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Hello!
Just starting out again. I don’t have anything close to a full sized set. I want to get one.
I actually have a beginner question about the equipment/ sets. I think there is a Chess club near me. On line I’ve seen pictures of clubs and tournaments around the world. I want to buy (or make) a set that I can play/study with at home and travel with if I want to study at the park or beach or if I end up finding and joining an In-Real-Life club. So looking on-line and YouTube I find references to multiple sizes from 2.5 inch Kings to 4.5 inch Kings. Boards have squares from < 2inches to > 2.5 inches. Names like Tournament, Club, and Regulation, etc. sizes are tossed around.
What do those names mean and refer to?
It seems that most everyone is playing on Chess board mats with plastic pieces.
My question is: are these sets a certain specific size?
If I bought something I like (or made a set myself) would it have to be a certain size (King’s height), or weight? Would the board need to be a certain size or the squares a specific dimension? -In order to play at the clubs or tournaments? (Assuming I ever get that good).
I’ve been around the sun a few dozen times and I know how these things are for me. It’s easy to fall into collecting 10 of these things and before you know it you have a collection of 10 or 20 and have over $1000 invested in the collection.
In order to avoid that this time I really want to stick with one or two great sets that take care of all my needs rather than collect a bunch that I store on a shelf because I really don’t have anyone to play with in real life anyway. That way I can also justify buying something nice made from wood rather than plastic & vinyl.
Above is an example of a small travel set I loved and got decades ago. In it’s category it is sort of an “Ultimate” example. I do have a few small travel sets that I’ve had for decades. This is one I dug out of the back of the closet. It’s tiny and really made for traveling. If you were on a boat or plane for example it might be perfect. Assuming you found someone who wanted to play. Outer dimensions are about 6’x 5.75’ - way too small to really study with but very portable and secure.
So I guess another way of asking is:
If you only could have one or maybe two sets, What size and type would you get? To meet what needs?
Thanks for your help.