Looking to bring back old classics - Need some help!

Hey Everyone, This is Shelby Lohrman from American Chess Equipment and Wood Expressions.  I am a chess equipment supplier here in the good old USA.

One of the things I LOVE to do is re-work the chess equipment that is on the market.  In these days, most products seem to be made to have "planned obsolescence".  They just don't last the way they did in the past.  Don't get me wrong, that is great for suppliers like me...but it just is not right for the consumer.  Why buy something that you will have to replace in a couple of years?!??!

In the last couple of years I have helped design a chess clock, the VTEK300, that destroys the Chronos in EVERY way.  It also is able to get the firmware upgraded at the factory if the time controls change.  We just re-made the Ultimate Chess pieces with our "Infinity Weighting System" where the weight is put in the mold and the plastic is shot around it.  This should make it impossible to have the weights loosen up or come out.  

Right now, I am talking the look of the Drueke linen folding chess boards and making them into a mousepad chess board.  This way you get a classic look while still being able to roll it up and put it in your chess bag since we are using the thin mousepad technology.

What I would like to get from all of you in the chess forum is ideas on what products from the past that you would like to see back in the market.  Also, I would love to hear about your gripes on the products that are currently on the market.  Only by hearing the good and the bad can I do my work to make the best products out there.  

thanks

Shelby Lohrman

American Chess Equipment

www.amchesseq.com 

I'll give a few quick comments based on what I saw on the amchesseq site.

The piece sets

I can see good and bad in all the sets. For comparison, let's look at the Bobby Fischer Ultimate Chess Pieces - Ebonized/Boxwood - 3.70" king

The king is fine, minor complaint about the top part. I would prefer to see it look like the classic Staunton king where the cross is easier to see. The queen and horse are pretty good. I like the horse as is, and I also like it designed with the head pointed down. But for me the deal breaker when buying chess sets (pieces) is with the rooks. This piece set has a nice big top for the rook. Compare that with the Staunton set which has a thin "bottle cap" top. This is the big reason why I don't buy wooden chess sets.

I would love to have a wooden set like this with an improved king and rook. I'll add a picture of what I mean with the knight pointed down. The ones on the site are too extreme. It is more of an angle as if it were still looking ahead.

The boards

The only main complaint I have about the boards is I don't like the border light color that goes around the edge squares. I would want a board that goes flush to the wood perimeter. The ones on the site that have this effect have cuts along the edges of the board. I would want just the same as the light color without the cuts and without the light color.

No one makes a decent 4" Lardy repro set. Vintage ones show up few and far between on eBay in the $350 range. And even then, you'll be dealing with the leans. I'd be more than happy to purchase a modern repro over vintage just to not have to deal with the leaning pieces due to the garbage wood they used when they were cranking out the sets for export back in the day.

There are different carvings throughout the years. I find the one below to be the most pleasing and Lardy-esque when someone thinks of Lardy. 

Courtesy of cgrau:

Courtesy of SquidDr:

Courtesy of eBay:

Here's 3 boards. Two are on the amchesseq site and one I got from Amazon to show what I would want instead. The one on the left shows the light border, I highlighted a portion with red drawing and then other one on the right I added an arrow showing where the cuts meet.

This is what I would prefer.

@ShelbyLohrman

Re: High-waisted (LOL) Knight base.

I'd be willing to bet that Knight "top" was interchangeable with a Knight "top" from a smaller Lardy set. So in order to get the Knight to be the right height for a 4" set the Knight needed a step-stool of sorts. Hence the taller base. 

Definitely wood for the 4" Lardy set. I haven't looked, but I'm sure there are plenty of plastic sets with the Lardy form out there. 

I hope this thread doesn't devolve into just people requesting repros of hard to find chess sets.

But I specifically mention the 4" Lardy, because a new repro version would actually improve upon the vintage versions.

Going by past auction sales, it's a popular vintage set. 4" repro is something not available anywhere. I've looked. And the vintage ones are fraught with cracks and leans so that's not a viable option at any price.

There are at least 2 repros currently that are called Lardy, but the Knight and Queen look completely off. The Bishop looks wonky. And it's not 4".

From reading this forums, all you need to do it send out pieces without cracks!

It would be funny if it weren't true.

How about an 'old classic' like a simple box to store chess pieces that doesn't cost more than the set? No walnut, rosewood, etc.. Just a boxwood (or other common wood) sliding top box.

14" silicone travel-size analysis board with coordinates.

Similar to the 14" vinyl board you offer but in silicone. Many "regular" people do not like to carry the tubes required for vinyl boards. A folded silicone board in a backpack is more convenient. Along with a small 2.5" king, travel chess piece set — which you already offer. 

**EDIT**

I found this one online for $30. Silicone chess board, pieces,  and carry bag.
Dimensions:  Board:  14" x 14" .04".  King:  2.5"h x 1" dia. base.
Dimensions:  9" x 4.5 x 1.5" (In carry bag).

https://www.outsideinsidegifts.com/products/freestyle-silicone-chess

@ShelbyLohrman

At $30, I'm pretty sure you can sell this at close to half the price and still make money. The Analysis Chess Pieces with 2.5" King is $4.29. And a $9.95 silicone board. Plus a $3 (?) pouch.

@ShelbyLohrman -

I suggest to ignore CarlsenTheMagnificent's suggestion regarding the border of chess boards.    How many requests have you ever had for a board such as he describes?  

However Westsailor32's request for a simple and relatively inexpensive chess box (not of cardboard!) makes sense to me.

How bout a 18" mousepad board with 1 7/8" squares. Or something similar for travel with smaller sets

A decent (real or faux) wood analysis chess set.  Board with 1.375-1.5 inch squares and appropriately sized wood pieces (e.g., 2.5inch King) preferably of a French Lardy design.  Ideally in the neighborhood of $60-75USD (or less) complete.

I’d love that edged chess board in a 1.75-1.875 inch square option for my smaller library pieces.   Seems 1.75-1.875 inch sq boards are fairly difficult to find.

@ShelbyLohrman -

I believe the wood set and board you describe would make a very nice combo analysis set indeed.  I actually have a similar set at the moment, but I will give it some thought.  Thanks for the quick response!  

Keep up the good work!

Oh please! I’d buy that in a heartbeat! Or a Russian or Zagreb or Dubrovnik in black (I like black pieces best). Given all the talk here of Russian and Dubrovnik sets, I would have to think you would have a major hit on your hands!

Yes! For my favorite design I will gladly pay 60 USD shipping cost + customs!

Yeah, good luck getting that.

I have tried to get one of these newly made for years.  Back in the early 2000’s Frank Camaratta had some made but they warped too easily.  

I haven’t used the Drueke ones since I got them about 6 years ago because I didn’t want to wear them out and honestly none of my Noj sets looked good on them.  I now realize this was because the white squares are too yellow.

The House of Staunton had one made but the colors are way too bright, making the board look like a cheap toy.

Apparently, getting the linen attached to a decent folding board and then getting it printed to be nice is difficult to get done.

Also, Shelby mentioned something to me in the last couple of weeks that makes sense.  He talked about  how using a thin mousepad board makes it easier to carry and transport than a stiff, single fold board.  And you know what, he’s right about that.

It's not the size of the set necessarily (I prefer 3.75" thought). More the style I suppose. Some Dubrovnik sets, the body of the knight seems too small for the base, the knight ends up looking like it decided to wear it's father's boots. I never realized until now but it's probably the reason why I prefer zagreb sets. The knights are more appealing, they don't look like ponies. 

An example would be the set above, the knight looks a little small, compared to the rest of the pieces.