What's your ideal chess set?

Is it just me or do they look like the battle droids from Star Wars?

I'm not a fan of those ones really, although the Lord of the Rings one looked good! I suppose I'm a bit of a purist haha

I just saw it for the first time 2 days ago. I fell in love. Its 13 thow. That's my new way of typing thousand. Its on uschess.orgs site. It real woolly mammoth ivory. How old you ask? 40 thow. The pieces are normal looking but heavy (no weights, just naturally). The king is 4.4 inches with 2 inch base. The black pieces are dyed.

i found the link MrDamonSmith i had to see what wooly mammoth pieces look like

http://en.chessbase.com/home/TabId/211/PostId/4006739

philtheking1981 if you can take a picture of your uncles set or post a link if you see one like it online i'd like to see it, it sounds beautiful

Cheers!

I think the Columbia Chess set at http://www.chessusa.com/product/EBONY_CHESS_PIECES/23-V07.html that is available from several on-line chess stores is one of the most beautiful sets on the market. Ebony/boxwood and not cheap at around $400 it is the set of a lifetime.

Will do 205, I'll keep you posted Love the woolly mammoth set!

I love how elegant those pieces are Montague, really well crafted!

Just had a wild idea about engraving the chess coordinates on my board! Will certainly make it a bit more personal to me, as well as providing extra practicality. I still can't really visualise individual coordinates in my head yet, so it would certainly make it easier for studying and replicating previous games I've recorded!

The set that you developed it looks ideal for blind persons. Although you would have to change the feel for the Black pieces and pawns, as they would have to touch them and recognized them. Think about it.

I have the most beautiful chess set (in my opinion). Of Chinese heritage with each pawn being a different person (all easily identifiable as pawns). One is a woman with flowers, one is a drunkard, there's a fisherman, a scholar, a simpleton, etc...

The most important thing I find in a chess set is to be very easily able to identify what a piece is at a glance. Some chess sets make it quite difficult to differentiate.

I just like the the classic Jaques of London Staunton designs. I have those medium price 1890 pieces, not one of those limited editions.

http://www.jaqueslondon.co.uk/jaques-quality-chess-set.html

No frills yet just the right amount of understated elegance, aesthetics and perfect usability. Any King higher that 3 1/2" or 3 3/4 is too big and clunky a set for my taste, plus the boards get very big beyond 2 1/8 squares.

Of course it is all a matter of personal preference.

Ideal Chess set:

@waynet - That sounds awesome! I totally agree about the pieces being familiar at a quick glance as well...

@TomHaegin - Those pieces are beautiful. I prefer the more 'classical' designs as well. 3 1/2 is big enough for me too, in fact the King on my set only measures 2 1/2". Suits me perfectly!

@varelse - Wow! Where can I get that set from? Does she come with it too?

varelse1 wins... 

@varelse1 - How on earth has one of blacks pawns ended up in its back rank? Not to mention the very exposed King and what appears to be a drunken white pawn on e4 hehe

And now that you mention it, why is h8 a light square??

Does this gal know anything about chess????

Apparently she's eager to get mated.

@varelse - It appears not, we should teach her the arts!

@unique1234567890 I think she's eager to get mated too, would need to check first though... :p

I just saw this one!

http://www.tripleclicks.com/13208254/detail.php?item=226731

Definitely my old Soviet set. Beat up as all get out, with knights that resemble war dogs more than horses, but it's still beautiful. Many a game played with this in cramped train cars and over at tiny Soviet-era apartments. Played many many years before I owned it, and I'm bound to spend a lifetime with it I hope :) 

in the church basement they like it to be cheap