Reykjavik II Chess Set -- The House of Staunton -- Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ม.ค. 2025
- Review of The House of Staunton's LIBRARY Reykjavic II Series Chess Set.
I've done no editing on this video, or added any annotations, so you're getting my imperfect review as is.
I feel like these pieces go really well with the board! Great Video!
Dude! Outstanding video review! I really enjoyed you take and observations on details and aspects of the pieces I normally do not consider.
Thanks
DT
Thanks! It was your videos that inspired me to do this. I have more videos on the way, btw. I tried to pretty much do what you do because I enjoyed the thoroughness...as a fellow addict. Thanks again, dude.
Very awesome review! I hope you continue to upload these because they are very informative. Keep up the great work.
loufy10 Thanks! I have no words to excuse my laziness. I'll put those two other reviews up soon.
Why're the Rooks so small? It's a major piece it should be at least same the size of Bishop but here it's no bigger than the pawn.
Great Review!. FYI, another rule of thumb is that from a sizing standpoint you should be able to fit 4 pawns on one square to have the correct proportions between the size of the board squares and the base of the pieces. also, with a 20 in board with 3 3/4 in king
17 in with 3 in king,14 in with 2 1/2 king
i prefer bigger pawns i go for two diagonally to fit.
Good to know. I did not know that.
Ebonized is a chemical process using oxidation to turn the wood black rather than dye or paint
Thanks, Einstein.
HOS does have some quality control issues (my experience) in their manufacturing arm of their operation as well as shipping issues(again, my experience, ymmv). I buy from RCM with confidence and if there is an issue, they stand behind their product well(which rarely is there an issue). When I purchase from HOS, I nervously wait and keep my fingers crossed that the product they ship will be okay( incidents with them are way too common) and will even arrive at all. RCM has good customer service where as I don't get a warm, fuzzy feeling at all when trying to resolve issues with HOS(again, ymmv).
Many thanks, very interesting. Just goes to show = beauty is in the eye of the beholder. For example, me personally, I like deep crenellations in rooks. And I don't at all mind grain in the wood for the 'dark' pieces, I quite like it - but I also like the smoothness of box and ebony. That's the beauty of the Staunton style I feel - so much room for variety of design but differing pieces 'subliminaly' instantly recognised. I like your comment re. relative size of queen and king; important - also, too small a queen affects the look of the king, can make it look too big and sort of clumsy.
Chas UK.
Thanks, Brian. I agree. For some things, there is no explanation needed other than "I just like it." Even if I think deep crenelations shouldn't be deep, as they are not that deep in real life, there's nothing to prevent someone from saying that this 'realistic representation' is not significant. There's no rule that says this should be a standard. People are free to prefer deep crenelations even while recognizing that they're not realistic-looking, or not as realistic-looking.
For the price of this set I don't expect any pieces to be cracked.
Fair enough, but these kinds of imperfections or defects are likely common, especially when they are mass produced and shipped thousands of miles to you.
@@braininahat the set you show above, if the black pieces are ebony, lists for something like $450. I expect better.
@@tonyennis3008 The pieces are not ebony. They ebonyzed, meaning they were dyed black. The set is closer to $150 at most.
@@braininahat the ebonized set is currently $250 from HoS, and +$200 for ebony. Reykjavik II is probably my favorite design of all time, btw. good stuff.
Just got the same set last week. Didn't really pay attention but after watching your video I found FOUR of the pawn bases creaked!!! Hopefully I can get some replacements soon.
I hope you're satisfied with the set. I say this only four years after you commented, so I'm sure you'll read this.
what good's a rook without bottom half protection?
Exactly!
i just got this queens are remarkably small huh? but like the set. its classic yet a dainty modernish simple chunky set good for playing.
I have to say that your review of this set of chess pieces is very benevolent for how poor the craftsmanship is overall - especially considering that kind of money. I'm a big fan of this particular world championship match but I'm totally disappointed about this set. It's cheap looking and obviously it even feels cheap. The rooks are a catastrophe. The tins will break quickly and I bet that they don't even have to drop to the floor for this to happen. The sizes of the pieces are terrible too indeed. What a shame! Take a look at the new Capablanca Series Luxury Chess Pieces. They got everything right with that set which they got wrong with the Reykjavik II.
I agree with your color contrast/simplicity point. I'm always worried when looking at a set if it's not Boxwood/Ebonized Boxwood. But what do you think of Rosewood? Would it be dark enough for you personally?
It's not my preference, but I appreciate the Rosewood pieces, grain and all.
Awesome video. Congrats! I have the plastic HOS version of this set. But, i confess, the felt of plastic version is terrible. Very thin and short. This set of the video is beatiful!
I appreciate the comment, man. I'm a big fan of plastic sets. They're stylish and let us bang pieces with authority like Dominoes when we want to make a point.
I agree with the wood grain opinion. I dont like wood grain on the chess pieces. It looks very nice on the board though.
You, sir, have impeccable taste and intelligence for agreeing with me.
What's the name of chess set in sherlock holmes movie in las scence?
+Dina Alashry
No idea.
Hello BIH. Do you know if this particular set will be retired? It's sold only in Golden Rosewood on the website and I feel when the HOS has many sets with different types of wood unavailable in certain models the HOS tends to retire those models for good because they don't sell well. I just made a bundled deal to get 2 sets. The Professional & Gambit Series chess sets in 3.75" and 4.0" both in Golden Rosewood both for $196. shipping was @ $12 extra. I like the look of both sets and this one is one I'd like to have as a "banger" set so I wouldn't mind some of the imperfections you had pointed out. Those loose pieces as you stated can be fixed with clear Gorilla Glue. But I draw the line on cracks. If any of the sets come in a cracked condition I'll send them back and negotiate a flawless set within the same price range.
+braininahat Update: I received both sets and 3 knights from the Professional series came as loose as a goose from their bases. The Clear Gorilla Super glue did the fix just fine. When I compared the two sets The Gambit series is a MONSTER in size. If there was a way to post photos here i'd show the difference between the two. I'd wish it wasn't being discontinued but fortunate to get the last one they had to sell in a complete set and in flawless condition nonetheless. If I were you, I'd check out the Chessbazaar Website and see what interests you there under the Mid-Range pieces set catagory. I've picked up 2 sets there, the D0177 and D0138. The latter cost me $160.99 and I opted to buy other bishops from another set because my preference in bishops is to have broader looking hats and deeper wider mitered cuts. On the other hand the D0177 was perfect as is @$134.99. I'm thinking of picking up M0064 called the Collector 4.8" King in Sheesham wood, just marked down to $99.99 from $125.99 this week. This set has a more "slender profile" look to the pieces but that's OK with me I have plenty stout robust sets and this one will look outstanding on any board and you can't beat the pricing of free shipping for all of their sets to boot.
Thanks for the info, man.
What size are the squares on the chess board?
2 inches
Thanks man. Great video.
The 2.0 version is just more refined especially the Knight
What color is the chess board?
Purple and chartreuse
I'm looking to get this set, but I think I'll purchase it from wholesale chess.
i likes the rook shape but not its height
Mo Ceasar - what’s wrong with the height? they’re lower than both Knight and Bishop but taller than the pawns.... how would you want them??
Mo Ceasar prefer same height as knight. Bishop seems too tall,
Makes queen look small.
I own this particular set... I had to pay a lot for it.
I really wan tthis set but the rooks don't look durable .
I no longer buy products from HoS/USCF Sales. The quality to price ratio is too unbalanced. Getting McDonald's quality but paying Steakhouse prices. Whether it is plastic or wooden sets I've received from them. They have such poor quality to being unacceptable on every order I received from them. I think I only have one set left from them. All of the other sets I have received. I either gave them as gifts or sold them.
+saved03
Chess, in general, is a helluva business. People are selling $40, $50, $60 chess books. Chess books! It's crazy. More crazy -- I buy them. Or, I did. I like chess sets. They aesthetically please me, especially because they're tools, not just art like a painting. But, still, I cannot spend more than $500 on a set. I tend to think no chess set is worth that kind of money. Heck, I have trouble justifying $150 for a chess set, but then I don't have to. The House of Staunton's prices aren't significantly worse or better than that of the other chess stores, nor is the quality significantly better or worse -- at least that's been my experience.
+braininahat I know that not every business is perfect but when I have some sort of issue on every order I receive. Then I can no longer support that business. I agree with you about the higher end sets are a waste. I want to play with them not to display them only like in a museum. I like Ebonized Boxwood sets more as well but a Rosewood set is one I am willing to use & buy as well. Golden Rosewood I hate because it reminds me too much of what is in your toilet bowl if you know what I mean. I'll play a game with Golden Rosewood but I'm not into buying one.
Bad review! Don’t understand why you complaining about the design of reproduction pieces of a historical event. The point of these pieces are to be exact replica. So, stop complaining about the design. You spent 75% of the review on the design that did not add anything to the quality of the reproduction.
You don't understand why a review about chess pieces includes criticism of their design? When I do book reviews, am I allowed to talk about the content? I don't get your complaint. We can all recognize that these are reproductions of a historical set (not an "event"), but we can still criticize the design of that original or historical set, which is what I'm doing here. And, really, how can someone add to the quality of the reproduction? Maybe I'll dig up my whittling knife for the next review.