dfan wrote on 12/01/18 at 02:07:38:

Thanks for that information.

I think I will go with one of the German Knight Staunton sets at The Chess Store. One has black pieces and one has brown. Personally, I prefer the look of the brown pieces, but are the black more traditional?

It's so hard to give concrete advice, because it's all a question of taste and budget. But I will give my experience and you can maybe get some ideas. When I was 15 yo, my sister gifted a set and board -- a Lardy set from the Nice 1974 Olympics, and a handmade chess table. I loved the set and still have it. I did not love the table, partly because the squares were too small for the set, and partly because it was too awkward to use. It's a shame, because I suspect she actually spent more on the board than on the set. When I used the set, whether at home or in tournaments, I simply used a rollup board. Later I preferred a plastic set for tournaments, because I didn't have to worry about theft, or losing a pawn. I'm pretty sure I never, ever played a blitz game with the Lardy set.

Wooden sets used to be rare at tournaments. I remember a couple of ex-Russians who had beat-up pieces in what I assumed was a traditional Russian style. I rather liked using those sets. They also went with rollup boards. And there was one club player who carried an immense wooden board in a felt bag, to go with his expensive set in a padded wooden case. It took him a good five minutes to get set up for a game. His set never made any impression on me, but I am sure he was happy with it.

P.S. The Preview button is an arrow on the far left, just below the post header.

P.P.S. Mark and Quote is for quoting only a portion of a post. But for me it only works on the desktop. On mobile I use Quote, then delete the unwanted parts.

Those are all just slightly different designs of the pieces. You can see them a little bit more side by side at https://thechessstore.com/staunton-wood-chess-pieces/. It's really just a matter of taste. For example, I like the French Lardy more than the Fierce Knight, but that's just because I'm more used to its proportions (the pieces are a bit stockier). They're all perfectly reasonable. The German Knight set has less detail, and that shows in the price, but that may actually be a good thing for a starter wood set.

A typical full-size tournament board will have squares that are 2 to 2.25 inches wide, which probably means a king height of 3.5 inches or more. Of course there is nothing wrong with smaller sets, but they will feel more like something to analyze with than something to go to battle with. But even a smaller wood set and board feels special compared to vinyl and plastic.

As CanadianClub said, it's probably a good idea to get a combo like this so you know for sure that all the sizes match.

CanadianClub wrote on 11/26/18 at 15:34:15:

Good idea

Quote:

That's good to know. I had been looking at some "theme" sets like one Happy Potter set. He is a 13 year old kid. But standard is still probably better. He won't be a kid for long.

Quote:

Great. I like that better than plastic.

Thanks

PS: Is there no way to preview my post to make sure I didn't screw up the quotes? (As I did with this one.)

PPS: What's the difference between "Quote" and "Mark & Quote"?

tipau wrote on 11/26/18 at 14:36:17:


It's beautiful, tipau. The board with rounded corners is awesome.

To Mrs Moore, I would say that if she does not know too much about sizes of boards and king sizes... maybe it's better to buy a set that has both things sold together, like:

https://www.wholesalechess.com/shop/chess-sets/wood-chess-sets/american-staunton...

And the more excentric the pieces are the less attractive to a chess player. To really play with the pieces & board, important to see the word "Staunton" in the pieces. Extrange looking pieces are OK for a museum, but to study a game... not really. I say this because I know someone who was gift with a baroque chessmen set and he had to return back to the store to get a "normal" staunton set.

PD: A wooden chess set is always a good gift to a chess player

My grandson who is something of a chess prodigy is about to turn 13. His dad says that he would like a nice chess set for his room. He has several portable or traveling sets, but this would be something nicer.

Can anyone recommend a set or a source? I'd be willing to spend at least $100 and maybe as much as $200.

He's a good kid, but he's a 13 year old boy, so not the most careful human. The set doesn't need to industrial strength, but it shouldn't be fragile. 

Thanks for any help.