Originally posted by powershakerThat chess set you have sounds really nice. I also have a georgeous chess set. Marble, with hand-carved peices, and the board is really a work of art. Red-ish marble for black, and white marble for white, with a border about 2 inches thick of white marble. I paid $150 for it.
I prefer the chess set that I own - The Cambridge Staunton set from Checkmate INternational! Triple weighted, leather bottoms, smooth silky wood gloss. Vintage ebony and boxwood. Ask for Cindy. lol I don't even play with the set, but I love to hold the knight every now and then just for the feeling. LOL My playing set is a tournament set, quad weight ...[text shortened]... you imagine that type of thing ever happening in our time? No! Where did the good old days go?
I visited Costa Rica once, and came home with $200 worth of board and hand carved wooden pieces. As an 18 year old just out of high school, this was most of my savings and well worth it. Since they were stolen right out of my dorm room the following year, I have not paid more than $30 for a set, and quite a shame it is.
Originally posted by buddy2I completely agree that cartoon character chess boards/pieces and the like are completely ridiculous. I once saw a Disney one, and it was stupid. Mickey Mouses were the pawns for black, and Miney Mouses were the pawns for white. Egh!!
Good old Staunton, well-detailed is the best. I've yet to see a good chessplayer have a weird set. Sets I find particularly distasteful are ones that have politicians, generals, and cartoon characters for pieces.
I have my travel set, which is plastic with the 'mouse pad' style rollup board, but my home set is pretty large (king is almost 5 inches tall).
I am not sure how to insert HTML here, but some pictures (if I can get it right) are here:
http://www.geocities.com/tippedking123/mvc-013f.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/tippedking123/mvc-016f.jpg
http://www.geocities.com/tippedking123/mvc-018f.jpg
The pieces are boxwood and red sandalwood, made in India (like most sets these days). The board is a one of a kind made by one of the guy's dads where I work.
Oh, the tape measure in the pictures is in inches.
If I dared to dream I would love to have a true ivory and ebony set, but those are so terribly expensive, even for the legal (fossilized) ivory, that I probably won't ever get one.
Originally posted by WulebgrI also have the Reykjavik II, with a large Dreuke board. I'd like to upgrade to one of those nice granite boards that wholesale chess is now carrying for around 6-700 US$..but I'll keep the pieces. Mine are Rosewood by the way.
yep
The USCF no longer carries the wood board that I have, and I don't know who does. It was made in Spain, has beveled edges (rather than the more common square), and the playing area is surrounded by an inlaid strip of wood.
Originally posted by BLReidYes wholsale chess is an excellent site!
I also have the Reykjavik II, with a large Dreuke board. I'd like to upgrade to one of those nice granite boards that wholesale chess is now carrying for around 6-700 US$..but I'll keep the pieces. Mine are Rosewood by the way.
Originally posted by pythagorasSometimes, they go too far though. I mean, what about the Mickey Mouse chess set? Can you imagine having Minnie as your Queen? That's a little too mousy for me! *smile*
I concur that is is easier to play with black and white wooden peices or plastic tournament-style peices, but I still love unusual chess sets!
The most beautiful chess set I ever saw belongs to my step father. He bought it at an auction in London for about $1500 about 15 years ago. I thought he was crazy but time has proved me wrong. It's a Staunton set (enormous king, 4 1/2 inch at least) made at the John Jacques factory about 1851 or 1852. The king's rook and knight have little red crowns on top to distinguish them from their queenside counterparts, and it says Jacques around the base. All the pieces are, of course, lead-filled and super heavy. He also has the board to match.
You all know the design, but I have never seen a set that comes close. The really expensive modern Jacques sets are just plain ugly compared to this one. Don't know why but they are.
Pure simplicity that cannot be matched.