Standard Tournament Chess Set, 34 Chess Pieces (2 Extra Queens), Blue Board and Blue Canvas Tote Bag

If you have never had a tournament sized chess set, you will love the dimensions on this. It's huge so it's nice on the eyes. The whole set is still light so now you actually don't mind lugging a chess set around.The carrying case looks nice enough, it is frequently mistaken for a pool (billiards) cue stick case.It's well designed with a tournament player in mind. There are two loops to insert the rolled up vinyl board through (better to roll face out as one of the other reviewers said), there's a velcro for what I assume should be a chess clock there. There are additional pockets for pens/pencils and a score sheet and an additional enclosure for the pieces so it doesn't spill out when you open the main zipper.The pieces are not weighted but they still feel decent with a wide base. They are not completely hollow like a cheap set you would buy at a retail store. If you like to play bullet chess, I can see the pieces being too light and getting knocked over. But for maybe 5+ minutes up, the play is slow enough that it should be fine.Overall a great set for the price and for sure considerably better than any set you can find at retail store.Oh my one gripe is that it was missing a black pawn piece. Make sure you count your pieces right away after you receive the order. Since the order is fulfilled by ChessCentral, you will have to contact them directly to obtain any missing pieces, Amazon cannot/would not do it.

The thing you need to know about this set is that it's impossible to outgrow it. It's cheap enough for a first set, just to test the waters, and it's meets tournament standards precisely. The pieces are regulation standard, so they are easy to replace, as is the board, so if one or the other gets lost or destroyed, you don't have to replace the whole thing. If you have the playing room, this is the only set you'll ever need.The board is lovely, thick, easy to clean, easy to store. I don't see it decaying or tearing any time soon. It has the ranks and files labeled, which is always nice, but is especially useful for beginners.The bag is well stitched, with enough room for a sizeable clock. Lucky for me, since I bought  Royal Crest Analog Chess Clock/Timer by Wood Expressions  -- a big one. It lacks a shoulder strap, which is its only weakness.The pieces are good lucking and have a nice weight to them. There is an extra queen for if you promote a pawn.The instructions are okay, but chess is complex enough, you need a book or 50 on the topic. I suggest  Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess  and  The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess Openings  (forgive the title) to start.

I bought this set as a gift for my husband who is trying to brush up his chess game. The board and pieces are pretty big. I find them comfortable to play with, but he thinks it's a little too big. I paid a little bit extra for the set with the carry bag, but we soon realized, it isn't really practical. Rolling the mat up as tight as it needs to be to fit in the bag makes it a bit too curly and the pieces on their own could fit pretty well in a much smaller bag. We will use this at home, but stick with our small magnetic set when out and about.

I wanted a good quality chess set to teach my kids, so I wanted it to have full size pieces, a numbered/lettered board, and be durable enough to handle the stress put on it by little kids. The carrying case is straightforward--the zipper seems strong enough, and it can hold all of the pieces, the board, and it appears there is space for a clock (although the clock is not included). The pieces are full-size durable Staunton style pieces. They are not heavy, but they are durable enough for my purposes. The one thing that was a real disappointment was the vinyl board. When it arrived, the board had gotten creased while rolled, so it just would not lie flat. I tried everything--rolling it backwards, ironing it, weighting it... nothing got it entirely flat. Little ripples in the vinyl made it impossible for pieces to stand up straight without toppling. I wrote to ChessCentral and they were kind enough to send me a new board immediately (so A+ for customer service). As a result, I find that I can recommend doing business with ChessCentral, but not recommend buying this set. You should get what they call "the mousepad board" which is very durable, rolls easily, and lies flat.

Estoy contento con la compra, las fichas tienen buena altura y peso, bien comodas para jugar. Lo unico que me no me gusta mucho es el bolso, porque las fichas en el compartimiento donde se guardan es algo pequeño (el rey 3.75"), y seria genial que se guardaran en compartimeintos separados (blancas y negras). El tablero enrollable para usarlo primero hay que pasarse un tiempo arreglando las partes levantadas y/o poner de una vez peso en las esquinas para jugar (es por el tipo de material al pasar tiempo enrollado en el bolso).

When I received this product it was everything they said it would be. The one issue is one of the white pawns head was slightly tilted. It drove me crazy. I email the maker and told them my issue 72 hrs later poof new pawn in my mail box. They did not ask for proof of purchase or anything like that. They just sent me a new pawn awesome. Will buy from them again.

the well known rule applies: you get what you pay: board does not lay flat on the table, chess set is very light, the bag does not fit anything else like a clock or a chess block, yes it fits a pen. Next time I will spend more for a higher quality

The case that came with this set is nice. The board will be similar to any of the vinyl types you may have seen in & around your club, but the pieces, although Staunton, are way too light. I would hold off for some weightier types for easier over the board play.