How to Choose a Set

Most sets are sold on how they look. Almost none tell you whether the board fits the table you own, or what the thing weighs once it is on it. Here is what we publish on every page, and how to read it.

Start with the table, not the board

Our boards run from 9.4 to 19.3 inches square. Fifteen inches is the size most people picture when they think of a chess set, and it is the one we sell most. Under 12 inches the set travels and stores easily. Over 17 inches it stops being something you move — it stays where you put it, which is either the point or the problem.

Measure the surface first. A 15-inch board wants about 24 inches of clear table so two people can reach across it without moving glasses out of the way.

Piece height tells you more than board size

King height on our sets runs from 2.6 to 3.5 inches. A taller king reads better across a room and sits more comfortably in an adult hand. A shorter one suits a folding or travel set, where the board has to close over its own pieces.

Wood or metal

Turned wood is lighter, warmer in the hand and quieter on the board. Cast metal has real weight, catches the light, and reads as an object even when nobody is playing. Metal costs more because the pieces are cast rather than turned. A 15-inch board with metal pieces weighs 6.8 lb; the same board with wooden pieces is closer to 3 lb.

Where the pieces live

Two answers on our sets. A drawer in the front edge, with a felt tray cut to the silhouette of each piece — nothing rolls, nothing rattles, and you can see at a glance if one is missing. Or a folding board that closes over its own pieces, which is what you want if the set travels.

Backgammon

Our backgammon boards are 15 inches open and built into a case that closes on itself. The points are stitched into the felt rather than printed, which is what you feel under a checker when you set it down. The travel set weighs 1.6 lb and zips shut; the leatherette cases weigh 2.9 lb and carry by a handle.

Timers

A chess timer has two screens, one per player. What separates them is the modes: Fischer bonus adds time each move, delay holds the clock for a fixed pause before it starts counting, Bronstein gives back what you used up to a limit. If you play blitz you want a rocker key that answers instantly. If you play long games, almost any of them will do.

Buying it as a gift

Most of our orders are gifts, so two things matter. First, size: if you cannot measure their table, 15 inches is the safe answer. Second, presentation: the board arrives assembled and set up, in a plain outer box with no prices on it.