Best Chess Sets under 200$

Hi Everyone:

I am learning how to play Chess thanks to this site. I've never had a teacher, but now I'm hooked because of this site. Now, I would like to buy a good wood chess set for around 200$. I have no idea which companies are reputable and have the best deals online. Any advice would be great. I really have no idea what brands, etc. I should look for.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Mike

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/ has some good wooden sets for just about any price range.

House of Staunton is top of the line

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/default.asp?m=0

The sets at The Chess Store look nice also. I have not dealt with them but have heard good things about their stuff from people on chess.com site.

http://www.thechessstore.com/?gclid=CJ_i88PTo6wCFYEDQAodqRc__w

Good luck

Wow. These are some beautiful sets. Thanks for the advice so far. THis is exactly the type of set I am looking for. One other question.

Are there any accessories I may need that would be helpful? Things to protect the set, for playing, etc.?

Thanks everyone. THis is a very helpful website. Im kind of shocked how quick people got bact to me!

Mike

I wouldn't worry too much about accessories just yet. Eventually you might want to get a clock, but I'd personally reccommend getting the best actual set and board you can, and worry about a clock later.

One thing you might want to look at, though, is a box for keeping the pieces in (assuming you're not going to leave the pieces set up permanently). If you're going to buy your chess set from House of Staunton, they have these.

If you need a hand selecting a good set/board combo or size, there are plenty of people here who can help you with that, too.

Don't forget to check out Ebay.  Use "Staunton" or "House of Staunton" to filter out all the goofy theme sets.   Some astounding deals available on gently used high end sets as well as "direct from India" sellers.  I got a little 3" ebony set from such a seller (Chess Bazaar) for $45 delivered.  Periodically HOS sells off excess stock on Ebay and the bargains there are staggering.  You do have to do your research however.  Because HOS has periodic sales, sometimes you see used sets selling for more than they would cost new.  Best of luck and happy shopping.

Do you think its wiser to buy the "set" (board, pieces storage all in one), or to buy seperately? I think to myself that usually items like this in a set are a better bargain then purchasing seperately?

I have my eyes on this set:

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/product_p/trnclasscombo.htm

Thanks!

Mike

It's probably marginally cheaper to buy them as a set. That said, you could probably reduce the price a bit if you bought an ordinary board instead of the trioir, but otherwise it looks like a decent deal. Note that there are different woods available at HOS, so know that if you go for something like Rosewood pieces, the dark side will be brown instead of black.

Also, HOS also has coupons that you can use to save 10-20% off of your order.

EDIT: Also, that set is pretty big (4 inch kings). I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but they're certainly on the big side.

I think some of the best deals in full wood sets (pieces, board, and box) are in the 3.5" category. Here is an example:

http://www.thechessstore.com/product/NEB350M/New-Exclusive-Chess-Set-Ebonized-Boxwood-Mahogany-Board-Box-35.html

Don't forget to sign up for House of Staunton and USCF email lists. Both websites sell the same items but they offer different coupons. You'll get an email about every two weeks.

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/default.asp

http://www.uscfsales.com/?Click=28303

Excellent. Thanks everyone!

Please check out our handmade chessmen from Slovenia, we believe they have no match anywhere. :)

The basic BCE Stage 1 Natural set is right at your price range:

http://bestchessmenever.com/western/

-Izmet

The other are right!  HOS or TCS if you,live in the US.  I have ordered from both and both are exelent companies.  I do not yet however have any wooden pieces from TCS but their tounament equipment, like vinyl boads, bags and plastic pieces are exelent. My wood sets are HOS but my next wood set will be TCS in order to compare.

Both HOS and TCS have given me excelent customer service.

I have also purchaced stuff from Amercan Chess Equipment (amchess.com) and Wholesale chess.  Both have exelent customer service. But not sure of the quality of the wooden sets.

I know this is a fairly old thread, but for anyone in the market for a new chess set - I can warn against The Chess Store. While their sets are of a high quality, the photos on their website are old and they have since switched manufacturers. The new manufacturers sets DO NOT match the images anymore. I found this out the hard way.

If you shop The Chess Store, ask for custom images of the set you're interested in. Otherwise you may get a bit of a surprise.

You can also check Stylish Chess offer:

http://stylishchess.com