Glass chess sets

I must rant for a second.

Everytime I go searching for chess on Google, I see at least one glass chess set. I do not like glass chess sets mainly because the pieces and the board are too difficult to focus on. I think I've been given not one but two glass chess sets as gifts over the years. While they may (or may not) be kind of interesting artistically, they are just not practical, SO my plea to the Chinese titans of industry would be to stop making these horrible glass chess sets. It is giving chess a bad name.

Thank you and good day.

I agree but not so strongly. Nothing is better than good old wood.

amen. agreed 100%!!

Yep, wood plastic and stone only please! And none of these stoopid historical carved figurenes either, I'll take a good ole Staunton set please.

Except I do like some of those Indian ones with the spindly pieces. They are cool, yet still easily recognizable.

i do not like glasss one but i do like wooden ones  how ever it could be worse their could be a ches set that when you touch a piece it sings alittle tune as that would put me off the game and the chess set

YOU ARE SO SPOT ON I HATE THESE CHEAP ASS GLASS SETS I ALSO HAVE  HAD SOME GAVE TO ME.Every time it takes all i have not to take it an tell them where to stick up the pootttee shootttt.

I hate the frosted glass anyways, I hate the feel when it rubs against another piece of that stuff. It's like nails on a chalkboard.

We have a few glass sets floating around here.  You just need to be more careful with them, and the felt bottoms keep coming off. 

But I love collecting almost any kind of chess board I can get my hands on.  I've got the fancy mid-evil knights type with dragon heads at the corners of the base (really sweet set).  I've got an ivory-looking set with Chinese themed pieces.  I've got a fold-up pocket version with little checker-like circles with the pieces drawn on them that I got at the dollar store (I can take this one anywhere so I've always got a set on me ).

My favorite set is the one where all the pieces are Michigan and Michigan State football players (Coach = King, Quarterback = Queen, Receivers = Rooks, Kickers = Knights, Running Backs = Bishops, Linesman = Pawns).  My dad doesn't like to play on this set cuz he keeps forgetting which piece is supposed to be what. 

But regarding glass sets (since this is what the thread was supposed to be about, sorry) - which way do you set them up?  The picture above has the clear pieces as light, and the frosted pieces as black.  But to me, the frosted pieces look white, and the clear pieces look darker, so I set them up that way.

Which way do you think? 

clear=light/frosted=dark   or   frosted=white/clear=black?

 This IS the problem. If there's something dark under the board, then the clear squares will appear to be dark squares (darker than the frosted squares), but if the surface under the glass board is light then the clear glass squares will appear lighter than the frosted squares. Too confusing.

 I always do the clear as white, cos it most looks white =P

Absolutely!  I saved up and finally have a really decent looking wooden setup - you should see the folks at the tournament halls ogle it! 

I do not understand the glass stuff, and I do not understand some of the gentlemen who bring their tournament mat and unweighted plastic sets in a Wal-Mart grocery bag!  Have some pride in your chess stuff, man!  You don't have to spend a hundred bucks to get something decent. 

Like the creator of this thread, I have received MANY glass chess sets as gifts.  Some that are candy colored, some that are smoked and smooth, some that are identical to ones that I have.  I know the reason I receive them as gifts is because they are ten dollar sets, but dang! 

Just turn the board 90° depending on the colour of the underlying surface.

The picture in the 1st post has an entirely black background, and yet the clear pieces are set up to represent white.  It looks like the bottom right corner is black.  But then again, the Kings and Queens are not directly opposite each other either, so whoever took that picture obviously doesn't even play chess. 

its good to know that other players feel like me on this issue.  ive gotton no less than three glass chess sets as presents over the years.  i have all the pieces wrapped in newspaper and sitting in a box somewhere, and im not even sure where two of the boards are... i dont really care...i take them as gestures of appreciation with a smile and a thank you but ive never played a single game on any of them.  i always break out my good old tournament set and board to play with friends.  i did get a fantasy set once with dragons, wizards, castles and such, its cool looking but impracticle to play on.  i put it on display occasionally when i have compay over, i still break out the tournament set to play! 

i noticed that the colors were wrong, but i didnt notice that the kings weren't lined up!  that sort of thing happens to often!  i hate when people set up a board wrong then argue with me that its right or doesnt make a difference.  it really dosent make a difference to have a dark squared kings bishop with the white pieces does it...yes i think it does...

i mean...if someone could make a white glass versus a black glass staunton set  Imight be interested, but it seems that someone at the glass factory got a wild idea and ran with it and now there are probably millions of these clear versus frosted sets out there. they're just not right. come on.

You use tournment chess sets to play on, that is what they are meant for. The glass sets and the "artistic" chess sets are really meant to look nice and sit there in your dining/living room for the occasional guest to comment on and question you in your interest in chess.

At least that is what my impression was.

That's depressing -- kind of like a 90 year old billionaire with a trophy wife.

could it be worse than shapeless chunks of mexican onyx ????

Glass sets fall into the decorative category--not really practical for serious play.