Any Recommendations On Quality Chess Sets?

1. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

   I've finally decided on a gift for my oldest son. He noticed that I'm selling an old chess set in a yard sale and made a comment. He's in his late 20's, likes medieval history/fantasy.  I was thinking about a nice set with medieval figures. Or should I stick with a more traditional set? I've checked out some of the chess hubs also and saw glass sets? 
   Anyone play on these?  Thanks!

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   1. 66

      chessmkr1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Hello There,
      
      Glass, stone, marble....they will all break if you drop the pieces.  There are many 'resin' sets out there too that will give you lots of detail in the pieces for not much investment.
      
      I think wood is the best piece material.  There's a guy who hand carves custom themed sets on demand in any size.  His website is  http://www.yessy.com/jimarnold and he is THE best by far!  His sets cost a little more then all of the mass produced plastic out there, but there is nothing like them anywhere.

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2. 82

   Shadesbreathposted 12 years ago

   I have this one and it's awesome.  Totally kicks ass.  And the company has several others you can look at.  I love mine.  Everyone I play against wants to be the "bad guys" because the skeleton army (bottom row) is awesome.  (People actually want to TRY chess because of how cool my pieces are.)
   
   http://www.1st-chess-sets.com/productvi … ess-Pieces

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3. 74

   Cagsilposted 12 years ago

   Hey Rebekah,
   
   I'm sure not on a particular brand name of Chess set, but I have several boards myself. I guess it matters if he is really into the game.
   
   My cousin, while in the military, shipped a pure marble Chess set to me for Christmas one year. The Chess board and pieces weighed 16 pounds(including checker pieces). Each piece had felt on the bottom, stamped with the company logo and made in Italy. I can imagine it cost a pretty penny.
   
   My father passed and I still have his board. Which is made out of Roman figurines, but plastic. About $10 board. Still in good shape after 20+ years.
   
   Then, I have a 3-Dimensional Star Trek Chess board. Which was bought for me as a gift from my Mother.
   
   You can spend anywhere between $10 and up. My marble one was estimated about $1700.00. Your choice. I would gauge his interests first.

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4. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

   that is awesome. what does the board look like?

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   1. 82

      Shadesbreathposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It doesn't come with a board.  I built my own; it's a lovely wooden thing.  But any decent size board will do fine.  If you really want to see it, I'll go take a pic and post it.  It's all set up and we keep it on display.  The pieces are that cool.

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5. 85

   rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

   cags, that's special that you still have your father's board.  my son loves chess and when I heard him make the comment about selling the old set we had, I started thinking a nice set might be perfect. Something he can keep set up for display.
   
   the onyx and marble sets looks nice also. I want it to be special. He's a brand new newly-wed and they have their first home.. something nice.

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   1. 74

      Cagsilposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I am partial to the Marble and Glass boards. I like the style of the pieces, usually just traditional pieces. Good luck on finding him one.

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      1. 85

         rebekahELLEposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         thanks cags. I'm sure I'll have fun trying to make the best choice. I just saw a beautiful hand polished green and black marble set on shades link.
         
         somewayouttahere, important considerations for sure. especially how it feels in your hand.
         
         shades, that looks really nice. someone betting on a game?
         I looked at some of those other sets on the link. they're really nice. those 3-D boards are kind of cool.

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6. 61

   SomewayOuttaHereposted 12 years ago

   ...i bought a nice wooden set...for me...it's the feel of the pieces in my fingers....that's how i picked it out...how did it feel when i picked up different pieces and then i picked out the board....i also went for something that i'd like for years....

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7. 82

   Shadesbreathposted 12 years ago

   Here, for a frame of reference size-wise:
   
   

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8. 82

   Shadesbreathposted 12 years ago

   Bottom line, keep it simple.  The game really doesn't need much help.  A beautiful set is great, but the game is amazing all by itself, so you can really not go wrong. I'm not sure too much gimicky stuff helps.  A simple elegant set of really high quality is better than anything some company tried to add to the game in a recent century.  Good luck finding the right one; it will be fun for you to shop, and he'll love whatever you get.

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9. 82

   Shadesbreathposted 12 years ago

   HEY CAGS... U still around?

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   1. 74

      Cagsilposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I've been posting haven't I? Am I still around? What a silly question? Especially since I told you I would be around(maybe), just like your(maybe) of doing an INSTANT Hub Challenge?

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         Shadesbreathposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Hell yeah.  Let's do it.  You wanna start the thread or shall I?

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         1. 74

            Cagsilposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            You start it. This way you decide the rules.
            
            @Rebekah, he'll love whatever you decide on.

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10. 85

    rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

    thanks guys for your input. I am excited to find the right one. when they were younger, they always had their mile long lists, now it's a bit harder to pick the right gift.
    
    here's a great hub I found while searching the site.
    http://hubpages.com/hub/Gifts-for-the-G … Chess-Sets

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11. 95

    wildernessposted 12 years ago

    Not much help for the OP, but when I was in high school one of the shop class students built his own set.  Designed the pieces and turned them on a lathe and built a table with drawers for the pieces.  It took him all year for the set and table.
    
    What really made it unique was that the pieces were turned from 2" steel rod.  King was about 8" high as I recall and weighed several pounds.  One set was finished with clear sealer and the other with gun bluing.  Beautiful
    
    The table was nearly 3" across and it took two people to pick it up when loaded with the pieces.

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12. 85

    rebekahELLEposted 12 years ago

    where can I find nice onyx or marble sets without ordering online? I'm afraid pieces will break in the christmas rush.

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    1. 59

       Mark Bronzeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       The very best style in my opinion is a set with Staunton pieces which are traditional. The other important consideration is the height of the set which is usually governed by the King height. 4 inch high king is good. The board squares should be 2 inches each. I have many sets but in my opinion a serious player will want a Staunton style set.

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       1. 85

          rebekahELLEposted 12 years agoin reply to this

          the set I am looking at is a Staunton set with traditional pieces. They have beautiful sets, but I still have to decide if I should buy wood or onyx. I'm leaning now towards the wood set but the marble set is beautiful. I have to make the decision today.

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          1. 59

             Mark Bronzeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

             Wood...beautiful....try to get triple weighted pieces.

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             1. 85

                rebekahELLEposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                I ordered a beautiful wood set a few hours ago on Amazon, and I just received a message saying it's already shipped out.  that's fast. I'll get it on Friday. 
                
                thanks guys for the advice. I appreciate the help.

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13. 0

    gamergirlPSposted 12 years ago

    I was i at Hamleys this christmas. They have some really good chess sets.

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14. 60

    Anthea Carsonposted 12 years ago

    Hello, I wrote a hub called regulation chess sets, you can check that out for some answers if you like. Bottom line is, when choosing a set keep in mind, if you are planning to play chess tournaments, you do need to use regulation chess sets.

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15. 0

    Raphael Dipippoposted 6 years ago

    The local games dealer

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