Fantastic educational video about an undercovered chess topic by @lularobs!!! Please only buy staunton chess pieces. This is not a brand of chess pieces, it is a standard style that all chess tournaments use. Here in the US most of the places that you will play tournament chess the players have to bring their own sets and clocks, and it is an official USCF rule that black gets to pick which set and clock to use, provided that it is with standard staunton chess pieces of the right height, and also the board should be the same size that @lularobs recommends (and has on the wall of this video). If black's pieces and board aren't standard size and staunton style (preferably black and white pieces please) then white is allowed to provide the board and pieces if they more closely fit official regulation size, style and color. Why buy something for tournament use that you can't use, and why buy something for home use that is a different size and piece style than what you will use when you go to actually play an OTB (over the board) chess tournament?
Don’t listen to USCF. It states that pieces 4.5” King are ok for tournament play and that’s gigantic. FIDE has it more correct. (SMH… American mentality of “bigger is better”)
@@conjured_up_skeletons6178 My own king is close to 4 inches tall, hard to tell exactly since the top is in the middle but it looks like it is about 3 7/8 inches tall and the base diameter looks like it is 1 3/8 inches wide. My pieces are the same exact size as 95% of the other players pieces at USCF tournaments.
I got a glass chess set at a thrift store thinking it looked nice. But I have 4 kids. The chess board lives on the coffee table, so pieces would often get knocked over, which makes you cringe every time. I ended up buying a folding wood set but only because it's also magnetic. This way the board can be bumped quite a bit without the pieces moving.
As someone with a lot of chess sets, I'd strongly recommend a first set be Staunton pattern, which is the "standard" design for pieces. I've played at friends houses on other designs, I remember with particular regret; a drinking glass set, a Greeks v Romans set and a Simpsons set. For display only, not for play or study. My other advice is to match the board size to the set. The FIDE says a standard tournament board should have a square size between 5 cm and 6 cm (1.97 inches to 2.36 inches), for use with a recommended king height of 9.5 cm (3.74 inches). USCF rules are similar, but a bit more flexible. A good rule of thumb is that the diameter of the base of a the king should take around 75% of the space on a square.
Recently taken up chess at age 70 and really enjoying it . Playing computer and learning a lot , it’s now got challenging . Enjoyed your video , I’ll look out for second hand sets , thanks .
I'm learning for the first time at 63. Of course, I already bought one of those wooden, folding chess sets, but I don't have a lot of opportunity to play over the board anyway. I play the bots online, do lots of puzzles, and read a lot, but I'm still chicken to play an actual person online.
Good video. I did buy a folding set. The quality was good, the price was reasonable. Considering the space in my room (very small room) is limited, storing a folding board with pieces makes more sense than finding space for a plastic bag with pieces. IMHO, your video is informative and does not really need that much editing.
Got a 1989 Milton Bradley motorized magnetized Chess Grandmaster machine at a thrift store for $5 in pristine condition, they go for about $200 online. It has 11 difficulty settings and cab be set up to do puzzles, etc. It's actually really strong on high settings, probably around 2100/2200. Nobody in my local area can beat it at those settings and it's a great conversation starter. Weighs about 50000lbs though lol.
Years ago my wife (who does not play chess) ordered me a very expensive glass set for Christmas. I’ve been playing since I was 7 and had never had a glass set. When it arrived, the board and several pieces were *shattered* - like a b’zillion pieces! She got it replaced, but I never liked it, for all the reasons brought up here. I now have a very nice wooden set with flat board (no numbers/letters) set up in my home office, and a plastic tournament set with travel bag that I take to chess club meetings and on our family vacation. Gave the glass set to my son - he loves it but I don’t think he actually uses it! Thanks for the video!
Such a relatable experience! One of the reasons I wanted to make this video in case people were doing research for gift giving too 😅 non chess players never seem to understand why we hate the glass sets
Back in the day we'd buy inexpensive plastic pieces & fill the bottoms with clay or play dough then glue green felt to the bases. Instant premium set : )
This is a good, honest, useful video with a lot of helpful information. (And I agree 100% about not buying a cheap folding set as a first chess set. Especially if you are going to put that set on a surface where the metal hinges on the bottom might scratch something expensive.) Even so I have two bits of different advice. First, where are you really going to use that chess set? Get out a tape measure and measure it, especially if it's a fixed space at home. Do not go over the space you measured. No reason is good enough to do that. If you have space for a round table and your board goes a bit over the edges of it, you are letting yourself in for irritation that never ends. Stick to a smaller board and pieces that fit, and buy weighted pieces because the weighting has to make up for the pieces being smaller and easier to knock over. Second, you really want a cheap(ish) tournament style plastic chess set if you are going to take it to a tournament, or to play chess in a park, or to a friend's garden, or basically anywhere you do not control the environment and how the set is treated. If you take that expensive wooden set you like so much, and your friend knocks pieces off the table onto rough concrete, or children start up a game of darts nearby while you are off doing something else, and OOPSIE!, you are not going to be happy. You should have taken your cheap chess set.
Thank you. I am just beginning to learn chess, and have been contemplating what kind of set to purchase. The considerations you mentioned are very helpful!
I actually hate plastic pieces, having played with them a lot in club tournaments. Plastic is too light, weighted wooden sets are much more pleasant in hand, and random gust of wind or careless hand move won't send the pieces flying.
I am reluctant to buy Vinyl boards since they tend to retain memory on how they were folded/rolled. The first tournament that I played in College had Vinyl boards and all of them had massive humps due to being rolled for a long time i guess (extra chess sets would only be used in tournaments by most clubs)
I beg to differ when it comes to wooden folding boards. House of Staunton and House of Chess sell tournament size wooden folding boards without the pieces. As a beginner yes just get a plastic basic club set and move beyond that if you have grown tired of that set design. However for me I prefer playing with wooden pieces on a wooden board. Folding boards makes it easier to travel with.
She said not to buy a cheap folding set as your first or only board, and I don’t see any argument against her point. Folding sets can be awesome travel sets, though, no denying it.
The problem I have with the silicon mat type board: You can't just take it to another place while you're playing. If you don't have a dedicated table for playing chess but play on your kitchen table or so, this is an important thing to consider imho
Nice video! As a person who has purchased many sets over the years the best is the first set you showed. They are not expensive and the size of the pieces and weight are excellent. When I was in school I had a vinyl folding set with magnetic base pieces in a case. It was a durable set. Wish I had that now. I also bought a set for nostalgic reasons. It was the first set I I ever played on. The pieces are about the Roman empire, it sits in a box in the closet, waiting for the day to be used again. .go to buy a wooden set It you do buy a set, get one with the squares are about 2 inches (50 mm) and weighted pieces. The are easier to pick up and they don't fall over easily. (mho)
Good advice. Note that the quality of plastic pieces varies quite a bit. Better quality plastic sets are heavily weighted and use better (more solid) plastic, and don't have seams. It's worth spending a bit more for better quality chess pieces.
Later on a cheap, magnetic, folding set may come in handy. I bought one to play with friends in bars, cafes and other places outside. The magnets help so that the pieces don't fall off if someone bumps into your table. It's small enough to fit on most bar tables. And if someone spills a drink on it or something I won't be bothered because it was so cheap.
I have a beautiful expensive wooden chess set with a solid board but my go to board is my cheap magnetic folding wooden one. The pieces look fine and the magnets are a nice strength.
I took care of this problem 16 years ago: My pieces - Plastigal from Argentina. Old jaques style design, 3.75” K, 2x weighted, the national set of Arg. My board - imitation leather board , official of “Balkan chess” from Belgrade, Serbia. This one has autograph of S. Gligoric on h1 square. People have offered me $80usd and I say Not for sale! This is my set for life!
I’d add one piece of advice: avoid the chess sets that you can find at discount store (e.g. Walmart). The squares have garish colors, and even the slightest breeze will send the pieces flying.
I do like folding sets, because it's piece storage and board in a single neat rectangle. I don't have a place to set up a board permanently, or to get/make a dedicated chess table, so it's nice to have the game fold up into a regular shape that can go in the shelf with books or other games. That said, I do love my full size solid wood go board, even if I do have to store it on top of the china cabinet. :)
You're right plastic pieces and vinyl mat are good if someone is playing blitz or rapid the other guy can spill his tea juice coffee or his entire lunch on a vinyl mat their easy to wash also players can damage wood if their piece bangers or scratch the surface of the board. Marble Onyx sets are another one to avoid pieces can chip easily and break the surface can get scratched by a careless player nice to show off in a living room but only played with gently.
Some very good advice, when I started playing chess in the early 1980's I could not get a chess set that was reasonably good and ended getting a small plastic set (10 minutes looking for a piece before playing) and a cheap wooden set that I used for years. Over the years I've got some better plastic sets (like the one you show ) and a few wooden sets.
This is a fun video! I've never seen anyone tell beginners about how to buy a set, and your advice is good stuff. Collecting chess sets is really fun... it takes a lot of willpower not to buy more.
I've several chess sets already but I don't play in tournaments. At a young age I got turned off of them because the people recruiting for them in schools were not exactly welcoming to visually impaired people like myself. Now I'm over 50. I own the first set I ever had, a set my mother's employer when she was a house-cleaner was going to throw away and my mother brought me home. I own a set my father bought me at a flea market. It's non-standard but nice enough that when I went to Harvard square in Boston to play they made an exception for it to their "standard only" rule. I've a few other sets but in particular I have a set my mother sent from my father's collection after he died.
I own 5 chess sets atm, every one of them quite different. None of them is a plastic roll-up though, heh. Don't mind folding ones at all for casual play, especially if they're at least decently made.
Literally bought the blue chess set. It looked beautiful in the picture. In real life it's so cheap and feels like it was made in a prison shop using cardboard.
I had a nice wooden chess set many years ago, but due to the poor living conditions I was under it got mouldy and I had to dispose of it. I would therefore heavily advise for plastic, especially as we never know what the next day will bring, do we?
A month ago I purchased a new chessboard and pieces to update my large 50 year old cardboard board and plastic figurine set. The old set is close to standard tournament size so I've always been used to playing on large chessboards. The features I looked for, was a wooden, standard FIDE-approved, tournament board and plastic Staunton-type pieces. Since I intend to use it for playing against a Raspberry Pi computer, I chose a walnut DGT e-board.
@@lularobs The plastic pieces were as good as I had hoped for. Very solid, nicely weighted and very robust. The finish of the board is very impressive. Purchasing from Schach Niggemann, Germany, was far cheaper than purchasing the board and pieces in Australia, transit costs are quite reasonable by FedEx. I will be taking delivery of another DGT E-Board early next week, this one in wenge blackwood and maple. Again, plastic pieces. Can't go wrong with them.
There is one rule, a chess set needs to serve its function. My primary chess set is a part of my board game collection. It is a beautiful wooden folded chess set, hand made with weighted pieces. I know how pieces move and what objective of the game is but I do not care to learn to play chess even at a half competent way. I like to "play" (that's an exaggeration :D) from time to time and watch chess content on TH-cam.
ngl, recently (read: about a year ago) bought a "magnetic" wooden foldable chess set. Just wanted something easy to travel with, that wouldn't be a mess on a wobbly train or so. And DAMN was that a missplay, the magnetism was achieved by two VERY rusty thin sheets of iron on the inside, which caused all the foam and pieces to be covered in rust-powder on arrival, so almost instantly had to rip out the foam in order to give the whole a good cleaning, but since having done that, it does the trick. Would I recommend that set, no, but it does serve its purpose for an okay price. I do however prefer the feeling of wooden pieces over plastic pieces, but plastic pieces tend to have a better weight added to them.
This is my gripe with folding sets: amazing in theory, but usually kind of disappointing in practice. They have their place, but I I think you really have to luck out to find a good one (for a good price)
@@lularobs oh yeah, absolutely, like, I felt scammed when that set arrived, but at the same time, it's a pleasant size and it's served its purpose, especially due to the low quality, since that made that I was less afraid of damaging it in transport. Might put a review on it up on my channel eventually...
I recently bought my first chess set, it's a folding board and it was cheap. In the place where I live there's not much choice. I would prefer a flat board though, so would my cats. That will be my next set, if I continue playing. I've just started less than two weeks ago with playing chess, not taking it too serious.
My first set after queens gambit was wooden, not magnetic, had a huge seam and pieces just slid around if bumped even a little. Honestly one of the best I found on Amazon for kids is the kidami plastic set. Costs almost nothing, the pieces look ok and they are just magnetic enough so that the pieces don’t slide.
I completely disagree. I bought a good quality folding chess set made by passionate peoples and it was the best thing I could buy to begin chess. I'm playing actively for two years and this smaller chess set has traveled with me everywhere and it was very cool to have a semi high quality chess set to play on at a bar or at a friend's place. I could study very well as well.
I've been playing online for a few years now and don't have a chess club near by, looking to buy a electronic set to get used to over the board. There all so expensive so I think chessnuts probably the best option 😂
I have a glass set and I hate when pieces fall over. It's a terrible sound! And the felt bottoms aren't wide enough to make them feel comfortable or sturdy. If you make some kind of under-lit board, they might look cool, but that's more for show than functionality. And, which ones are supposed to be Black?? Clear or frosted???
Disagree with the study set size. It's common and easy to have a study board that is smaller than tournament size. I would also recommend people to buy a mousepad board over a vinyl board. Easier to fold and put in a regular book bag and it will sit flat right away.
I prefer a marble board and pieces made out of gold and silver since plastic is dangerous due to microplastics entering your pores and wreaking havoc on your body plus you may get a splinter from wood.
Lots of great advice, and useful links. I've subscribed to you're channel. At the age of 74 I'm a beginner chess player. I was a veteran athlete, but a serious injury has forced me to find an alternative competitive interest. I enjoy your videos, but a piece of advice for you, lularobs, if you want to improve the quality of your presentation. Try to drop the, like, vocal fry, like, uplift?
I only have one! My *general* advice: don’t buy them. It’s unlikely you’re going to play on that over a standard set, unless it’s only a slight variation on normal pieces. No one wants to play on a Minions chess set
I'm not a fan of these chess pieces like the lord of the rings theme or whatever, they look pretty but I think they are too hard to play on as its hard to tell what piece is what.
A glass chess board is just not good to play on. OK as an ornament, I suppose. However the worst and I mean the worst chess board I've ever played on was a Novelty chess board based on a cartoon program. Just gave me a massive headache.
Good video, very informative. I happen to have an enormous J. Jaques tournament-size Staunton set from ca. 1850, made of huge chunks of elephant ivory. In other words, irreplaceable. Compared to that, the workmanship of ALL modern sets of my acquaintance is just pitiful, particularly - of course - the knights. (The styling of the modern pieces is often better; the Jaques ones are a bit eccentric, albeit exceptionally well made). Some of the very expensive wood sets of today have knights which approach decency, but the other pieces are so glitzed up (to match the knights stylistically?) that they look like something one would see in the reception room of a house of ill repute. So I stick with the plastic sets. Several tournament size Stauntons available today are quite nice, and very economical - from maybe $12USD to (at tops) $40USD - tournament size, weighted, felted, etc. (Interestingly enough, my ancient Jaques set is NOT felted, and never was.) I personally avoid the common "club" set just about everybody sells, as the piece designs are just plain ugly, about as ugly as a Staunton can get. But they are available in a huge range of novelty colors, so they're good for kids, who wouldn't know well-sculpted chess pieces if they sat on them. The next size down, sometimes called the "library" or "analysis" size, are decent playing pieces too, and use much smaller and handier boards. The best sets from the Big Box chain stores, like the old Milton-Bradley ones, were this size. But most chain-store sets are pretty grim; usable, but why bother when far better are available? The best "board" material I've yet seen is silicone; it folds up into quite a small package and lies dead flat when flopped on a table. Mouse pad material boards are next best. Ten years or so ago they were of thicker pad material than current production; I'd say the thinner pads are better. Mouse pad "boards" are available in a wide range of colors, and even some fake wood grain which looks better than you'd guess. The common vinyl boards are OK though they have trouble lying dead flat after being rolled up for transport. But vinyl is available in the greatest range of sizes (pretty much everything from 1.375" to 2.5" squares) and colors. I prefer bigger pieces (or smaller squares) than most, but you won't see those in tournament play. Note that sets from a century or so ago were very often in red and white. I have various ivory and bone sets in those colors. The reds are invariably FAR brighter than the reds that some plastic tournament size sets are made in today. I can't imagine why they use such a dark and dull color; I don't know of a modern manufacturer who uses anything like the proper red. Drueke's made their very attractive library-size octagonal-section pieces in black & white, or red & white. The reds were very close to the oldies, but of course Drueke's is now an oldie itself. The octagon design is about as wild as Staunton pattern pieces can get and still be considered basically Stauntons. My favorite chess set is not something one would play with; the pieces are castings of a medieval gothic design which many mistake for the Lewis pieces, although really nothing like them. I bought them from a street vendor in London some fifty years ago and have never seen their like since - even the books don't show them. The Lewis pieces are pretty cool, too. There are various repros available today, many not all that accurate. I have some I bought from the British Museum, and they look very much like the genuine articles. I have Regency, Calvert, and Pulpit-style sets, but nobody would want to actually play with them today, as they look too weird. Spectacularly decorative, though. I avoid pieces which are advertised as good for blitz; blitz isn't a game, it's a stunt, only good for people who secretly hate chess and want the game to be over as quickly as possible.
Got here only because I saw my beloved Polish chess board in the miniature and now I feel a bit insulted. Honestly, there isn't anything better in it's price range. It's ok sized, its' wood and it's fun. Definitely more worth than the money you've payed for it.
Fantastic educational video about an undercovered chess topic by @lularobs!!!
Please only buy staunton chess pieces. This is not a brand of chess pieces, it is a standard style that all chess tournaments use. Here in the US most of the places that you will play tournament chess the players have to bring their own sets and clocks, and it is an official USCF rule that black gets to pick which set and clock to use, provided that it is with standard staunton chess pieces of the right height, and also the board should be the same size that @lularobs recommends (and has on the wall of this video). If black's pieces and board aren't standard size and staunton style (preferably black and white pieces please) then white is allowed to provide the board and pieces if they more closely fit official regulation size, style and color.
Why buy something for tournament use that you can't use, and why buy something for home use that is a different size and piece style than what you will use when you go to actually play an OTB (over the board) chess tournament?
So true and something I overlooked! In Europe chess sets are provided at tournaments so I didn’t mention this point. Thank you!!
Don’t listen to USCF. It states that pieces 4.5” King are ok for tournament play and that’s gigantic. FIDE has it more correct. (SMH… American mentality of “bigger is better”)
@@conjured_up_skeletons6178 My own king is close to 4 inches tall, hard to tell exactly since the top is in the middle but it looks like it is about 3 7/8 inches tall and the base diameter looks like it is 1 3/8 inches wide. My pieces are the same exact size as 95% of the other players pieces at USCF tournaments.
Friends don't let friends buy glass chess sets!
Omg! Got one for Christmas from a relative. Horrific!!
@@conjured_up_skeletons6178 I feel your pain... bonus points if you also ever got the "drinking game" glass chess set as a present
totally agree
Truer words never spoken.
I got a glass chess set at a thrift store thinking it looked nice. But I have 4 kids. The chess board lives on the coffee table, so pieces would often get knocked over, which makes you cringe every time. I ended up buying a folding wood set but only because it's also magnetic. This way the board can be bumped quite a bit without the pieces moving.
As someone with a lot of chess sets, I'd strongly recommend a first set be Staunton pattern, which is the "standard" design for pieces. I've played at friends houses on other designs, I remember with particular regret; a drinking glass set, a Greeks v Romans set and a Simpsons set. For display only, not for play or study.
My other advice is to match the board size to the set. The FIDE says a standard tournament board should have a square size between 5 cm and 6 cm (1.97 inches to 2.36 inches), for use with a recommended king height of 9.5 cm (3.74 inches). USCF rules are similar, but a bit more flexible. A good rule of thumb is that the diameter of the base of a the king should take around 75% of the space on a square.
Recently taken up chess at age 70 and really enjoying it . Playing computer and learning a lot , it’s now got challenging . Enjoyed your video , I’ll look out for second hand sets , thanks .
I'm learning for the first time at 63. Of course, I already bought one of those wooden, folding chess sets, but I don't have a lot of opportunity to play over the board anyway. I play the bots online, do lots of puzzles, and read a lot, but I'm still chicken to play an actual person online.
me too!
Good video. I did buy a folding set. The quality was good, the price was reasonable. Considering the space in my room (very small room) is limited, storing a folding board with pieces makes more sense than finding space for a plastic bag with pieces.
IMHO, your video is informative and does not really need that much editing.
Got a 1989 Milton Bradley motorized magnetized Chess Grandmaster machine at a thrift store for $5 in pristine condition, they go for about $200 online. It has 11 difficulty settings and cab be set up to do puzzles, etc. It's actually really strong on high settings, probably around 2100/2200. Nobody in my local area can beat it at those settings and it's a great conversation starter. Weighs about 50000lbs though lol.
Imo just the weught and quality means wood> plastic imo. The wood feels much better and just makes me feel more inclined to play.
Years ago my wife (who does not play chess) ordered me a very expensive glass set for Christmas. I’ve been playing since I was 7 and had never had a glass set. When it arrived, the board and several pieces were *shattered* - like a b’zillion pieces! She got it replaced, but I never liked it, for all the reasons brought up here. I now have a very nice wooden set with flat board (no numbers/letters) set up in my home office, and a plastic tournament set with travel bag that I take to chess club meetings and on our family vacation. Gave the glass set to my son - he loves it but I don’t think he actually uses it! Thanks for the video!
Such a relatable experience! One of the reasons I wanted to make this video in case people were doing research for gift giving too 😅 non chess players never seem to understand why we hate the glass sets
Back in the day we'd buy inexpensive plastic pieces & fill the bottoms with clay or play dough then glue green felt to the bases. Instant premium set : )
This is a good, honest, useful video with a lot of helpful information. (And I agree 100% about not buying a cheap folding set as a first chess set. Especially if you are going to put that set on a surface where the metal hinges on the bottom might scratch something expensive.) Even so I have two bits of different advice.
First, where are you really going to use that chess set? Get out a tape measure and measure it, especially if it's a fixed space at home. Do not go over the space you measured. No reason is good enough to do that. If you have space for a round table and your board goes a bit over the edges of it, you are letting yourself in for irritation that never ends. Stick to a smaller board and pieces that fit, and buy weighted pieces because the weighting has to make up for the pieces being smaller and easier to knock over.
Second, you really want a cheap(ish) tournament style plastic chess set if you are going to take it to a tournament, or to play chess in a park, or to a friend's garden, or basically anywhere you do not control the environment and how the set is treated. If you take that expensive wooden set you like so much, and your friend knocks pieces off the table onto rough concrete, or children start up a game of darts nearby while you are off doing something else, and OOPSIE!, you are not going to be happy. You should have taken your cheap chess set.
Great advice!! I totally agree :)
Thank you. I am just beginning to learn chess, and have been contemplating what kind of set to purchase. The considerations you mentioned are very helpful!
Glad it was helpful! 🥰
great tips!
Those plastic tournament sets are actually quite nice, especially when they're triple weighted.
100% correct young lady. A standard plastic tournament set w/ vinyl roll up board will never go out of style and is nearly indestructible.
I actually hate plastic pieces, having played with them a lot in club tournaments. Plastic is too light, weighted wooden sets are much more pleasant in hand, and random gust of wind or careless hand move won't send the pieces flying.
@@Kamamura2 Everyone has their preferences I guess...
I am reluctant to buy Vinyl boards since they tend to retain memory on how they were folded/rolled.
The first tournament that I played in College had Vinyl boards and all of them had massive humps due to being rolled for a long time i guess (extra chess sets would only be used in tournaments by most clubs)
Tbh most people i know don't even have a physical board
Accidentally bumped on your youtube, thanks for the great advice
I beg to differ when it comes to wooden folding boards. House of Staunton and House of Chess sell tournament size wooden folding boards without the pieces. As a beginner yes just get a plastic basic club set and move beyond that if you have grown tired of that set design. However for me I prefer playing with wooden pieces on a wooden board. Folding boards makes it easier to travel with.
She said not to buy a cheap folding set as your first or only board, and I don’t see any argument against her point.
Folding sets can be awesome travel sets, though, no denying it.
The problem I have with the silicon mat type board: You can't just take it to another place while you're playing. If you don't have a dedicated table for playing chess but play on your kitchen table or so, this is an important thing to consider imho
Nice video! As a person who has purchased many sets over the years the best is the first set you showed. They are not expensive and the size of the pieces and weight are excellent. When I was in school I had a vinyl folding set with magnetic base pieces in a case. It was a durable set. Wish I had that now. I also bought a set for nostalgic reasons. It was the first set I I ever played on. The pieces are about the Roman empire, it sits in a box in the closet, waiting for the day to be used again. .go to buy a wooden set
It you do buy a set, get one with the squares are about 2 inches (50 mm) and weighted pieces. The are easier to pick up and they don't fall over easily. (mho)
To avoid Botez gambit I only use sets with bishops in two colors. Useful video, thanks.
Good advice. Note that the quality of plastic pieces varies quite a bit. Better quality plastic sets are heavily weighted and use better (more solid) plastic, and don't have seams. It's worth spending a bit more for better quality chess pieces.
Later on a cheap, magnetic, folding set may come in handy. I bought one to play with friends in bars, cafes and other places outside. The magnets help so that the pieces don't fall off if someone bumps into your table. It's small enough to fit on most bar tables. And if someone spills a drink on it or something I won't be bothered because it was so cheap.
I have a beautiful expensive wooden chess set with a solid board but my go to board is my cheap magnetic folding wooden one. The pieces look fine and the magnets are a nice strength.
I took care of this problem 16 years ago: My pieces - Plastigal from Argentina. Old jaques style design, 3.75” K, 2x weighted, the national set of Arg. My board - imitation leather board , official of “Balkan chess” from Belgrade, Serbia. This one has autograph of S. Gligoric on h1 square. People have offered me $80usd and I say Not for sale! This is my set for life!
This polish made set is very well made trust me, Every piece is hand carved and decorated.
I also use one of the cloth quivers to carry the roll up board and the pieces, along with a chess clock.
I’d add one piece of advice: avoid the chess sets that you can find at discount store (e.g. Walmart). The squares have garish colors, and even the slightest breeze will send the pieces flying.
I’ve never seen ones like those in Europe!! I’m curious now 👀
I do like folding sets, because it's piece storage and board in a single neat rectangle. I don't have a place to set up a board permanently, or to get/make a dedicated chess table, so it's nice to have the game fold up into a regular shape that can go in the shelf with books or other games.
That said, I do love my full size solid wood go board, even if I do have to store it on top of the china cabinet. :)
You're right plastic pieces and vinyl mat are good if someone is playing blitz or rapid the other guy can spill his tea juice coffee or his entire lunch on a vinyl mat their easy to wash also players can damage wood if their piece bangers or scratch the surface of the board. Marble Onyx sets are another one to avoid pieces can chip easily and break the surface can get scratched by a careless player nice to show off in a living room but only played with gently.
Some very good advice, when I started playing chess in the early 1980's I could not get a chess set that was reasonably good and ended getting a small plastic set (10 minutes looking for a piece before playing) and a cheap wooden set that I used for years. Over the years I've got some better plastic sets (like the one you show ) and a few wooden sets.
This is a fun video! I've never seen anyone tell beginners about how to buy a set, and your advice is good stuff. Collecting chess sets is really fun... it takes a lot of willpower not to buy more.
I've several chess sets already but I don't play in tournaments. At a young age I got turned off of them because the people recruiting for them in schools were not exactly welcoming to visually impaired people like myself. Now I'm over 50. I own the first set I ever had, a set my mother's employer when she was a house-cleaner was going to throw away and my mother brought me home. I own a set my father bought me at a flea market. It's non-standard but nice enough that when I went to Harvard square in Boston to play they made an exception for it to their "standard only" rule. I've a few other sets but in particular I have a set my mother sent from my father's collection after he died.
Nicely explained👍
The plastic tournament sets are nice, but the size is really annoying you have to find a BIG table to use them😂
I own 5 chess sets atm, every one of them quite different. None of them is a plastic roll-up though, heh. Don't mind folding ones at all for casual play, especially if they're at least decently made.
Literally bought the blue chess set. It looked beautiful in the picture. In real life it's so cheap and feels like it was made in a prison shop using cardboard.
I agree with what you say about buying second hand. I have bought many older, weighted, wooden sets, from eBay charity shops.
I had a nice wooden chess set many years ago, but due to the poor living conditions I was under it got mouldy and I had to dispose of it. I would therefore heavily advise for plastic, especially as we never know what the next day will bring, do we?
Resin composite I find to be much better than plastic and around the same price
Great tips!! I was about to buy a small foldable one 😅
A month ago I purchased a new chessboard and pieces to update my large 50 year old cardboard board and plastic figurine set. The old set is close to standard tournament size so I've always been used to playing on large chessboards. The features I looked for, was a wooden, standard FIDE-approved, tournament board and plastic Staunton-type pieces. Since I intend to use it for playing against a Raspberry Pi computer, I chose a walnut DGT e-board.
Excellent choice!
@@lularobs The plastic pieces were as good as I had hoped for. Very solid, nicely weighted and very robust. The finish of the board is very impressive. Purchasing from Schach Niggemann, Germany, was far cheaper than purchasing the board and pieces in Australia, transit costs are quite reasonable by FedEx. I will be taking delivery of another DGT E-Board early next week, this one in wenge blackwood and maple. Again, plastic pieces. Can't go wrong with them.
There is one rule, a chess set needs to serve its function. My primary chess set is a part of my board game collection. It is a beautiful wooden folded chess set, hand made with weighted pieces. I know how pieces move and what objective of the game is but I do not care to learn to play chess even at a half competent way. I like to "play" (that's an exaggeration :D) from time to time and watch chess content on TH-cam.
The Chestnut board has one advantage over the DGT boards. It has LEDs on the board and will show you where to move without looking at a screen.
Yes that’s true! I haven’t had the chance to use it much yet since it’s my most recent chess set
ngl, recently (read: about a year ago) bought a "magnetic" wooden foldable chess set. Just wanted something easy to travel with, that wouldn't be a mess on a wobbly train or so.
And DAMN was that a missplay, the magnetism was achieved by two VERY rusty thin sheets of iron on the inside, which caused all the foam and pieces to be covered in rust-powder on arrival, so almost instantly had to rip out the foam in order to give the whole a good cleaning, but since having done that, it does the trick. Would I recommend that set, no, but it does serve its purpose for an okay price. I do however prefer the feeling of wooden pieces over plastic pieces, but plastic pieces tend to have a better weight added to them.
This is my gripe with folding sets: amazing in theory, but usually kind of disappointing in practice. They have their place, but I I think you really have to luck out to find a good one (for a good price)
@@lularobs oh yeah, absolutely, like, I felt scammed when that set arrived, but at the same time, it's a pleasant size and it's served its purpose, especially due to the low quality, since that made that I was less afraid of damaging it in transport.
Might put a review on it up on my channel eventually...
I recently bought my first chess set, it's a folding board and it was cheap. In the place where I live there's not much choice. I would prefer a flat board though, so would my cats. That will be my next set, if I continue playing. I've just started less than two weeks ago with playing chess, not taking it too serious.
My first set after queens gambit was wooden, not magnetic, had a huge seam and pieces just slid around if bumped even a little. Honestly one of the best I found on Amazon for kids is the kidami plastic set. Costs almost nothing, the pieces look ok and they are just magnetic enough so that the pieces don’t slide.
thank you so much!!
the second part of buying the perfect chess set is then learning how to set it up x3
White square in the right hand corner, queen on her own colour, knights by rooks, you’re ready to go 🫡
Hi Lula, can you give me a link where to buy those big green chess mats? Thanks in advance.
any online chess shop will have them! just find one based in your country
chess maps for travelling and green folding chess for stays houses
I have several vintage Drueke sets and I was shocked as to what they’re selling for on eBay.
The first wood set I bought had a folding wooden board. The squares did not align along the fold. I still have that set, but never use it!
Now I wanna see a little video on you chess sets (in addition to videos about the chess tv show - lol)
I completely disagree. I bought a good quality folding chess set made by passionate peoples and it was the best thing I could buy to begin chess. I'm playing actively for two years and this smaller chess set has traveled with me everywhere and it was very cool to have a semi high quality chess set to play on at a bar or at a friend's place. I could study very well as well.
Do you have a link to it?
Great tips
I've been playing online for a few years now and don't have a chess club near by, looking to buy a electronic set to get used to over the board. There all so expensive so I think chessnuts probably the best option 😂
i just bought a chess set but i think ill buy a different one now to prep for my tournament, thank you!! ❤
Can’t wait to prep with u!
I have a glass set and I hate when pieces fall over. It's a terrible sound! And the felt bottoms aren't wide enough to make them feel comfortable or sturdy. If you make some kind of under-lit board, they might look cool, but that's more for show than functionality. And, which ones are supposed to be Black?? Clear or frosted???
I also never know which colour is which 😭
Disagree with the study set size. It's common and easy to have a study board that is smaller than tournament size.
I would also recommend people to buy a mousepad board over a vinyl board. Easier to fold and put in a regular book bag and it will sit flat right away.
I prefer a marble board and pieces made out of gold and silver since plastic is dangerous due to microplastics entering your pores and wreaking havoc on your body plus you may get a splinter from wood.
............
You could make another good video covering the different clocks available
Great idea!
Staunton next question
Lots of great advice, and useful links. I've subscribed to you're channel.
At the age of 74 I'm a beginner chess player. I was a veteran athlete, but a serious injury has forced me to find an alternative competitive interest.
I enjoy your videos, but a piece of advice for you, lularobs, if you want to improve the quality of your presentation. Try to drop the, like, vocal fry, like, uplift?
do you give unsolicited criticism every time you watch a youtube video or is this a special case?
Is it ok if i still pick a folding set because i always want to bring around my chess set so i can play with my friends lol
I have the magnetic metal and wooden one with the seem down the middle
🤣
just buy a set you like. doesnt matter which one.
i'm really sorry, but i think there are tooo much cuts ... think that's kind of stressful
but good summary of advices !
i was looking for that type of video and that type of person😅
I'd like to hear more about novelty chess sets.
I only have one! My *general* advice: don’t buy them. It’s unlikely you’re going to play on that over a standard set, unless it’s only a slight variation on normal pieces. No one wants to play on a Minions chess set
Don’t listen to Harry Potter! Bring an isle of Lewis to the club, you’ll get beat up by chess nerds out in the parking lot
I'm not a fan of these chess pieces like the lord of the rings theme or whatever, they look pretty but I think they are too hard to play on as its hard to tell what piece is what.
I think that a nice chess set has gold and silver chess pieces(for those who could provide the security). 😁
A glass chess board is just not good to play on.
OK as an ornament, I suppose.
However the worst and I mean the worst chess board I've ever played on was a Novelty chess board based on a cartoon program.
Just gave me a massive headache.
I like the ones made of mouse pad material.
I would absolutely spill coffee on it and it would smell like milk forever
You're looking amazing
Česká Klubovka FTW!
Good video, very informative.
I happen to have an enormous J. Jaques tournament-size Staunton set from ca. 1850, made of huge chunks of elephant ivory. In other words, irreplaceable. Compared to that, the workmanship of ALL modern sets of my acquaintance is just pitiful, particularly - of course - the knights. (The styling of the modern pieces is often better; the Jaques ones are a bit eccentric, albeit exceptionally well made). Some of the very expensive wood sets of today have knights which approach decency, but the other pieces are so glitzed up (to match the knights stylistically?) that they look like something one would see in the reception room of a house of ill repute. So I stick with the plastic sets. Several tournament size Stauntons available today are quite nice, and very economical - from maybe $12USD to (at tops) $40USD - tournament size, weighted, felted, etc. (Interestingly enough, my ancient Jaques set is NOT felted, and never was.) I personally avoid the common "club" set just about everybody sells, as the piece designs are just plain ugly, about as ugly as a Staunton can get. But they are available in a huge range of novelty colors, so they're good for kids, who wouldn't know well-sculpted chess pieces if they sat on them.
The next size down, sometimes called the "library" or "analysis" size, are decent playing pieces too, and use much smaller and handier boards. The best sets from the Big Box chain stores, like the old Milton-Bradley ones, were this size. But most chain-store sets are pretty grim; usable, but why bother when far better are available?
The best "board" material I've yet seen is silicone; it folds up into quite a small package and lies dead flat when flopped on a table. Mouse pad material boards are next best. Ten years or so ago they were of thicker pad material than current production; I'd say the thinner pads are better. Mouse pad "boards" are available in a wide range of colors, and even some fake wood grain which looks better than you'd guess. The common vinyl boards are OK though they have trouble lying dead flat after being rolled up for transport. But vinyl is available in the greatest range of sizes (pretty much everything from 1.375" to 2.5" squares) and colors. I prefer bigger pieces (or smaller squares) than most, but you won't see those in tournament play.
Note that sets from a century or so ago were very often in red and white. I have various ivory and bone sets in those colors. The reds are invariably FAR brighter than the reds that some plastic tournament size sets are made in today. I can't imagine why they use such a dark and dull color; I don't know of a modern manufacturer who uses anything like the proper red. Drueke's made their very attractive library-size octagonal-section pieces in black & white, or red & white. The reds were very close to the oldies, but of course Drueke's is now an oldie itself. The octagon design is about as wild as Staunton pattern pieces can get and still be considered basically Stauntons.
My favorite chess set is not something one would play with; the pieces are castings of a medieval gothic design which many mistake for the Lewis pieces, although really nothing like them. I bought them from a street vendor in London some fifty years ago and have never seen their like since - even the books don't show them. The Lewis pieces are pretty cool, too. There are various repros available today, many not all that accurate. I have some I bought from the British Museum, and they look very much like the genuine articles. I have Regency, Calvert, and Pulpit-style sets, but nobody would want to actually play with them today, as they look too weird. Spectacularly decorative, though.
I avoid pieces which are advertised as good for blitz; blitz isn't a game, it's a stunt, only good for people who secretly hate chess and want the game to be over as quickly as possible.
Lmao you sound insufferable.
Got here only because I saw my beloved Polish chess board in the miniature and now I feel a bit insulted. Honestly, there isn't anything better in it's price range. It's ok sized, its' wood and it's fun. Definitely more worth than the money you've payed for it.
I like it, I bought it for a reason, I just don’t play on it because it’s not super practical
i have no idea why i watched this
Because you need to buy a chess set
Because UFC is mindless so you’re improving by getting into chess
Too many memes but good information
man u should marry magnus carlsen
Just to let you know, I've returned the Purling London Chess set I bought for you, for a full refund, after you ignored my last comment. 😢
Just looked them up because of your posting. Oh, crap...
Thanks to you and your advice, I bought the perfect chess set 🫶🏼