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I need an advice: Where to buy a good chess set?

post #1 of 21
10/17/07 at 6:12pm
Thread Starter 
I don't want to spend more than $100-150
I need classic chess set, none of those civil-war themed atrocities.
I have searched the web and could not find anything decent. Most of the sets are unattractive or cheaply made.

Any ideas?
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post #2 of 21
10/17/07 at 6:27pm
Perhaps the same place you can buy "an advice"? Maybe the Iraq, such as?
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post #3 of 21
10/17/07 at 8:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkzzzz View Post
I don't want to spend more than $100-150
I need classic chess set, none of those civil-war themed atrocities.
I have searched the web and could not find anything decent. Most of the sets are unattractive or cheaply made.

Any ideas?


You want it for actual play, or just display?

Good chess sets are extremely well made and built to withstand a pounding. But you have to buy the pieces and the boards separately, each of which can be costly.

These guys are the NYC standard: http://www.chess-shop.com/

You can also buy classic sets from the uscf's online store: www.uscf.org

The standard classic set of pieces is the Staunton style.

If you want something that's actually playable, then make sure you look for double-weighted.

But if you're looking for something that just looks really fancy or showy, then I think it really depends on what you're looking for. Chess sets are made in a huge variety of styles, by all kinds of people who have never played a game in their lives.
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post #4 of 21
10/18/07 at 12:24am
Thread Starter 
I appreciate it Sartorian.
I remember this shop in a Village. They have everything I need and at the right prices.
You right about something here: even this place sells "blind" chess boards (no letters/numbers). I am surprised, really.
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post #5 of 21
10/18/07 at 12:08pm
The Classic Ebony from the Chess Shop is probably a good choice. As would be this one from uschess (the above URL is incorrect; the main site is uschess.org).

http://uscfsales.com/item.asp?cID=10&PID=353
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post #6 of 21
10/18/07 at 9:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by grimslade View Post
The Classic Ebony from the Chess Shop is probably a good choice. As would be this one from uschess (the above URL is incorrect; the main site is uschess.org). http://uscfsales.com/item.asp?cID=10&PID=353
Oof. $120 for the pieces alone. I'm sure they're nice but that's pricey. If it was for the whole set I could see it. I'd like to find a nice wooden board set that has a drawer in the board for piece storage. Rotatable would be nice as well. Any suggestions?
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post #7 of 21
10/18/07 at 11:28pm
A chess set usually means the men, at least among people who play a lot. The board is a separate proposition. I don't think you're going to find the kind of set + board dkzzz was asking about for an all-in price of $120, esp. not rotatable. You're either going to have to lower your expectations or raise your price target. That said, you can get great double-weighted plastic sets for next to nothing. A wooden board, OTOH, is going to cost you.
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post #8 of 21
10/18/07 at 11:30pm
I'm sure something desirable could come up on eBay.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ty=MetaEndSort
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post #9 of 21
10/18/07 at 11:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LabelKing View Post
I'm sure something desirable could come up on eBay.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ty=MetaEndSort

I don't buy used chess sets. You never know where they've been.
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post #10 of 21
10/18/07 at 11:59pm
Seriously, the trouble with ebay is that it's hard to know what you're getting. Take this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/LARGE-STAUNTON-W...QQcmdZViewItem

Looks OK, comes with storage board, big pieces, etc. The pieces are too tall for their bases, he says they're weighted, but it's hard to know how much, and even at that price I'd worry about the workmanship of pieces and board alike. So you could pay $110, and get an OK deal, or it could arrive and be shite.
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post #11 of 21
10/21/07 at 9:45pm
I like the plastic pieces, frankly, and have used everything from roll-up "boards" to home-made wooden ones. Mind you, that's about playing, not displaying (which is pointless when you have toddlers )
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post #12 of 21
10/26/07 at 2:36am
I recently bought an old board and set at a sale for $1.00 It's a red and ivory plastic weighted Drueke (sp?) set. The quality of the plastic is high and the pieces are worn from use. The crosses are gone from the crowns and some of the pieces are leaning on their bases. It's really soulful. I was going to resell it but my wife fell in love with it and has it displayed on top of a bookcase.
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post #13 of 21
10/26/07 at 5:15pm
Thread Starter 
I received my chess pieces from Village Chess Shop in NYC.
They waited a week to ship it. I received 3 pieces with small cracks in the bases. The original cardboard box they came in looked like it was made before WWI and stored in a dusty basement.
All pieces are in playable condition, weighted (quite differently from one another) and felted.
Overall I would say this set is worth $40 bucks on a flee-market day from a one-eyed homeless guy.
Regardless of all that I am keeping it, as I intend to use it for violent chess-practice.
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post #14 of 21
10/26/07 at 5:40pm
That's what you get for not taking my advice!
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post #15 of 21
10/27/07 at 4:56am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dkzzzz View Post
I received my chess pieces from Village Chess Shop in NYC.
They waited a week to ship it. I received 3 pieces with small cracks in the bases. The original cardboard box they came in looked like it was made before WWI and stored in a dusty basement.
All pieces are in playable condition, weighted (quite differently from one another) and felted.
Overall I would say this set is worth $40 bucks on a flee-market day from a one-eyed homeless guy.
Regardless of all that I am keeping it, as I intend to use it for violent chess-practice.

Dkzzz,

You have a rather Ernestian turn of phrase.
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