i Bought the World Chess Travel Chess - Big Mistake.

I ordered the World Chess Travel Set, convinced by glowing YouTube reviews from Chess-U-See and Al Su Chess. Like many, I trusted their recommendations. I did my own research online, though there wasn’t much to go on. So, let this be a warning for anyone considering this set.

To be fair, the pieces are stunning, and the board is aesthetically pleasing—but here’s the catch. When laid flat, there’s a noticeable gap at the bottom, which causes an irritating wobble, much like a table with uneven legs. Does this affect gameplay? Absolutely. (I have videos and pictures to show the issue but am not sure how to share them here—any advice is welcome!)

I contacted the company, and after a lengthy back-and-forth, they were dismissive. They refused to acknowledge the defect and simply offered a refund if I returned the set. Given that they ship globally, you’d think they would ensure near-flawless quality, especially since returning a product from halfway across the world is far from convenient.

Even after exchanging emails with the CEO, Ilya Merenzon (who is a gentlemen I mus say) I got the same response—it’s just their policy. Disappointing, to say the least.

So, if you’re thinking about buying this set, think carefully. You might be lucky and receive a perfect one, or you might end up with a defective board like me—and, as I later discovered, like several others. My advice: look elsewhere.

Looking at the available photos, I had the impression that something was wrong with the chessboard when opened. The design is not my favourite, so I was not tempted to buy it. Thankfully.

The set I bought is a scaled-down version of the Tournament chess set, and despite the smaller size, the craftsmanship is still impressive. Unfortunately, the one I received has a significant flaw—when laid flat, the edges are uneven, causing an irritating wobble, much like a table with uneven legs. Whether it warped in storage or it’s a manufacturing defect, I can’t say, but it’s incredibly frustrating and definitely impacts the gameplay experience. How do I upload videos so I can illustrate?

You can upload your video on youtube and then, if you place the link here, using the 'press play' symbol, it should show and play in the thread.

I recommend addressing the wobble with various grits of sandpaper, in a slow and calculated fashion. You could always take the board to a guitar luthier, who could easily do this on the cheap, as the request would be trivial compared to the repairs and work they do with wood on a daily basis. Woodworking aside, felt and Elmer’s Wood Glue is another easy solution.

That board at the price point should be perfectly flat, their "policy" is simply stupid.

Since you're now stuck with it... this is a foldable board, right? Are you sure it's warped? Maybe the hinges are just misaligned a tad, you could try by unscrewing them and see if the board can lay flat without the hinges. If it's flat you'd have to reattach the hinges so that the board stays flat when opened, eg by laying it on a piece of glass (which should be a near perfect flat reference by its nature).

If the wood of the board is indeed warped your only chances are to fill the gap, like VTVXIV suggested with some adhesive felt (exists in several thicknesses) is probably the easiest and least destructive way.

I have the same board and "wobble" as you point it out on mine coming from hinges sticking out and not uneven edges, which makes it unrepairable, unless you want to disassemble the whole board.

This image from the worldchess shop

shows a slight gap at the bottom and middle as well as a gap at the top middle, which means something (presumably the hinges) doesn't let the board lay flat. I can't believe they didn't allow for enough recess to accommodate for the hinges, something MUCH cheaper boards get right. If that's the case you simply need to carefully deepen the recess a bit with something like a flat file (obviously you need to disassemble everything, yeah).

If hinges are the issue (last image), you could cut some felt to the same dimensions as the board, place it underneath during play, then fold and store it inside as needed. I suspect this would also take care of wobbling.

That is somewhat pityful... I bought second hand, unused, an A&A wooden analysis set (3" King, 1.6" squares) for €15 - it used to retail at €44 (less than 50 bucks). The folding board is equipped with small pegs located at each corner, recessing into facing holes when folded; these legs enable the board to lay flat once open, without any annoying gap in the middle. Cheap and efficient system.

I also do own another folding wooden board that does not lay perfectly flat. An old cheap soviet one .

I seriously don't know where you guys have got that idea from, that purchasing things this way, remotely, without seeing for real, without touching for real what you buy, would not constantly produce such problems.

I used to take advantage of my travels to purchase good chess sets of various kinds. It would never cross my mind to buy a chess set the way you did. This generation has a problem regarding how it perceives reality. I mean, worse than it used to be.

Here’s the link of one of the Videos I sent over to them. The same video that elicited a dismissive response- https://youtube.com/shorts/uLxGwB0FQ2Q?si=NJKBYOW328vfYx6m

Thanks for showing how to upload a video.

Here’s one of the videos I shared with them, but their response was dismissive, claiming the issue might be the surface. I sent multiple other videos, only to receive the same dismissive reply—they insisted the wobble could be due to anything except their poor craftsmanship.

I’m not confident in my sanding or carpentry skills and would likely end up making things worse. I had considered taking it to a local craftsman, but your suggestion of a guitar luthier is spot on—this could definitely be their specialty. Funny enough, I actually know one, but it didn’t cross my mind until you mentioned it. Thanks for the great suggestion!

I’m planning to take mine to a local craftsman, though someone here suggested a guitar luthier, which might be the perfect solution. If that doesn’t work, my backup plan is to find a suitable cloth to use as a mat, hoping it’ll stabilize the wobble—similar to slipping a folded piece of paper under a wobbly table leg.

Hello, to provide a better evidence of the warping you maybe should have removed the stored pieces before shooting the video? I trust you suffered the issue while playing (thus inside board emptied), but for this shared video one can suspect a protuberant piece in the storage could have caused/increased the issue. Maybe part of the reason for the dismissive answer you got? Anyway wishing you success for resuming stability...

Yes, I’ve taken several videos in different settings—on various surfaces, with and without the pieces. I even mentioned to them that I attempted to play a game to see if I could overlook the issue, but it was too distracting to ignore. They were dismissive just the same - and assumed it was something always, but their board. 

 

They are not even giving warranty right