an ordinary chessplayer wrote on 12/01/18 at 18:01:45:

I tried that, but their website seemed less well organized than The Chess Store, which was very easy to use. I'm lazy.

Quote:

That was the first place I went, but I didn't find anything that looked comparable in quality to the ones on The Chess Store. I just checked again and searched for these explicit SKUs. I did find a couple that were slightly cheaper, but with shipping costs. The Chess Store doesn't charge for shipping for orders over $75.

ReneDescartes wrote on 12/01/18 at 17:23:30:


I didn't find a German Knight set that meets those specs. Here's a more complete list. 

  SKU    Price  King Hgt  King Base  King Wt   Square     Board          Style
SGB275WP  $139    2.75"     1.125"    1.5 oz    1.50"  14 x 14 x 0.500  German Knight
FSB275WP  $159    2.75"     1.250"    1.5 oz    1.50"  14 x 14 x 0.500  French Lardy
SGB325WP  $169    3.25"     1.250"    2.0 oz    1.75"  17 x 17 x 0.500  German Knight
FKB300WP  $206    3.00"     1.375"    1.8 oz    1.75"  17 x 17 x 0.500  Fierce Knight
SGB375WP  $209    3.75"     1.375"    2.5 oz    2.00"  19 x 19 x 0.625  German Knight
DJB325WP  $209    3.25"     1.375"    1.6 oz    1.75"  17 x 17 x 0.500  Deluxe Old Club
DJE375WP  $209    3.25"     1.625"    2.5 oz    2.25"  21 x 21 x 0.625  Deluxe Old Club
NEB300WP  $219    3.00"     1.375"    1.8 oz    1.75"  17 x 17 x 0.500  New Exclusive
DJB375WP  $224    3.75"     1.625"    2.5 oz    2.25"  21 x 21 x 0.625  Deluxe Old Club
 

The last one is the only one that meets your specs, but the style is something called Deluxe Old Club. What's that?

I am a little concerned about the board size. 21 x 21 seems a little large for a kid's bedroom, no? But it would be an impressive set. 

I'm willing to go up to $224 for DJB375WP if it's really worth it, but I am inclined to go with SGB325WP or SGB375WP mainly for the size (not the price).

Of the ones listed, which would you (or anyone else) choose for a 13 year old kid?

Nice job on the "table". As someone who uses plain text wherever possible, I can relate.

Making a table with BBCode
https://www.bbcode.org/examples/?id=14

an ordinary chessplayer wrote on 12/01/18 at 16:57:37:


OK, I think that settles it. Black pieces and brown squares it is.

Now what about size? These are the sizes they have, I couldn't get the table controls to work, so I'm using the code controls.

  SKU    Price  King Hgt  King Base  King Wt   Square     Board          Style
SGB275MP  $139    2.75"     1.125"    1.5 oz    1.50"  14 x 14 x 0.5  German Knight
FSB275WP  $159    2.75"     1.25"     1.5 oz    1.50"  14 x 14 x 0.5  French Lardy
SGB325WP  $169    3.25"     1.25      2.0 oz    1.75"  17 x 17 x 0.5  German Knight
 

The rest are more than $200, which I think is too much for a kid. I am inclined to go with the last one.

Comments?

Insufficient contrast between the dark pieces and the dark squares is a real problem. This is not about personal preference, it is about vision.

mangler wrote on 12/01/18 at 15:11:49:


Ok, but let's make it clear that that is a reflection of your personal taste. It's in no way a convention among chess players the way sizes and not having Bart Simpsons as bishops are. Contrast is generally recommended. If anything is standard, walnut is (though I personally have a different preference). She should get what she thinks her son would like. 

About the size--a board with 2.25 inch squares measures 8×2.25 = 18 inches, plus borders--probably 21 inches. A 14 inch board cannot house normally-sized pieces. See the article in my first post, which illustrates with pictures.

I'll toss my 2 cents in. I think brown pieces look best on a board with brown dark squares, and black pieces look best on a board with ebony dark squares. Regarding size, I would strongly recommend the larger size. I used my wood set in my bedroom at a similar age, just sitting on my bed. Had plenty of room, and still have the board 35+ years later. (I had given the pieces to my best friend after 10 years of use). It was the French Lardy design. At that age, I was always extra careful to take care/protect the set and board.

It is a very thoughtful gift for your grandson, and let us know how it all turns out.

an ordinary chessplayer wrote on 12/01/18 at 05:35:09:


I think he is a member or at least he used to be. So I'll check that out. Thanks