This chess set looks like a great ‘first chess set’ gift idea. I really appreciate the finish quality of those pieces, and their modern/minimalistic design. The almost seamless and the absence of plastic flashing on those piece moulds joints indicate a good level of quality. Your camera work really captured that pretty well. I only wish there was a triple weighted high polymer version of this set made available at the $100 price point or even a little higher. That table also looked really good & very sturdy. Many thanks for your chess related content & product reviews. Congrats on the sweet 16 on your channel. I’m sure that this level of quality content will bring you the next ‘16 milestones exponentially quicker. Cheers!!
I don't usually care for the modernistic sets, but this one really is sharp. A nice balance between modern and traditional. But ... way WAY too light. I'm not sure why they do this. No one likes a light set.
I have been waiting so long for someone to make this design as a plastic set!!! Sucks though that they are so light, if they were heavier, i would have bought a set in a heartbeat
I got this set, it's a nice no frills travel beater set. I regular take mine to work or a Coffee and game locally. Also it's nice to have a contemporary set, though not my favourite, also, got mine used for about half of retail. I tend to use other folding boards. I do like the set overall... though I do think it could have been better out of the box- maybe a couple of pouches, a silicone board and a little more weight to the pieces even if it cost the extra I would have been happy to add the set. Then again, most folks are likely to have spare of the above. It's still functional imo which is the main thing. 🙋🏻♂️
Hello Al I see that you review many chess sets. Are you a player / collector and if so how many sets do you own both totalling wood, plastic and other materials. I own around 300 sets myself both wood and plastic. Some are of the same design like the Romanian National Tournament set but in different woods and from different crafters. I own 7 of these from Chessbazaar, Royal Chess Maill and Romanian IM Biro Sandro the original creator of the Romanian National Tournament set which is in my opinion the nicest of the two aforementioned. I stick mostly to Staunton type or Russian type Chessmen. I own 6 Dubrovniks of different companies and will purchase the unweighted Royal Chess Mall Dubrovnik version in Antiqued and Ebonized woods in June. Just some of my lot I immensely enjoy. I also own 3 E Boards, DGT Bluetooth E Board in walnut, The Centaur and just recently the Chessnut Pro which I’m still gathering accessories to really get deep into the learning of the tactics with Fritz and a tablet stand to view my games on a IPad screen. I have an iPhone but my Vision is sort of compromised and the larger screen helps me study my games. Best regards, Jorge NYC.
Knight is a so-so approximation of the really nice wood piece. Not weighted, just filled. And the Queen and King look too much alike in one's peripheral vision. Last night I watched a stream in Paris using these pieces where Anna Cramling had to step in and swap her opponent's K & Q for him because he confused the pieces on board setup. Best part of the set is that Knight, but only in wood.
The super light pieces are a dealbreaker for me. There are plenty of cheaper sets out there that are triple weighted and are readily available to buy in stores.
Good video. I got this set two years ago from Chess House for about $35, plus shipping (though I think I ordered some other stuff at the time that pushed me into the free shipping range). The box I have looks the same from the outside, but instead of sliding open like yours, mine flips open. But the flip design is prone to being damaged in shipping which my box was. They sent me another one, but without the pieces: I can't believe they cheaped out like that with how cheap this set is. So, now I have two boxes, two folding boards, but only one set of pieces! The piece design is great, but I wish it was at least twice as heavy, and had thicker pads on the bottom. The existing pads are basically just paper. They really should make a set for $20 more to remedy those issues. - PS - that table is a better deal than the set! 🙂
Don't apologise for not having enough money for the wooden version. I'm sure most of your viewers are in the same boat, one day, we will all have the wooden W.C.C set and reminisce about our £40. plastics!! I own this set and can't fault it . I use it with my green/white silicon roll up, like on coffee chess. Respect from the UK. J.
The original chess set is so called triple weighted. That is required because the chessmen are quite tall compared with the base width. The plastic set is much lighter, which makes it quite unstable. Yet the set is almost exact replica of the official WCC set.
I like your chess set, but it looks a little smaller than the original set. It's probably 3.75" (but I can't tell if your kit has the same dimensions). But still, it's a really good kit.
Thanks for the review. I probably wouldn't be interested in this set. The pieces are too light and the king design would be better used as a queen (less the cross). The knight is interesting in its simplicity, but this simplicity seems silly in plastic, where it offers little savings. I appreciate the reviews that convince me not to buy a set perhaps more than the really positive ones.
The design of this plastic knight is more closer if not accurate (in reference to the design created by daniel weils) in comparison from wooden counterparts.
I bought both the official wooden pieces and the academy edition. The plastic pieces are smaller and slimmer than the official wooden pieces, knights being the least accurate copy.
I'd say the board is about what you'd expect from a cardboard folding board, the surface is coated and tough. Folding is good, although long term repetitive folding and unfolding may prove to weaken the folds over time. For regular play should be sufficient!
Last night i put 6 white pieces, each of tghe kinds, on the table. And my younger bother come to my room and said, "Is that made by wood?" "Nah, plastic" "Oh, but they quite like wood"
The shape of these chess pieces is horrible. Nothing to do with the classic Staunton design, which remains by far the best. Incomprehensible how Fide could choose a set like this.
I agree, with your overall assessment. However, the classic Staunton influence is clearly in much evidence, albeit muted. One wonders whether this design was an attempt to tone down Christian imagery whereby the cross pattée of the king is now merely a stump. Maybe FIDE has been infected by the woke virus?
@@andros1961 With which I heartily agree. There's something artless, vaguely Stalinist about the design of this set, as if the designer was on a purposeful mission to erase history and tradition. That it was conceived by a modern architect comes as no surprise to me given the many monstrous buildings they create.
Well said nasty set ,I collect chess sets and couldn't belive they chose this monstrosity of a set to be used in a championship , bishop looks like a butt plug.
