Marble chess set question?

Hey everyone,

Looking for some advice on keeping a marble chess set damage-free. Just bough this beauty from ChessHouse a few days ago:

As gorgeous as she looks, her main purpose isn't display. I bought it for the best price on the market at ~$150, and I intend to use it as my main playing set from now on.

From what I've heard, marble chess pieces can break or crack fairly easily. (True?) I'm a fairly gentle chess player myself, and the board is stationed on a table over a carpeted floor, so a slow game with a friend isn't something I'm worried about. The problem is, I often play with a younger opponent who isn't as gentle quite yet, and I'm a little anxious that he might knock over a piece on the board, and I've heard that even a fall like that can cause it to split.

I'd like to know if there's any sort of sealant I can coat the pieces in that will protect them from damage. I also have a cat that can jump five feet in the air, and is known for chewing anything he can get ahold of. He won't be in the room where the board is kept much, but I don't always remember to shut the door on my way out...

I appreciate any help, thanks for your time.

-Edited for typos-

Haha, excellent question. As you can see by the watermark, that's just a stock photo I found - and I'm pretty sure they did mess up.

Here's the picture from ChessHouse:

I believe this is the correct placing.

Not sure what the bumping policy is on these forums...

Won't bump again for another 24 hours unless I get a response.

All I've been able to come up with is to try cushion the edges of the pieces that are most likely to chip if they fall over. Maybe a couple coats of clear fingernail polish around the collars, or maybe over the entire piece, would help protect them without being too noticeable. Maybe something other than fingernail polish would work better. That's just what popped into mind.

Some people buy a leather couch and then cover it wth plastic.  People will buy a $200 polycarbonate piece of luggage and ask if it scratches, but they won't ask the same question when they buy a $100,000 BMW.

You can't always have elegance and durability.  What exactly do you want from your chess set?  I'm confident we can find a good set for you.

Can you return it, because the board is too small for the pieces?

I have had a green and white marble chess set for about 30 years, never had any problem with the pieces but the board as developed an airline crack. Marble is very brittle and does not flex like wood .I would suggest you find a way of strengthening the base of the board.

Thanks for the suggestion, kaynight. I'll ask the cat how he feels about that and get back to you.

It probably wouldn't be acceptable to strangle the ungentle younger opponent, either.

 :-D

It really wasn't that expensive compared to even a lot of higher class wooden boards I've seen.

To be quite honest, I ordered the board because I found an amazing deal, and it was exactly what I wanted. I didn't do my research until after I had bought it. I thought, Hey, this is made out of stone, I'll bet you my bottom dollar it'll never break. I didn't know marble was like a newborn infant...

Even so, I'm not returning it. I've seen nothing but positive reviews about this set. Although they may just be from people who bought it for display, I'll still give it some time and see how brittle it really is. 

I imagine whatever you can coat the board with you can coat the pieces with as well, considering it's the same material.

I live in a humid climate... Good or bad?

One day I'll figure out how to multiquote on this forum. 

As previously mentioned, I live in a humid climate. Just spitballing here, but my guess is that's bad.

Wood is great, and is either my second or third favorite material type (between glass), but in my opinion nothing beats a well crafted stone set. I've wanted a marble set for years, and had a picture in my mind of what It should look like, and this is it.

If nothing else I'll put it in a glass case and shine a spotlight on it.

I'd feel kind of bad after strangling him without his consent.

That's a good choice.  Remember your Poe.  If you strangle a cat, you might hear:  m e o w, m e o w, m e oowww... until you go insane.  

I I just play the set a little gingerly naturally If you just waxed them with paste wax humidity would be less a factor and no blitz😄

You mean something like this? http://www.homedepot.com/p/SC-Johnson-16-oz-Fine-Paste-Wood-Wax-00203/100154748

It says it can be used on a lot of surfaces, but stone is not mentioned.

I've had luck with Rennisance Wax in the past, never tried it on marble but the product says it works on it. And eveything else for that matter. 

We did our recent purchased marble board with it after dulling it down somewhat upon completion-No problem what so ever. Left a nice softer finished look to it. Great stuff 

I would buy a cheap board with some cheap pieces. Against younger hostile players lol. Who like to get revenge on losing to you by chipping your chess sets. I wouldn't risk it.