Nitendo Shogi Japanese Chess folding board set shougi shōgi

It is a nice board. Not exactly smooth to the touch; maybe it needs more coating or maybe shogi boards aren't supposed to be smooth? But overall, it fits the pieces well, it folds away nicely for transport, and it provides a good solid surface. For the price, you can't beat it; the only better option is to get a real, thick board with the legs! At least this is made in Japan and is authentic.

Living in the US, Shogi boards are hard to come by without spending a ton on expensive, imported boards from Japan. I’ve been getting into the game recently and the lack of good online interfaces to play with led me to get my own board in order to play along and assist my self-study. I don’t have a ton of space in my apartment/room and I move around frequently so I was looking for a board that was lightweight and portable while retaining an authentic feel i.e., not plastic or magnetic. I settled on this board due to it being wooden, foldable, and less than $50. The idea being, while I'm still new to the game, I don't want to break the bank on a really expensive board. (I made this mistake when I got into Chess a while ago and really regretted getting a nice set right away when I was bad at the game) If you're not in this situation and just want a quality board, you can do better than this board. The board itself is solidly made with a decent finish. The line work is consistent and slightly raised giving it a good, authentic texture. The wood grain is subtle and doesn't distract while also giving it a classier feel compared to a solid color plastic board. My only gripe is that the hinges located on the underside of the board are not flush with the rest of the board, thus creating a raised crease along the middle and slopes slightly upwards (reminds of how roads are sloped so that water runs off to the sides) but overall it's really not that bad. You can mitigate this effect by placing it on a softer surface like a dish drying mat and then press along the crease. Do note that in the attached picture, I have it oriented so that the crease is vertical, however, you'll probably want it so that it's horizontal and doesn't interfere with initial piece placement. The MacBook in the background is a 15" which should give you some idea of the scale. It fits quite nicely on the side of my desk. Also, the pieces in the picture **DO NOT** come with the board, please do not be misled by their inclusion here. I put them there to show what this board looks like with actual pieces on it. The pieces are from this set that I bought at the same time as this board and are great quality for a cheap price. Visit the link to see my review for those as well. Overall, this board seems best suited for someone who is new to the game and looking for a quality board for self-study that is both lightweight and portable. If you do not need lightweight portability, I highly recommend going for this board instead which is a full size set with pieces. That set is only $40 compared to the $50 I spent on this board plus the cheapest wooden pieces available. If space/portability wasn't a priority for me, I'd definitely go for the other set I linked. TL;DR Pros: - Solidly made wood with no imperfections and nice, subtle grain/color - Great, consistent line work - Lightweight and portable - Authentic feel Cons: - Doesn't lie completely flat due to hinges at bottom - Hinges are metal and can scratch underlying surfaces - Expensive given that you have to buy a set of pieces separately Overall: This is a great starter board and is mostly intended for people who wish to study and practice the game or play on the move. However, if you're looking for a quality board that is primarily for home use, then look at this board instead.

Nintendo has been making board games long before they made video games, and they're masters in their art. The proof is in the craft. This is a really good shogi board.

Good deal.

beautiful and simple wooden board which folds down the middle. lines are all parallel and regular (to the eye). the wood is solid and flat, the only minor issue being that there is an indent of about 1-2mm when the board unfolds. barely noticeable and to be expected with a folding board, but not detrimental to the product as a whole.

Very solidly built, feels like it will last a while. The listing doesn't say that it comes with pieces, though I was under the impression it does, since it says 'set'. It's just the board. Not sure why it folds, either, since there's no hollow space in the middle to hold pieces.

I purchased this product to look for a nice board to travel with that wouldn't be to expensive in case of breakage or drops. The board has a standard particle board feel to it with what looks like veneer on the back. The squares are a good size for standard Shogi pieces, and the joint on the back does not raise the board too much to cause any noticeable issues while playing on it. The main problem with this board is that the top is painted over with a wood color that has a very gritty feel to it. Pieces do not easily slide or move around the board, but rather slightly scrape it. It is very easy to scratch the paint and it makes a noticeable scratch just by scratching it with the corner of a playing piece. The two sides of the board are also slight bowed, giving a small arch that may have been used to help even out the board on a table. I think for a cheap board, this board gets the job done, but the price point is a tad bit high for the grittiness of the surface. I would have preferred if the top was not painted, or instead lacquered with some coating to let the pieces slide a bit better. In short, it's a fine board for a cheap set, but nothing special for the price.

The board is of perfect quality. It makes that nice snap sound (everyone fancies this while playing shogi!) when moving the pieces. Fully recommending this one!