Recommend a chess set

Thanks for the link and the eBay recommendation.

Looks like I may have to up my price in order to reach for the solid ebony pieces.

Thanks again

I bought a nice set for myself 14 years ago, and it never leaves my apt.

I'd recommend a Drueke board in the right size for your chess set.  Mine still looks new and I only wipe it with lemon oil now and then.

House of Staunton makes great sets, look closely at the Knight, the more expensive sets have better, more detailed carved knights.  I went with lacquered, and I now think that was a mistake.  They show dust very badly, and the non-lacquered can be cleaned more easily with the same lemon oil I use on my board.  I still intend to eventually replace them.  Oh, one of my knights arrived chipped, and House of Staunton replaced it quickly.  Good to buy from a good outfit.

I get my stuff from Uscf sales.com

I went to Home Depot and bought a large piece of thick plywood and shaped and spray painted it with a lacquered finish. Regulation size squares are 2"x2".

This option will save you around a $100 for a chess board.

Yea but you need to make the pieces really good so you kno which one is which, but that's a pretty good idea

And how much time will it save me.
If I charge 50 bucks an hour it can only take me two hours to do the job assuming I would lose cost for materials.
So in order to come out ahead I coudl not spend more than an hour and a half on the entire thing including the trip to HD.
On top of that after the work is completed it will never look as good as a professionally made board for 150 or so.

By the way I love that Chernev book.

This is my set (sorry for the bad pictures :P), which was €180ish from a dutch producer (www.schaakkwaliteit.nl I think it was). I'm not sure if I like the board with the set that much though, the black pieces require a fair bit of lighting.

Wow, it cost 180 sea horses.

Greenmtnboy wrote:

If you get a great set in the wrong way you will never properly appreciate it.  I would go slow, and stay with basic plastic sets until you find the right quality one.  Who are you going to play with it on? Or is it just going to be for display?

In message no 14 I said I wanted to put it in my livingroom and play with friends.

I really don't understand why I have to keep defendin my desicion in buying a chess set.

Im not looking for a financial advice, just a recommendation on a chess set.

I'm speaking in general, don't take it personally Greenmtnboy.

By the way I think I'm going with a 300 dollar ebony set.

I'm sure this will shock all the platic chess users and those insiting all good chess players have well used vinyl sets but as I said, my money, my desicion. Don't see why I have to defend that.

It's as if people who have money to spend are frowned upon.

No I'm not looking for a chess set and somehow thinking with it come 400 elo points.

Thanks for everyones suggestions that were productive and and genuine and were not just trying to get me to do what they want me to do or what they would do themselves. Appreciate your help.

Don't worry mate, I think lots of us here have ornamental sets, no need to defend your purchase.

I think, as an object, chess sets are beautiful things. I know people who don't play at all that have them as display items, nothing wrong with that. 

Absolutely. I own a nice metal set, a marble set, and a wooden set in addition to a couple of tournament sets, and cheap tournament sets I use to teach kids with.

I wanted a Zagreb style set for years, partly because I'd seen Fischer pictures using what looked like one, and for the Knights and the styling I think of as European (with the tips of the Bishops, Kings, and Queens of a different color -- i.e. dark on the light pieces and vice versa). I finally indulged in one this Christmas that I'm very pleased with from House of Staunton (although I think it shipped from US Chess) with a nice wooden box for just under $200. The pieces are natural boxwood and golden rosewood. Even my wife likes this one on display.

I got an ebony (or maybe it's just painted black) set a few years ago that has thick leather padding on the bottom instead of the usual felt. I've always been surprised how much I enjoy that little feature.

Regret. It's a beyatch.

Aperture, it took me about 4 hours to make a chess board. The board looks fairly decent.

I do understand your point though. If you are ever in New york city head down to Greenwich village. There are two chess shops on Thompson street with an assortment of very expensive sets. You can also pick up a game in these shops. Good luck!

I like the Isle of Lewis set but for display only. If you want a set to play with it would have to be Staunton. Which one you choose would be a matter of personal taste. 

I did the same thing with a scrap piece of plywood I had in my garage.  I cut 2" squares into the board using a Dremel tool and a pointed bit.  Instead of painting the squares I used the darkest ebony stain I could find. 

 The chess set I got to use on this board was just a cheap but decent double weighted set with 3" kings.  It's nothing fancy but not bad for an old piece of plywood.

how about you make your own chess set?  I have a book with 10 different scrollsaw chess sets and simple instructions for making a board.

There has been some speculation that the Isle of Lewis chessmen were not really chess pieces at all, since no one complete set was ever found.  The speculation is that they were just children's toys and it was assumed by whoever found them that they were chess pieces.  However, we all know that chess was played in that part of the world for a long time, so there's no good reason to believe that they couldn't possibly be chess pieces either.

When I was there many of the pieces were on loan to another museum. Still, I took a photo of those on display.