Looking for Chess set recommendations

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Avatar of Meadmaker

Perhaps someone can help me out.

 

I have decided I want a wooden Chess set.  It will be used at tournaments.  I host tournaments, and I usually provide equipment for players, and I have decided it would be cool if the top board played on a wooden set insteady of the usual vinyl and plastic.  (Cheesy, but cool.)

 

However, this is one of those purchases that is hard to make online.  You can't really feel the pieces, and the photos don't always accurately represent the material.  So, I'm going to ask if anyone has any specific recommendations.

Because I will be providing it for use by other players, I don't want to spend a whole heck of a lot of money on it.  There's a good chance it will suffer at least a little bit of abuse.

The things I want:

     It should be approximately the size and weight of the usual, tournament style, plastic pieces, and should meet USCF recommendations.  (i.e. Staunton style pieces.)

     The board should feature Chess notation markings (A-H and 1-8).

     It should cost 100 bucks or less.

 

I've seen a few that fit these criteria.  Chess.com has a board and pieces that would cost a total of 90 bucks (plus tax and shipping).  There's also a couple on amazon.com that would work.

Built in storage would be nice, but I'm a bit worried about the folding sets.  In order to have space for the pieces, you'll have to have a bit of height.  I'm afraid that it will be a bit awkard sitting on a cafeteria style table, raising the board uncomfortably high.

 

Does anyone have any great thoughts on the subject?  Is there anything I should particularly avoid?  Is there a type of set that you have been forced to play on that you really wished you were playing on a vinyl roll up board with plastic pieces?  Do you have a set you have played on and really like for tournaments?

 

Any advice would be appreciated.

Avatar of Mr_Brock

http://www.uscfsales.com/product_p/clubcombo.htm

http://www.chesshouse.com/wooden_chess_sets_s/154.htm

Avatar of Mr_Brock

Also i don't know how well that would work. If I am not mistaken, black has choice of using their pieces and board if meets USCF mearurements and isn't some crazy colors. You have to be able to tell the pieces apart and by color.... that all depends on how educated your players are on tournament rules.

Avatar of Kingpatzer

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/category_s/627.htm

 

It's a tad over $90 for the really nice natural rosewood pieces, but I have this set and I love it.

Avatar of Mr_Brock

haha i actually own a quadruple weighted marshall set that looks identical to the house of staunton set.its an amazing set. Buuuuttt i bought mine for 60 and it came with board color of my choice and a quiver. you can do like i did and create a combo... if they still do it. it has been over a year.......................

http://www.uscfsales.com/product_p/dyo-combo.htm

check it out and see how that one floats your boat

Avatar of Meadmaker
str8static wrote:

Also i don't know how well that would work. If I am not mistaken, black has choice of using their pieces and board if meets USCF mearurements and isn't some crazy colors. You have to be able to tell the pieces apart and by color.... that all depends on how educated your players are on tournament rules.


 Technically true, but if they really want to use their own board, I won't stop them.  I'll just have the nice, wood, easy to use, board already set up.

 

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  At first glance, I'm leaning toward the House of Staunton combo.  Slightly more than I wanted to pay, but the bag might be worth it.  Decisions, decisions.

Avatar of Mr_Brock

glad to help if at all

Avatar of Kingpatzer
str8static wrote:

haha i actually own a quadruple weighted marshall set that looks identical to the house of staunton set.its an amazing set. Buuuuttt i bought mine for 60 and it came with board color of my choice and a quiver. you can do like i did and create a combo... if they still do it. it has been over a year.......................

http://www.uscfsales.com/product_p/dyo-combo.htm

check it out and see how that one floats your boat


Yea, it's exactly the same except for not being natural wood pieces or a real wood board and a bag that's half the size.

Avatar of Kingpatzer
Meadmaker wrote:
str8static wrote:

Also i don't know how well that would work. If I am not mistaken, black has choice of using their pieces and board if meets USCF mearurements and isn't some crazy colors. You have to be able to tell the pieces apart and by color.... that all depends on how educated your players are on tournament rules.


 Technically true, but if they really want to use their own board, I won't stop them.  I'll just have the nice, wood, easy to use, board already set up.

 

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  At first glance, I'm leaning toward the House of Staunton combo.  Slightly more than I wanted to pay, but the bag might be worth it.  Decisions, decisions.


That's what I do and I've yet to have someone say "let's use my plastic set instead!"

Avatar of Meadmaker
AnthonyCG wrote:
daw55124 wrote:
Meadmaker wrote:
str8static wrote:

Also i don't know how well that would work. If I am not mistaken, black has choice of using their pieces and board if meets USCF mearurements and isn't some crazy colors. You have to be able to tell the pieces apart and by color.... that all depends on how educated your players are on tournament rules.


 Technically true, but if they really want to use their own board, I won't stop them.  I'll just have the nice, wood, easy to use, board already set up.

 

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.  At first glance, I'm leaning toward the House of Staunton combo.  Slightly more than I wanted to pay, but the bag might be worth it.  Decisions, decisions.


That's what I do and I've yet to have someone say "let's use my plastic set instead!"


I never knew Black got to choose... Anyway who doesn't want to play on a wooden board? You get to slide the pieces like a pro.


 It usually comes into play with the clock.  At the tournaments I go to, the director usually asks that boards get set up and left for the duration of the tournament to minimize delays between rounds, but clocks move around.  As long as your clock supports the timing mode being used for the tournament, black can insist on using his favorite clock. He also gets to decide if it is set up on the left or right side of the board.

 

I was all set to pick the House of Staunton combo, and it's not in stock.  Sigh.  I hope they haven't discontinued it.  It looks like a great deal. I also hope that when it comes back, there's an option to specify the "no logo" choice.  I would hate that logo on H1.

Avatar of RichColorado

I think you already know all the different choices that you have when it come to chess set to use in the tournament. So all of this is academic.

Avatar of Kingpatzer

I had to wait a week or two for my Staunton set, it was worth the wait for me.

 

Just saying.

 

Call them up and talk to them. They have pretty good customer service and will let you know what's going on.

Avatar of Meadmaker

I am now the proud owner, or at least proud orderer, of the House of Staunton's do it yourself combo, including Golden Rosewood pieces and a Walnut board.  It was slightly more expensive than the price point I initially set, but the good quality storage for the pieces and board was worth the extra cost, I thought.

Many thanks to those who made recommendations.

Avatar of abdulkalam

www.chessebank.com

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Avatar of abdulkalam

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Avatar of kleelof
abdulkalam wrote:

Hi all,

I am chess products seller, please visit my company facebook page for more details...www.facebook.com/chessebank

 

Can I get those with little machine guns in their hands?

Avatar of chess_jawa
kleelof wrote:
abdulkalam wrote:

Hi all,

I am chess products seller, please visit my company facebook page for more details...www.facebook.com/chessebank

 

Can I get those with little machine guns in their hands?

That would be very cool

Avatar of kleelof

Are you old enough to remember the little green army men you could buy? Those would make a pretty cool chess set.

Avatar of kleelof

 

I searched Google images and these were the only soldier chess images I could find that had machine guns. The rest were soldiers from like 200 - 300 years ago.