Tournament No. 3 Staunton Chess Set - 13.6"

Staunton Chess Set on amazon

Check out my video review here

Let me start out by saying that I am by no means an expert on the game of chess itself. I understand the basics. I feel that as long as all the required pieces are there, the game is perfectly playable and that experience wouldn't bring much to the table anyway. That being said, I think this is a decent set for anyone looking for a smaller set that is abled to be carried around with no trouble.

Build- Everything about the board itself is solid. The hinges are well sized and attached such that the two halves clap shut with no gap and the clasps fall right into place ever time. It's the little things like a perfect fit that make you like a product. Then you have the simple subtle inlays that break up the image just enough to add character to a good looking board. The set claims to have been hand crafted in Poland and taking a close look at the pieces I could see minor inconsistencies that did indicate it was true. That's what I like about handcrafted items; each one is unique and has it's own special charm. The pieces are overly intricate and that works to keep them durable and less likely to break. The only thing I noticed here is that they could stand to be a touch more bottom heavy and I could drop them from a short height above the board and they would sometimes bounce and fall over.

Materials- You can tell this set is trying to be a high quality one that isn't for a weekend game and then just tossed around a closet. It does look very nice and the variety of wood used does show that quality. The only improvement I can see here is that with all this nice wood, you can see around the top outside of the playing surface that it is made out of plywood. Don't get me wrong, it by no means looks cheap, but when you're looking for a set that you may want to leave out as a nice permanent set in your house you want to see that beautiful grain everywhere. Speaking of grain, I found myself wishing for a glossier finish to bring it out more, as with the last comment, it looks fine but I just wanted a little more out of it. These are matters of taste, but it is nevertheless how I feel. The only thing I really didn't like after seeing the wonderful playing surface and pieces was the inside felt-feeling plastic piece divider. It get's the job done but would feel so much better if it were more solid and covered with real felt.

If you're looking for a nice hand crafted set without breaking the bank I would recommend this one.
It's just the right size to be portable and if you want to leave it sitting out it would look great in any room. I found no quality issues and anything else was more just about my taste.

I received this product free for purposes of a review. I only provide reviews for the chance to use the product and am not compensated in any other way. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”