How many chess sets do you need?

I think the term need is relative to context...

If you wish to host a tournament, then you need as many chess sets as that would require. If you wish to make your den be dedicated to a chessic theme and want it to reflect your personality then who knows, but, if you ask whether or not a person needs a single chess set to survive, the answer is no. However, I believe you need at least one chess set in your life to say you have lived...

How many sets do I need? At least one more than I currently own, which is about 15, including plastic and magnetic sets.

Since I play out in three different type of venues: 1) in homes with large tables able to accommodate a large 2.5" board with 4 - 4.5" kings, 2) at chess club meetings, which works well with 2.125" or 2.25" boards and 3.5 - 4" kings, and 3) cafes and coffee shops with smaller tables that work best with 2" or 2.125" boards and 3 - 3.75" kings.

My 2.125" and 2.5" boards have squares only (no frames), which makes them easier to fit on smaller tables. So my large 2.5" board is the same size as a 2.25" (20") vinyl board, and the 2.125" board is the same size as a 1.875" (17") vinyl. I plan on ordering a similar 2" board later this month, which will give me a bit more space at the coffee shops.

For variety, I have about 3 or 4 wooden sets for each of the three size boards. For me, this seems to work. I'll probably sell off at least two sets before buying any more new ones.

I like most of these answers.  Need & Want are 2 different things & both can change. If u play tourneys or in a club, a standard plastic set with roll-up board is pretty much a need.  at home, a decent wooden one - i have a nice, but worn wooden club-type set that was my dad's which i'll keep until i pass it down.  a small travel set is good to have. anything else is a "want" imo.  a display set, maybe themed; a premium wooden one; and if you call yourself a "collector", well...

Clearly the answer is "one more".

Kim collectors like to buy as many as they can. 

Also if you are careful of what you buy you could probably get close to your money back when you want to sell a few off if need be or you just don't want so many. Your $119 shoes once bought wouldn't fetch much after yoiu wear them a few times.  On the other hand your Dubrovnik set you bought for $119 could probably be sold for $85 tomorrow with no problem getting a good chunck of your money back. 

Therefore buy away but choose wisely.  

I have your first set bought it from a charity shop for £2 ( about $3) and it's perfect for the house. I've found a board at my fathers place of work and it goes really well. I've alo got a set of weighted plastic pieces i found on ebay that came with a new saitek blue clock. I was more interested in the clock but those peices are lovely now i've re felted the bottoms. Only problem is that they have really broad bases and dont look nice on a 2 1/4 inch square. Might go for a nice wooden one someday of maybe a full dgt board if money is no object one day! nice thread!

I got that Pressman set at Walmart in the early 1990s when I was visiting my brother in Arizona. I think it was around $10. I'd bought a similar set (also from Pressman I think) locally when I was a kid, which used the same "Club Special" style solid plastic pieces and included a woodgrain folding board, but I never liked the color scheme of it, because the pieces were dark maroonish-brown for black, and something along the lines of a "camel" color for the white, plus they were glossy. It was a huge improvement over this set though:

http://store.schoolspecialty.com/OA_HTML/xxssi_ibeGetWCCImage.jsp?docName=F1625824&Rendition=Large

Which at the time was the most common set in department and toy stores (often the only set they sold), and is one of the worst chess sets ever made in my opinion. It has tiny hollow plastic pieces with narrow bases that tip over if you look at them wrong, and includes the same red & black board that is most commonly bundled with cheap checkers sets. They also made a different version which included the same horrible pieces, but a better board, i.e., a Masonite board with screen printed black squares:

http://s3.amazonaws.com/thmb.inkfrog.com/pix/DHUEBNER/P1190958_edited.JPG/450/0

That version was worth buying just for the board, though it only had 1.5" squares. My 5th grade teacher (who taught me chess) used one of those boards with his old Drueke wooden pieces (3" king). Those pieces should have had a 1.75" board, but the 1.5" board wasn't too bad.

The very first chess set I ever used was one of these:

Made by Whitman. My grandmother had one of those among her huge collection of toys and games that she kept on hand for when her grandkids came to visit. My cousin and I discovered that set while we were visiting Gram one day and decided to try to figure out how to play. As far as cheap hollow plastic pieces go, that set is as good as it gets in my opinion; way better than those tiny Pressman pieces. The one in the picture above, I bought for the sake of nostalgia a few years ago; it was brand new, still sealed in plastic. I figured I owed it to myself, considering how my cousin and I looked in every store we could think of back in '85 for a chess set "like Gram's", but all we could find were those ridiculous tiny-piece Pressman sets.

Back to the "Club Special" style Pressman set I bought in Arizona; I was out there visiting my older brother and wanted to play chess with him. We hadn't played chess with each other since about '85, because I did en passant during a game with him, and he accused me of cheating. I pulled out the rule sheet and showed him that it was a legal move. He conceded that it was a legal move, but didn't think it was fair that I didn't tell him about the rule before we started playing, and he swore he'd never play chess with me again, which of course was absurd. This was very uncharacteristic of him; he was typically a bastion of logic and reason. I think the real reason was: he knew I was quickly improving due to playing my 5th grade teacher (who was also a chess coach) every night, and he didn't want to get beaten by his younger brother.

By the early '90s when I was visiting him in Arizona, we were both adults and he'd gotten over the en passant thing, so we went shopping for a chess set. That Pressman set was exactly what I was looking for, and had the color scheme I wanted (matte black and ivory pieces). At this point, it wasn't even a contest though, given that I'd improved a lot since I was 10 years old, and he hadn't played at all since then.

I think i have about 6 but i could easily get by with my roll up board and staunton pieces which you see in most tournaments. The only thing i don't like is playing with a set in which it is difficult to tell what pieces are what. Usually its the pawns and bishops which look look nearly identical. Theme type pieces are o.k. for a decoration but in my view lousy to play a game on.

How many sets someone needs, at a minimum, can vary from use.  Here is what I have and need, in order from most minimalist on up.  Understand that I could stop at #1 and live alright.

1. Weighted plastic set, roll up board, digital clock with delay/increment and case.  For this I have chosen the House of Staunton Collector Series 3.75" set with a standard roll up board.  If I only could have one clock it would be the DGT 3000.  Otherwise I have the DGT North American with this set and a bag to hold it all.  I feel a plastic set is needed for times where wood might be damaged.

2.  Wood set for blitz, skittles and other play, along with a roll up board, clock and bag as in the above.  For this set I have the House of Staunton Liberty Series set which is a copy of the Pinney set from the 1930's.  This set wears like iron.  I have this set in Rosewood for the dark pieces.  I have a silicone roll up or scrunchable board, a Chronos II clock with buttons that is now 13 years old and a bag to hold them all.  As with the above, I could live with this as my only set.

3. A nice but somewhat durable wood set for tournament or otherwise rated play.  For this set I have the Best Chessmen Ever, Stage 2, Eastern with stainless bottoms.  I also have a roll up board as well as a wood board for this set.  For a clock I use either the DGT 3000 or Chronos II clock with either buttons or touch sensors.  This set is one I don't want to bring to the local Barnes & Noble for skittle play or use for Bltz play.  I also get a lot of compliments on this set from opponents, even ones that have played with it and complimented on it before.

4. A nice wood set for quieter play as when someone comes over to my  home or at a tournament setting with very slow time controls.  For this I have my favorite Dubrovnik II 1950 set with wooden and leather roll up boards.  For a clock I usually use my Chronos II with buttons or Chronos II touch clocks.  Of course I have a bag to hold it all.

I also have some portable sets including a couple of folding, pocket sets.  I find I don't really use them though.  The laptop and iPad work just fine for analysis or other things.

I also own more sets and clocks than the ones mentioned above but really plan on selling or giving them away, as I don't use them at all..

I have the following:

1 tournament set - roll up board, and triple weighted pieces

1 folding wooden board, and pieces

1 magnetic travel set