i bought mine off of the us chess federation site, it's held up for almost ten years, and since it's "standard" you can bring it to any tournament and no one can whine :) .
Link here: http://www.uscfsales.com/chess-sets/tournament-chess-sets.html
and i think i have the 3x weighted one...the heavier pieces are worth the extra five bucks IMO
Thanks! That was going to be another question of mine - I was wondering if the extra weight is worth it and I actually don't know if my old pieces were weighted or not.
I'll look into the uscf site
I like triple or better yet quadruple weighted pieces but if you don't even know if your old pieces were weighted or not this may not be a big issue for you. Personally I like pieces that don't get knocked over by the slightest disturbance and I also like the weight and heft of heavy pieces.
BTW USCF is always honest and reliable, but not necessarily the cheapest. Just go to Google - shopping and you'll discover several other large, reliable sellers of chess equipment.
Yeah, I'd rather the pieces be heavier rather than feel flimsy and constantly make me wonder "what if?"
What price range should I be expecting? I'm seeing things in the 20-40 range. I'm guessing that is normal.
What is the difference between vinyl and "mousepad" boards?
Looks like a decent package, Cubis. There are actually 3 kinds of rollup boards available now: vinyl, mousepad, and silicone. Vinyl is the cheapest and most available. It is thin and can get a little ratty looking after awhile, but certainly does the job. Mousepad boards are made of the same material as, well, mousepads. Thicker, pieces won't slide, a little nicer looking; just don't get it wet. Silicone is the newest material and has the advantage of not having to be rolled up since it won't wrinkle. Definitely feels a little strange and is harder to find and a little more expensive, but you can literally roll it up in a ball and stuff it in a pocket and it will be fine. You might want to check Ebay for their offerings as well. Use a filter like "tournament" or "staunton" to weed out all the goofy theme sets. I picked up a nice HOS set in mint condition for $30 delivered last month.
Handy household hint: For rollup bds I've always purchased some PVC pipe a few inches longer than the bd size and a big enuff diameter to roll the bd up in it easily; on one end I glue a pipe fitting for the end of water pipes and on the other end put on a replaceable cap. Your local hardware store can help out with all this.
Some peeps don't like shlepping the bd around separately of their fancy schmancy chess bag that holds the bd, set, clock and maybe a book too but back east I liked having a legally unconcealed weapon for some of the rougher chess neighborhoods I played in.
I'm also looking to get a set like this. I can't decide between the vinyl and mousepad. I know vinyl allows sliding pieces, but how much roll up memory do they retain? I've seen people play on them, and they sometimes have rolled up corners, and creases in the middle, like along the 4/5 divide if they were folded. I know the mousepad ones lay flat every time. Does anyone know if the vinyl ones can be cleaned like with glass cleaner or soapy water? I've seen a few that I'd like to clean for them, having dark stains on them and what not. - thanks
If you're worried about creases and cleanliness, then maybe you should think about a silicone board. They'll never crease and according to another thread you can throw one right in the dishwasher to keep it clean. I can't confirm the dishwasher by personal experience, but I do know they absolutely won't wrinkle. They feel a little funny-someone once posted that they feel like he imagines a dead person's skin feels, but I can live with that.
I thought I read somewhere the pieces do not slide easily (or at all) on vinyl bds?
I don't know. It seems that I remember reading someone say that pieces slid well on the vinyl. I have heard that they don't slide well on the mousepad version.
You might wanna double-check this before buying a vinyl bd. If nothing else ask the people who sell them and make sure you can return the bd if what they tell you about it is incorrect.
I used to have a vinyl board and they most certainly allow the pieces to slide. It's been a while, but I do remember that.
I ended up going with this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/QUADRUPLE-WEIGHTED-Tournament-Chess-Set-NEW-Black-Vinyl-Board-Staunton-Chessmen-/190732844237?pt=Games_US&hash=item2c68903ccd
Quadruple weight sounds nice! I should be getting it today or tomorrow so I'll let you guys know how I like it.
$28 delivered ? Killer deal! Nicely proportioned set too.
Wow, the set weighs over 4 lbs.? That's awesome. Let us know, cubis! I'm interested!
@ tellmeaboutit ...... That set looks cool, I see the pieces are even made from silicone. The price is a touch prohibitive to me. $65 plus shipping. It's a bit more than I can go at the moment. Thanks for the info, though!
I got it! It's awesome! The set feels really good. You can definitely feel the weight, and you can tell that it is centralized in the base of the pieces. I really like the feel of the pieces. The vinyl came folded rather than rolled up, I imagine because it was easier to pack that way, but despite very slight creasing, it was in great condition.
I am super happy with my purchase. The quality of the pieces is something I don't think I can get over lol.
On a brief google search, I found a number of sites that sell tournament chess sets - the vinyl or "mousepad" boards with the weighted (plastic?) pieces.
where is the best place to purchase one of these? I'm thinking price vs customization (board color, single-double-triple weighted, etc) and package deals.
I used to have like 3 hand-me-down tournament chess sets from my high school's dying chess club, but after 7 years and 7 moves, i have no idea where they got lost at. ( ._.)