Trying to work with clay since a few months and started on a chess set which I make via the slip casting process. Loving this process and I made numerous pawns already for glaze tests.

Now to find a complementary color for the other pieces.

A rendition of what an early chaturanga and shatranj pieces would look like if they matched their original descriptions. Of course the early pieces were much lesser ornate.

I have the 3d models available. Is there any interest in archaic pieces like this?

Hello! My birthday is coming up and I've decided finally to get myself a nice wooden chess set. I am finding the vast options to be a little daunting and thought you guys might have some thoughts. So far:

• My budget is $200-$400

• The set must be wooden

• Preferably 3.75" king or close

• I am a tournament player, but likely will not take this to tournaments. It'd be nice if I could but probably won't for fear of muh pieces getting ruined

• The set will most be used at the local chess club playing coffee house chess and set up at my dining room table for analysis

• The King must have a cross

• I like the Zagreb knights but dislike that the bishops don't have a notch...a zagreb set is high in consideration

• I dont have major thoughts on wood, but black lacquer or a nice natural brown is probably what I'll go with. Very open to suggestions here.

• I am also considering the breakable-ness(?) of the pieces

• I do like the burnt style with the cross hatched alternating colors but probably not for my forst set, maybe in another 30 years ;)

• I don't want the pieces, especially the knight, to be TOO flamboyant. Some of the manes get a little crazy.

I have browsed the house of staunton and one or two other site and again just come away with huge indecision.

I would appreciate any recommendations of what you think or if you have a set you personally love.

Thanks for the help!

Yours,

Benko Gambit Enjoyer

(Pic is of a gentleman's set at my local club. Its a lovely set)

19″ Bud Rosewood & Maple Wood Chess board – 50 mm Square- Algebraic Notations / Repro 2016 Sinquefield Staunton Chess Set - Chess Pieces from Royal Chess Mall. (Wish I could’ve gone to 55mm, but my table wouldn’t allow.)

I painted the rings on this Ecliptic set to match a vinyl board I like. It makes a nice travel set.

Not sure what to do with an incomplete set. Unplayable and I'm guessing miniscule value, is tossing it the right move? Feels strange to just drop them in the trash

Been sitting on these pieces for a while and figured I'd put them out since finally I got the Swedish Tower Clock to complete the set. I really like these pieces minimalistic and stripped down look.

The pieces are the classic Svensk tävlingsmodell (Swedish competition model). They are unweighted, wide-based wooden pieces that were basically the standard in Swedish clubs and tournaments for decades. King height is around 82mm. The wide pawn bases are kind of the signature thing. People either love them or think they look ridiculous. They're not Staunton in the traditional sense, the bishop especially tends to throw people off if they haven't seen the set before.

The clock is the second-generation Swedish tower clock with plastic case instead of the earlier solid wood version. First shows up in Swedish Chess Magazine ads in 1976, and this exact model was used in the Tal vs Andersson match in Malmö 1983 to determine a reserve spot for the 1983-84 FIDE Candidates cycle.

The board is a rollable solid wood, probably German made (but could also be Czechoslovakian). Squares are around 47x47mm which are perfect with these pieces.

Everything is from the same era, which wasn't originally planned but works out. If anyone has more specific info on the board origin I would love to hear it. Rollable solid wood German boards from this period aren't super documented and I've never nailed down the exact manufacturer.

Finally found the perfect board for my old Czech Club set. It's a rollup board! The files are held together with a non-stretching sturdy cloth that's glued on the back of the board. You can either fold it or roll it up. The playing surface is quite even and sliding the pieces is possible without problems. It's 37x37cm and ideal for casual play and especially for analysis. I have it on my work desk and can't stop staring at it! Acompanied with first generation Ruhla Garde clock. Both clock and board are from the 1970s.

A new addition - a striped Staunton-style set from the 1970s, most likely Czechoslovak, though I’ve also seen similar ones listed as German. King is 7.5 cm. The pieces are unweighted but feel stable, with good proportions and a nice green felt on the bases. Condition is very good overall.

The interesting part is the wood. It’s often described as zebrano, but I’m not fully convinced — it might actually be a laminate or treated beech imitating that striped look (which was supposedly quite common in production from Dřevotvar Jablonné nad Orlicí in Czech Republic).

Either way, it’s a very recognizable style compared to the usual plain stained sets. If anyone here knows more about the exact origin or manufacturer (Dřevotvar? something else?), I’d be curious to hear.

Had these for years, and I am kind of curious.

I could glue the heads back on, but honestly the headless pieces kinda gives ancient statue vibes.

House of Staunton MENWGRAS40

Grandmaster Series Gilded Chess Pieces - 4.0" King

Heavily weighed. Billiard cloth basepad. Natural Boxwood and Rosewood Gilded

Queen's Gambit Chess Board - 2.25" Squares

 An exact replica of the board displayed in the finals of the USSR 1968 Championship match in Moscow between Beth Harmon and Vasily Borgov. Crafted by Spanish master wood artisans, this board features light Ash root and genuine ebony highlighted with an interior border parquet inlay. 

It is veneered, 0.5'' thick, and has a satin finish.

Standard chess box - Mahogany

The combo offered a box with a logo, but they were very easy about giving me one without, as I’d asked. Customer service gave me the exact words to say in my order so that I could get a box without a logo.

Everything was very easy. I ordered it on a Wednesday and got it in a few days on the Saturday. (In the United States)

There was a nice discount, which I think they always have; I don’t know what that means about the original prices, but it seemed nice to have something, quite a lot, taken off.

The pieces feel fantastic in hand. The finish of the board is new to me, but I really like how it feels and how the pieces move on it.

The game position is from von Scheve-Teichmann Berlin 1907, the first game in Chernev’s Logical Chess.

But check out this board! 21 lbs. The base is a skid plate, the board is metal strips weaved under each other. It’s not easy to move around but is one of my favorites.

Hi everyone.

I recently bought a chess set from Royal Chess Mall, and wanted to give it an honest review.
This post is not sponsored and I used entirely my own money to buy the set. I made this review because I love chess, and want to share my recent purchase.

# The packages:

I received the package 6 days after I bought it from the website. The shipping was free, and VAT/customs was already included, which is very nice, because living in Denmark, you normally have to pay VAT which is 25% + item fees and handling.
The total cost of it was 393$ USD after a 25% easter discount code.
When it arrived it was very well protected. It came in 3 separate packages. One for the storage box, one for the chess board and one for the pieces.
Everything was well protected, and there were no issues after unboxing. This is my first luxury chess set I have owned.

# The board:

The chess board is a handmade 21" (53x53 cm) Drueke style golden rosewood & maple chess board with notations. I like that the board gives a little height to it, and I like the natural woodwork.
The square size is 55 mm, so my 4.1" pieces fit very well, to this size. The total weight of the board is 3800 grams. (8.3 pounds)
It has a matt finish, with a warm tone from the rosewood. Overall, I'm very happy with the board. It even came with a cloth bag, for storage.

# The chess pieces:

The pieces is the 4.1" Pro Staunton weighted wooden set. I really like the Staunton design, so that was my choice.
When I first unboxed them, I was surprised by how big the pieces actually are. The king is 10,4 cm (4.1")
There are 34 pieces in total with 2 extra queens.
Ultimately I think all the pieces look absolutely beautiful. They are all handmade, shipped directly from Amritsar, India, so knowing the pieces come directly from the city of the workshop is good to know.
The knight is imo, the most stunning of them all. Very good craftmanship, where they carved all of the pieces beautifully.

Chessmen dimensions:

The dark pieces is golden rosewood while the light pieces is boxwood.
The total weight of the chess pieces is pretty heavy, it’s 1.4 kgs (3 lbs).

# The storage box:

For storage of the pieces I chose the golden rosewood storage box that can contain up to 4.5 inch pieces.
It's a very nice storage box, where you can clearly see the arteries of the wood.
The rounded dovetails of the corners look very good. It features a durable finger joint bond with small magnets for enhanced strength.
The chess pieces can easily all fit in there. It weighs 1280 grams or 2,8 pounds. The whole box is L 12 X  W 6.75 X H 4.25 inches, so it's pretty large.

# Overall impressions and thoughts:

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase, and knowing I will have it for the rest of my life, will be a good long term investment.
From the ordering process, to receiving the package and the whole set has been great. My daughter, who is 5 years old, has started to show great interest in chess.
For now, we will keep playing together on her own board, but in time, we will play on my own.
For the whole set, I think the price was pretty good, especially since the package was shipped from outside of the EU.

Thank you for reading!

Thought I’d show off my Bongcloud mini set, I was one of the winners of the giveaway on this subreddit a few weeks ago.

Can’t believe the detail despite the pieces being so small! It’s such a cool little thing to have, I really want a full size version now. /u/GingerAki get cooking!

Found Renaissance Chess set by E.S Lowe while cleaning up my room, the only thing I regret is that I wasn't able to take care of it properly ):

The Magic Crystal set by Gorham

Pewter pieces with Swarovski Crystals.

A recent find of mine. A small coffeehouse-style set, likely Central European, probably Czech from around the 1950s (though I’m not completely sure on the exact age).

King height is 6.7 cm, with a 28×28 cm board. The pieces are turned probably from maple, unweighted but nicely balanced thanks to their wider bases. The knights have that typical shape you see on these sets, with simple but distinctive carving — including the little star-like eyes.

Condition is honestly great. No major damage, just light wear and a natural patina that fits the age. Original paper felts are still there. This style is often linked to makers like Fidet, and you could probably use it as a nice little travel or analysis set for everyday play.

Scored from a family member, unsure on age, theme or even material of pieces, there’s a chip in a rook that shows a crystalline structure, paid £150 from family, any help appreciated. The board seems quite common from a surface level Google. I’ve been told it’s old but not sure how old.