony Chess Pieces
Chess has been in a constant state of evolution since its conception over a millennia and a half ago. This evolution reached its peak in 1849 when Nathaniel Cook perfected the iconic Staunton design, a design which combines the practicality of instant recognition with the infinite possibilities of artistic interpretation, therefore my choice has to be the Stretford Ebony Chess Pieces. Very much a classic Staunton design this set is almost perfectly proportioned and heavily weighted to feel solid and confident in the hand. The height of the pieces rises through the ranks. The rooks are strong and stout, the queen and the bishop are sleek and elegant and the king is tall and regal with a finial befitting of his status; but the best is yet to come. They say with chess sets that your money is in the knights and you would struggle to find a better example than this. Exquisitely carved with a short proud manes, attentive ears and rugged muscular features that evoke an eagerness for they havoc they will shortly attempt to pursue. Finally the contrast between the ebony of the dark pieces against the natural tones of the opposition make this set a triumph of beauty and design worthy of gracing any sixty four squares.
https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-pieces/products/stretford-ebony-chess-pieces
Board – Walnut Anegre Platform Chess Board
To do justice to such a fine set of pieces the eternal battleground which they are fated to occupy must be of equal beauty and stature, this is why I have chosen the Walnut and Anegre Platform Chess Board. The Anegre and maple playing surface sits above a finely carved and richly dark walnut base, floating almost as if it is ascending from its grand support only to descend once more when the contest is completed. This gives the board a truly three dimensional feel and it truly longs to be viewed from differing angles to gain a full appreciation of its form. Some will argue with my opting for both ebony pieces and ebony squares, they will state a lack of contrast making it hard to distinguish the dark pieces and they may be right, but this isn’t a board for blitz, this is a board for slow considered deliberation, indulging in the challenge. This board does not merely enable you to play a game of chess, this is a board that will be a character in its own right, an object of affection that you will not want to play again without.
https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-boards/products/walnut-anegre-platform-chessboard
Box – Deluxe Fitted Coffer
Both the pieces and the board that I have described are not cheap and nor should they be considering the time and craftsmanship that has gone into their production. For most they will be a once in a lifetime purchase and then, after outlasting our lifetimes will be passed down to children and grandchildren, therefore when not in use protection of these precious objects is paramount. The Deluxe Fitted Coffer fits this purpose perfectly. A solid wood box in red burl and lined with green baize this piece of furniture exudes simple classic style whilst neatly complimenting the Anegre Platform Chess Board. Inside, across two drawers, each piece including additional queens, has its own individual compartment keeping them safe from the years. Safe from dust and sunlight, chips, scratches and anything that mother time cares to throw at it and due to its neat locking system that includes the grubby little fingers who will eventually learn to play with the pieces inside.
https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-boxes/products/deluxe-fitted-coffer
Oct 19, 2016
0
#17
After winning the previous competition this past weekend, I wanted to bring this topic back to the top. I received notice on Sunday that I won and received my package today, Wednesday. The package was shipped from London, England and arrived in Peoria, Illinois, USA in less than 3 days! I will be starting another topic with pictures in the next day or so on this.
So, I am going to tempt the gods and enter the fray on this one. I encourage all to post and enter the competition. It is truly a great opportunity to win a very nice Chess set, board and box.
I have shopped and bought and received a number of Chess sets and boards from The Official Chess Company, https://www.officialstaunton.com.
The one set that is my favorite on that site is the Collector Series in Rosewood.
The link to this set's page is: https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-pieces/products/collectors-series-chess-pieces.
I like this set a lot. First off I do not like Ebony as the dark wood of the pieces. I find Rosewood to be an exceptionally good looking and durable wood for Chess pieces. Of course the Boxwood for the light pieces is not only standard but also very nice looking and quite durable. Look at the design of these pieces. They are classic and exquisite. I really like the scooped out cuts in the Bishop miters. Instead of being a simple slot as in other designs, this has a very nice scalloping of the miter cut edge. It is very aesthetic.
The Kings in this set are very nice indeed. Notice the intricate cross that is the finial. Also notice the fine cut and slope of the piece in its entirety.
The Queen design is also classic and elegant. It matches with the King very well and they certainly look to be a matched pair standing next to each other.
The Knights are highly detailed in the typical way a Knight from a luxury Chess set is. Notice the expression of its face as well as the open mouth with the teeth cut out separately in the open mouth. The eyes are also a good tell of the high quality of these Knights and the complete set in its entirety.
The Rooks are sturdy looking without having excess bulk. The tops of the Rooks and the cuts in the top are also very well done.
The Pawns are once again the classic design of the highest quality sets in history. It is the sphere or ball on a pedestal. They are made to look as if the sphere is floating on the top and might have been placed on as an afterthought. Of course these pawns are definitely made of one piece of wood with the quality carving only giving the impressive look.
Putting all the pieces next to each other shows the fine proportioning of each piece with the others. It presents as a very well balanced looking Chess set design.
Now that we have the pieces selected, we need to have a board that complements them. For this I have chosen this Large Prestige board of Palisander and Maple.
The link for this board's page is: https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-boards/products/large-prestige-palisander-chess-board
This board is a perfect match for the above mentioned set in many ways. First you will see the square size is perfect to hold those pieces on during a game. The King base will fit nicely on its square of this board without being too big or too small. The rest of the pieces will also look very much to be a perfect size match with this board.
The colors of the board squares will also match the coloring of the woods of the Chess pieces. The Palisander is much a Chocolate coloring and the Maple is just the correct light color for this wood set. The pieces will have a very nice contrast to the board squares and will not be lost in the color of the dark squares. The frame of this board also will pick up from the reddish of the Rosewood and the golden tones of the Maple. The complete picture will be very nice looking without a doubt.
Now, when keeping the pieces in storage we need something to hold them and keep them. For this I have chosen the Deluxe Fitted Coffer.
Here is the link for the web page of this coffer:
https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-boxes/products/deluxe-fitted-coffer
This nice of a set deserves a coffer like this. Notice the individual, lined compartments for each piece. There will be no banging of the pieces together or chipping in storage or transport with this coffer and set. The lining is very luxurious and the pieces will be well protected and cared for in this coffer.
The wood of this coffer is also of a very high quality and its coloring once again will match the coloring of the pieces and even the board I have chosen. When anyone opens the lid of this coffer, with the pieces in them, the look will be very nice and aesthetic. This coffer will happily sit on a nice shelf in one's home or office holding the pieces at the ready for a luxurious game of Chess on that exquisite board.
As I said earlier, I have purchased and received pieces and boards from The Official Staunton Company before. Because of this I have real experience that they have the best of quality of Chess equipment for sale. Yes, there are some other companies with just as high quality available, but The Official Staunton Company has the best prices for such high quality offerings. The pieces I have noted above alone are at least half the price of other company offerings of the same quality. I am not kidding about this.
So, this is my favorite Chess set, board and box from The Official Staunton Company, https://www.officialstaunton.com
Oct 23, 2016
0
#18
GM4U wrote:
Its competition time again folks!
The Prize to 1 lucky winner will be a luxury set of pieces, chessboard and a box!
all you need to do is pick your favourite set of pieces, chess board and box from our website www.officialstaunton.com
you need to write at least 200 word on each product of your choice on why its your prefered choice and what you particulary like about the product- and remember to also ADD THE LINK from our website for each of those products at this post....
this competition will run for approx. 6 weeks and the lucky winner will be announced at that time
good luck!
Is this competition still going? Also, I am trying to view the Official Staunton Site and its not coming up on several different browsers.
Oct 23, 2016
0
#19
alexmares50 wrote:
GM4U wrote:
Its competition time again folks!
The Prize to 1 lucky winner will be a luxury set of pieces, chessboard and a box!
all you need to do is pick your favourite set of pieces, chess board and box from our website www.officialstaunton.com
you need to write at least 200 word on each product of your choice on why its your prefered choice and what you particulary like about the product- and remember to also ADD THE LINK from our website for each of those products at this post....
this competition will run for approx. 6 weeks and the lucky winner will be announced at that time
good luck!
Is this competition still going? Also, I am trying to view the Official Staunton Site and its not coming up on several different browsers.
Yes the competition is still running, we need a lot more posts though!
we ran a multi browser check and have found no issues ?
https://www.browserstack.com/screenshots/6c2e221c6fa59e06ddee2a1f353391a6d72a6c25
Oct 23, 2016
0
#20
As a lover of smaller chess sets, I think that I would most like to have the pieces Carl showed off in the Staunton Reproduction thread, the ones with 3,5 inch king height and 1,75 inch diameter, in ebony and boxwood. Since the projected release of that set is one week before the competition ends, it should be a valid choice, right? 
What I like about that particular set of pieces is that it looks fairly squat, yet elegant, and the knight, from what I can gather from that one picture, looks very well done. They have a nice, archlike shape to them, with the king being by far taller than the other pieces, and the queen setting a steady downward slope to the rook, with the pawns being smallest. Shorter pieces are easier to handle on the board, easier to see, and with the wide bases that they have, they should be very stable nonetheless. Eyechess has indicated his preference for rosewood. Indeed, I also generally prefer rosewood to completely black wood, but I think that I would find this set appealing nonetheless. So, as far as I am concerned, that set would be my favourite! You will probably be able to view pictures of the set in a few weeks on the Official Staunton website, at https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-pieces?page=1.
Price of the pieces: 250 GBP
As far as the board is concerned, I think one with 57/58 mm squares would be fine, given the width of the 3,5 inch library size Jacques repro pieces. I have pieces already with the same diameter king, and they work perfectly on that size board. Apart from that, I think that it is important to consider the colours of the squares in your choice. Dark with dark is usually not the best option, so the combination would need to be chosen carefully. I think that, from the boards that I was able to see at the Official Staunton website, the Italian Framed Mahogany chess board looks best, in the sense that it is very good looking in itself, but would also complement the pieces very well. I think the Spassky-Fischer board also looks very good, but that board seems to have slightly darker squares, which is OK if you don’t mind the ever so lessened contrast with ebony pieces, but the palisander shown in the picture in the link provided below I think is a very good fit for the ebony pieces, containing some darker streaks in the inlaid mahogany, but not being too dark. Also, I am partial to the real mahogany edge of the board that frames the playing surface. I can imagine, in short, the above pieces looking very pleasing, both in size and in colour (contrast), on this particular board. The board can be got from: https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-boards/products/mahogany-deluxe-solid-frame-chess-board.
Price of the board: 200 GBP
For the full mahogany experience, I would pick the following box from the Official Staunton website: https://www.officialstaunton.com/collections/chess-boxes/products/luxury-hand-made-mahogany-chess-box. This box, which Carl has noted to be absolutely solid mahogany on another thread, looks very suave indeed. There were some other options available as well that would probably have been excellent choices, but I have chosen this one for a number of reasons. Firstly, the fact that it is completely made of wood appeals to me. I blame that on my genes, since my dad was a woodworker. I would much prefer to have a completely wooden box than to have a box that would be real wood on the outside, and some other material on the inside. Secondly, the aesthetic of the box is very pleasing, with the black delimiters being very nicely done, and the lock and key being the cherry on the proverbial cake. I do realise that on the inside the box features one compartment to hold your pieces, rather than two, or fitted slots for the pieces separately, but that is not an issue for me. I think that I would much like to have the mahogany box therefore, and I think that it would go together great with the pieces I chose in the beginning of this post.
Price of the box: GBP 200
I realise that I come up a bit short of GBP 800 (about GBP 150 short) but I trust that’s not an issue. Best of luck to everyone in the competition and a thanks to Carl for making this competition possible.
Its competition time again folks!
The Prize to 1 lucky winner will be a luxury set of pieces, chessboard and a box!
all you need to do is pick your favourite set of pieces, chess board and box from our website www.officialstaunton.com
you need to write at least 200 word on each product of your choice on why its your prefered choice and what you particulary like about the product- and remember to also ADD THE LINK from our website for each of those products at this post....
this competition will run for approx. 6 weeks and the lucky winner will be announced at that time
good luck!