Quadruple Weight Tournament Natural Chess Set with Black Board

Having recently retired, I recently began playing chess again after a 40+ year hiatus, and wanted a board to take travelling and to use outside on a deck or perhaps a picnic table while camping. After much research I chose this set (the XL quad-weighted set), based partly on the positive reviews here. It arrived in just a couple of days. This is every bit the excellent set other reviewers claim it to be. The plastic chess pieces are BIG, well-weighted, felted and molded in very pleasing detail. They are plastic but do not feel plasticky at all. The seams are very subtle, and the pieces, while plastic, feel like substantial, quality pieces in my hand. The white pieces are not white but rather a creamy ivory that is perfect for the white pieces as opposed to a stark and sterile pure white. Each set has its own drawstring pouch for storage. A serviceable little booklet on the fundamentals chess concepts/strategy is included, as well as a curious bag of crafter's googly eyes, which might be nice for kids but I wouldn't mess with the already nice presentation of the pieces by making them goofy. But that's just me. The silicon board (mat) is big, and is reversible (black/white and green/white) - a nice touch - and easy to roll up and store for travel. There are some folds and pinches in the surface that are obvious results of folding the material to fit the smallish box, which I wouldn't recommend, especially for any long period if time. I am currently laying the board flat with some weight on top to try to reduce the blemishes; if this doesn't work I will contact the seller to request a replacement of the mat. The manufacturer seems to already be aware of the potential for this sort of packaging-induced flaw, and does offer explicitly on a card included with the set to make right on any such flaws in the board and also the pieces. As this is my only gripe about the set, I am comfortable reviewing this as 5 stars given the excellent product and good customer service promise. It really IS worth every cent for the overall quality of the set (a much higher quality than my shaky chess game skills right now!). A recommendation to make excellent even better: A larger box or ideally, a tube, to contain the set without having to fold the board. Stuffing all this goodness repeatedly into a small box may eventually compromise the pieces and will compromise the mat. I picked up a $4 UPS 24" mailing tube to store the mat, and may later pick up a more robust plastic poster tube with shoulder strap for about $15. So many chess sets on Amazon, but for a quality outdoor-friendly and waterproof set with pieces you'd be proud to display on ANY board, you won't find as good or better at this price point. Well done, Gaylen Pyle, creator of the set! (and yes, I AM reading that serviceable little manual/strategy guide!). UPDATE: As expected, the seller was quick to process a replacement board, since some of the dings in the silicon mat didn't smooth out. I emailed their warranty people and all they needed was my order info and address and a few pics of the board. Then they promptly emailed me back to let me know my replacement is being shipped, directly from the manufacturer. The new mat was free of pinches or creases and shipped in a tube. Customer service the way it is supposed to be done. Great product, great service.

On son's birthday, and the whole family enjoy every day. Great quality...!

Compré un primer set de otra marca que me costó 400 pesos y tenía 5 estrellas en promedio. Estaba muy bien y ligero para viaje, pero... Para los aficionados al ajedrez que han jugado antes con buenos tableros: Este set de piezas pesa 800 gramos por color!, es decir 1.6 kilos todas las piezas (sin el tablero)! Esto significa que -Las piezas no se caen por el viento. -Las piezas no las puedes tirar sin querer con un mal movimiento. -Las piezas no quedan inclinadas si el tablero está arrugado. -Da la sensación de jugar con piezas profesionales, aunque sean de plástico. Uno agarra la piezas y da gusto! El tablero es de silicona, nunca había tenido yo uno. Sirve muy bien porque se arruga menos que el vinil y es más fácil que esté liso. Como mencionaron otras personas el material atrae un poco el polvo, pareciera ligeramente pegajoso aunque no lo es, no sé cómo describirlo. Al final no me importa, le doy un trapazo ante o después y queda como nuevo, y por la silicona me ahorro las arrugas y los puedes doblar dejarlo muyy pequeño y no pasa nada. El tablero tiene dos lados, uno negro y blanco otro verde y blanco. El tablero es tamaño profesional. En resumen: Que estuvo investigando tableros y piezas que se sintieron profesionales y este fue el más pesado que encontré y creemos que fue una grandísima compra. - Si eres principiante y nunca has tenido un tablero quizá quieras ahorrarte unos pesos y gastarte la mitad. - Si eres aficionado como yo, entonces esta es una compra segura para un ajedrez que durará muchísimos años. Te fue útil la info?

The actual pieces are great. Nice design, size, and weight - albeit plasticky. Satisfying to handle. The rubbery board is fine; what you lose in flatness you gain in portability. Reasonable value on sale at $50. The box and bags have silly slogans in giant text on them Not my style at all. Especially for a portable set that other people are going to see. I found a replacement neutral box, and I'm looking for replacement bags. Hard to get the right size. The bags supplied are of a thin synthetic fabric. Cotton bags would be nicer. That the "best chess set ever" has such obvious room for improvement is ... a weak move.

I received my Chess set with two sets of white pieces.