Glad it will have a happy ending. I wouldn't be surprised if they sent you something for free to boot.  

I have bought a lot of stuff from HOS, never a problem. What I *think* has/is happening is that they are now in bed with the USCF, whereas before everything I bought from them was top notch, now they sell a bunch of c**p aimed at the scholastic market. It is hard to distinguish what is HOS branded and what is not.

HOS has the USCF contract and has had if for a while now. I would have to say they have done by far the best job yet handling their sales. 

Well, despite the bad review here (post #1), I just purchased a "Grandmaster" board and pieces from House of Staunton. Obviously I don't know how the pieces and board will hold up over time. I got the version with the 4" King.

But I do know that as delivered, I'm very happy with the set. The pieces were clean. They were very well packaged. The board is nice without chips. The website is now clear the board is veneered (as most of their boards are). The biggest nit I could find was that one piece has a little bit of glue stuck to the one felt. In practice, it doesn't hurt its usability at all.

Now they might all end up splitting like Paul Bunyon had at them. Time will tell. But currently this is a very nice chess set for the price.

Obviously this is an individual thing, but I like the design of this set a lot (not true of some others). One thing I would change about the design if I were doing it, is I would make the pawns slightly taller. Another thing I would change is if the slide-top box were just slightly bigger, all the pieces would fit inside standing up. That is not the case now. However, that slide top box is already on the large side, so I understand why they did not do that.

I'm a happy customer. In fact, I'm delighted with the set.

"The website is now clear the board is veneered (as most of their boards are)." General Rule of Thumb: If it cost less that $700 then the board is a veneer; if it costs more than $700 solid wood and no veneer. (the individual squares are solid blocks of wood, not plywood.

I've bought a lot of stuff from HOS, my favorite is their The Collector Series Luxury Chess Set - 4.0" King Boxwood and Rosewood which I paired with a CUSTOM made board w/ 2.5" squares made Purple Heart and Curly Maple, with a Rosewood boarder, w/ Spalted Maple corners and delimiter, with a Bloodwood inlay. The surface is finished in satin finish while the boarder is finished in either gloss or semi gloss finish.

Personally I wish they had not crawled into bed with the USCF, but don't fault them for doing so. Where I do fault them -- strongly -- is they mix Non-HOS c**p in with their HOS branded stuff which is vastly superior to the Non-HOS c**p. I have personally sent them a lot of business, though I usually specify the exact set or sets, and not to look at anything else. I know their product line from before they took over the USCF distributorship.  For those who are reading this and looking for a superior PLASTIC set then consider the HOS Plastic Marshall Series set which is probably the best plastic set on the market hands down. I have a set that I use to use 3X per week for about 10 years and it still looks almost new, and playing with it is a dream. The thing has taken a real pounding too, other sets by now would have been trashed several times over. If you really want a REAL chess set but the price of one of their wood sets is out of range, I strongly suggest the HOS Plastic Marshall Series with the standard 3.75" king.  I pair this up with a Chronos II chess clock, a Wholesale Chess roll-up Quality Vinyl Chess Board all of which is stored in an Wholesale Chess Premier Tournament Chess Set Bag, which is the largest bag on the market. I refer to this as the Ultimate Road Warrior kit. Throw in a book for recording of your games and any other odds and ends which you think essential, or comforting and you're always ready to go.

The "about 10 years" part of this could be significant. I've seen a number of posts on this forum claiming that the quality of the HoS plastic pieces is nowhere near what it used to be. I have no experience with the Marshall pieces from 10 years ago, but I got the 3.75" plastic Marshalls earlier this year, and I'm not impressed. The seams in the plastic is very prominent and make the pieces look cheap, the pieces are way too heavy, and a couple of pawns have already developed cracks in the bases without any significant abuse (I can't even remember having dropped a piece).

Thanks Shelby. Yep I know much USCF branded inventory they must carry... like you said HUGE. I just wish Sean would segregate the USCF branded stuff from their own stuff. The first set I bought from them was their Marshall Plastic set. I've bought and or given away at least 15 such sets, and recommended to countless number of people. There is only one set that I've used that I liked just as much and that was the old Drueke "Fire Plug" set -- ugly as sin but damn near indestructible. Some 22 year ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and most of the sets I used were either un- weighted or poorly weighted , and pieces usually at some point ended up on the floor and would break. Then I read a review of a plastic "Marshall" style set made by a company by the name of House of Staunton -- I never heard of them. So I bought a set and have never looked back.

When I was *thinking* about an attempted return to competitive chess I learned that the New Rule was BYOS, which meant I had to buy a clock. My favorite clock that I grew up with was the BHB Special with expanded 5 minute flag. I almost sent such a clock to the floor and decided I needed something built like a tank and with a very low center of gravity, enter the Chronos II (this was before the cheap knock offs that look almost exactly like the Chronos). After reading the horror stories about getting them serviced in a timely way I bought a second one on sale which serves as a backup. Both clocks are still working . The  roll-up vinyl board I got from Wholesale Chess was great -- nice and THICK was a cloth backing, MADE IN CHINA, though I think they may have changed distributors at least twice as I've re-bought that board  at least two or the times for friends and family, and each time the quality was different.  

As to the Chess bag... Wholesale Chess Premier Tournament Chess Set Bag, is the largest bag on the market -- I can fit a full size Chronos II inside its own clock bag and zip it into the clock compartment  -- But I've had to replace that bag at least 5 times now because it too is MADE IN CHINA, just like every other such bag, and they all have the same flaw: They use CHEAP Aluminum ZIPPERS and after about 1 year the handles will break  from metal fatigue. Indeed you can almost tell ANY bag -- be they chess bags, backpacks, camera bags, etc, they ALL use the same CHEAP Aluminum zippers.  Put in better zippers, an improvement on the side where books, score pads etc. are stored -- zipper it closed so that your stuff simply spill out the second you open it and you would have a REALLY good bag.  Now a days when I go looking to buy anything I first look to see if it was MADE IN CHINA, and if it was I will look to see if i can find a similar item Made in the USA, or someplace else other than China.

Any rate with my "Ultimate Road Warrior" kit I then entered a series of 4 UNRATED tournaments, Finish first outright, then tied for first in 2 other events, and second in the 4th one. After the 4th tournament the comeback road came to an end as I discovered  that my ability to record my moves was an impossibility. Now I simply for for fun, and "coach" a gentleman who is about 89, and another who is 83. most of the people in our group are veterans  -- WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, "Cold War" -- at 66 I think I am the youngest member. The 89 y.o. is an ACTIVE TOURNAMENT PLAYER!!! While I am not a great player last published rating ~ 1980 was 1664 , Class "B" and what those unrated tournaments proved is I have not lost a step and if anything maybe even a tad stronger  ~ 1700.

As to my GOOD set...

This is the HOS Collector Series with 4.0 king.

This is the  Collector's Series made in Boxwood and Rosewood.

It also came with a brass Plaque that also came with the Paper Certificate.

Part of the reason I bought this set is because of my Parkinson's I needed a set that would be very hard to knock over. The bases on this set are nice and wide and th set has really nice graceful lines. And yes tipping the king over was indeed very hard -- one might say the King is self righting. 

At the time I bought this set in 2009 it came with the Red Burl coffer, weighs a ton.

Here are the Rosewood pieces in the Bottom of the Coffer....

And the Boxwood pieces in the top half. There is 1 inch thick foam between both layers to prevents them from getting smashed

My previous attempts to photograph this set were under artificial lights, this time I did it under natural lighting out on my porch. The Board is a Custom Made board. The squares are each 2.5 inches. The Dark Squares are Purpleheart , the Light Squares  are Curly Maple, the Boarder is Rosewood, The Corners and  Delimeter are Spalted Maple, and the Accent Inlays are Bloodwood. The Border is finished in a High Gloss poly, while the playing surface is finished in Satin Non-Gloss. To insure that I do not smash the board when trying to pick it up are put it down I it customized with 4 rubber feet to absorb any shock due to my erratic movements.

HOS no longer offers the Collector Series in Boxwood and Rosewood, the pieces came not only with a Paper Certificate, but a Brass Plaque as well  Add to that custom board in shades of Cream, Browns, Reds, and Purple-Red, and all stored a in HEAVY Red Burl Coffer. This Custom made board was made shortly after the start of the Great Recession , and I got it at something like a 25% discount. I'd hate to have to try and replace either the set or the board today. 

azbobcat: That's an exquisite set. 

Thanks Shelby,

I've Bookmarked your page so I can check things out  I will be checking out the VTEK300 . As to playing with Parkinson's...

Yeah playing with Parkinson's can be a NIGHTMARE and if my tremors are too bad the first question I'm asked is, "Did you do your drugs?"I REFUSE to play anyone who has an UN-WEIGHTED  set or a wood set I tend to knock them all over the place. If I knock one to the floor I tend to cuss a lot and then it is a chore to get my head back in the game. Un-weighted set are a nightmare to play with as 50% of the time I'll accidentally DESTROY the position on the board trying to simply move a piece.

While these are FUN skittles games we play with a clock of 45 minutes, but the clock has two purposes: 1) Keep the game moving right along 2) Get our two tournament players to watch their time controls. We have a few CLASS "A" players and CLASS "A"/Experts but they sometimes come and sometime don't, thus my Class "B" rating is probably the highest of the "Regulars". 

Again thanks for your comments, and the link.

Sincerely,

AZBOBCAT

I've had my eye on this board for a while. Does anyone here know anything about it/have any experience with it?

Vavona Burl & Maple Superior Traditional Chess Board - 2.5"

https://www.houseofstaunton.com/vavona-burl-maple-superior-traditional-chessboard-2-5-squares-bundle.html 

The above link does not take you to the chess board.

Yeah the link does not work, HOWEVER... if you do a search for

Vavona Burl & Maple Superior Traditional Chess Board - 2.5"

... it gives you a the link to HOS and the board (Yeah I know very strange) but $329.00 ?!? I will assume it is a veneered board. Before I'd jump on this board I'd look around. Here are some boards that have 2.5" squares that cost about $150 -$300:

https://www.chessusa.com/category/chess-boards-25inch.html?CatListingOffset=0&Offset=0&Per_Page=12&Sort_By=price_asc

Here is a link to a solid wood board with 2.5" squares Made in America for $220:

https://sweethillwood.com/walnut-and-maple-chessboard-with-curly-maple-frame-2-inch-squares-2

And here is a link for unique boards that is worth visiting:

https://www.custommade.com/gallery/custom-chess-boards/

And here is a link to Italfana, and they are the makers of Italian Chess Boards.

https://www.italfama.it/eng/production_boards.php?categoria=20&sottocategoria=35

... and here is one more link that sells some nice boards:

https://thechessstore.com/tiger-ebony-maple-deluxe-chess-board-2-375-squares/

In short I would clearly look around BEFORE you buy a board from HOS as their boards are way over priced. I would not hesitate a second to buy pieces from them, but their boards....

Hope this helps.

Thanks very much azbobcat. That's very helpful. I'm curious though, based one some of the other stories in this thread, why no hesitation about purchasing pieces from HOS?

Again this is just my opinion, and everyone has one, that said... I started by buying the HOS PLASTIC Marshall set which is still in use today, the set is without a doubt the best plastic set in the market. I have bought or recommended this set at least 2  dozen times. Everyone who has bought this set has agreed. The HOS Collector Series Luxury Set with 4.0" King in Boxwood and Rosewood I bought on Lay-Away, they were the first to do that. I live in AZ where it is DRY and HOT, I sat down (phoned really) and discussed my unique situation to determine the best set for ME. An Ebony set in AZ is asking for trouble. Most of today's chess set sold today come with 4 queens (2 each side) was started by HOS. They have been the innovators of many of the trends in today's chess sets. In many, many ways HOS *is* the modern equivalent of the OLD Jaques of London. IF I had a bone to pick with HOS is that they took over the USCF business. While I understand it, my problem is they mix their premium stuff with pure junk I would never consider buying, but now they are trying to make their profit based on volume, so I can't fault them on that. That said it would be nice if they would segregate their stuff which tends to be of superior quality, from the stuff being pushed by the USCF. But their stuff?? At least when I bought my set back in 2009, you could not match a HOS set in terms of quality and workmanship. Their Plastic Marshal Set in Black and Natural from 10 feet away could almost pass for a wood set if placed on a decent wood board. I have given that set away for X-mas presents and people hold that set in reserve and use a cheaper set for skittles. There are really only two upscale chess companies to buy from: HOS being one, and the other being The Official Staunton Chess Company (which is located in the UK) Both seem to exert a lot of Quality Control, which is very similar to the OLD Jaques of London. 

Now caveat emptor: I suspect both have a substantial markup on their products. It is much, much harder to carve and properly weight a fine chess set, than to make a board (that does not mean that is an easy task either), but the boards sold by HOS have a ridiculous marked up and way beyond what most people can afford. I suspect their supplier for their veneer boards is Italfama, you can get a CUSTOM made board of your own design for $200=$300 less that you can buy a lesser quality board from HOS.

That board from Sweet Hill Wood  I posted the link to for a solid wood board with 2.5" squares for $220??  A steal!! Take a look at the prices for a solid wood board at HOS. The last time I checked the starting price was $700 and went up from there.  There are many places which can make you a CUSTOM board, get a price quote, then go over to the HOS website and look up the price of a similar board at HOS.

I can't remember who made my board but that is as custom as you can get. The guy who built it and I sat down and we kept working to design a board that tied the Boxwood and Rosewood pieces together colorwise to the board. It really was a collaborative Art project. He has a CAD program so we would try various wood combinations etc.

On the board I suggest you do your homework and do a wide internet search. Check the links I found, those were ones I remember. There are some veneer boards which were colored birdseye maple and curly maple you could get in a variety of square sizes. That solid wood board from Sweet Hill Wood... I've NEVER seen a solid wood board regardless of color with 2.5" squares  at that price -- NEVER!!! Do your homework, I suspect you will find something at least as good if not better than the board you are looking at HOS, and save a lot of money in the process.

Frank Camarratta has had his prices up there since he started in the 90’s.  His claim to fame was and has been the high quality of both his designs and manufacturing.

I remember when Frank first started providing the extra Queens.  And he definitely was the first to do this.

Frank no longer owns or runs The House of Staunton, so the current prices, piece design offerings, and such are not all reflective of Frank, except...

Frank does have his signature line that he designed and oversees the production.  I just bought my coming birthday and Christmas present in the form of his Craftsman Series set in Blood Rosewood.  I was told that HoS must pay him a commission on these sets.

This set is really, really nice and I expect to use it a lot in play.  I will post pictures when I get a chance.

Again, thank you very much for your detailed response. I'm happy to hear that you were pleased with The HOS Boxwood/Rosewood Collector Series Luxury Set with 4.0" King as that's the set I've had my eye on as well. 

Just one wee small note: The set set I bought in 2009 is no longer made. The set HOS currently offers besides the Boxwood and Ebony is something called Boxwood and Blood Rosewood which, if my sources are correct, is really a variety of Sandalwood. I have also heard -- you will have to check this out -- that sets made with "Blood Rosewood" also have a tendency to crack, though not nearly to the extent that ebony does.

If I was going to buy a set today I would clearly be looking at the HOS The Exotique Collection -- Imperial Collector Series w/4.0 King. 5 Different types of woods to choose from. Features the Imperial Knight. I would check to see if people are having problems or not with Blood Rosewood cracking. 

I bought the grandmaster chess set 4 inches combo from HOS two weeks ago, I think that the kings and the rooks have a too big base for the set.  the king is too tall for the set too.  I am planing to buy a wood set from "the chess store" and put that HOS chess set away in its box where it belongs.  

I am not going to totally disagree with you, that said. I would like to make a few observations:

1) I would NEVER by a "set" from anyone HOS says that the King Base size is 1.65" and the recommended square size 2.25". If you buy a "set" you need to ask what is the square size of the included board. If the square size is 2.0" it is going to look and feel cramped.

2) I am peculiar. A 4.0" king with a 1.65" base would -- depending on how it was weighted -- would in my hands probably would be top heavy as compared to the same king size with a base of 1.8". Though I noted in the description HOS claims that the King is NOT 1.65", but 1.625". Why the discrepancy? No idea but I would check. Maybe the shrank the base side down to fit a 2.0" board?   

3) Most boards you buy today are going to be veneers. Most veneered boards made today -- even fairly expensive boards -- tend to all use particle board for the substrate, NOT plywood. The solution -- if you want to but a wood board -- is to buy a solid wood board that does not use veneer, and uses plywood as the base, but these boards will cost between $700+ and up.

4) My preferred board to to buy a quality vinyl board, that cost between $5-$10, and simple pocket the differential. 

5) You you buy a "set" assume that the board that is included is going to be a bottom of the barrel board

6) In all fairness the "Grandmaster 4.0" pieces are towards the bottom of the price point at ~$109-$119, though at that price you should get, and expect to get, half way decent wood pieces. 

Now as a point of comparison, I will compare my "beater" set which is the HOS Plastic Marshall set. The Marshall set is the defacto Tournament regulation size -- 3.75", the King Base size on my Plastic set is 1.75". The recommended square size 2.25" - 2.375". Given my Parkinson's I prefer to use the 2.375" square size, though for skittles, 2.25" works very well. My Plastic Marshall set plays like a DREAM!!! (Though my Luxury Collector Series set with a 4.0" king and has a base of 1.8" I use a board with 2.5" squares rather than 2.375", for the same reason above".

Take away: Your set at 4.0" has a narrower base which would make it top heavy in my hands. Just for fun I'd measure the square size to see if it is 2.0" or 2.25". IF I were to hazard a guess I'd guess that the board square size is 2.0", not 2.25". If you have a standard vinyl board with 2.25" squares, just for fun set your set up on the vinyl board. IF I am right and the included board has 2.0" squares, and not 2.25" squares, you should see a vast difference.

IF you plan to buy another set from whoever, do yourself a BIG favor: Buy the pieces and the board SEPARATELY. Buying a "set" is an invitation to buy the CHEAPEST board available... and that usually means a smaller size board. 

Me?!? I could NEVER use the Grandmaster pieces -- simply too tall with too narrow a base. I'd MURDER a good wood set like that!!! I realize that this might sound like heresy, but for day in and day out use the HOS Plastic Marshall series with a high quality vinyl board with 2.25" squares is the best knockabout set I have ever used. The pieces I think cost about $28, very heavily weighted, can take a real beating (my set is over 12 years old and sill looks good in spite of constant use), and from 10 feet away the Black and Natural set could almost pass for a wood set. I have either bought this set as a gift for friends, or recommended dozens of times. It really is a GREAT set at a very affordable price. 

Hope this post helps.

As I stated back in post #89 I purchased the Grandmaster set, and I'm very happy with mine. Different strokes and all that. I felt they had described it well, and at least my copy was very clean without the dents and scratches mentioned. I use mine very frequently, both to play and to work on Yusupov, and it has been holding up quite well.