My New Ultimate Chess Pieces are Yellow

Despite being green behind the ears when it comes to chess I decided to go all out (within my budget of course LOL) and order this set for my dear hubby.  The set arrived a couple of days ago.   I feel miserable and regret this purchase.

Forgive me for venting here.  Perhaps those of you in the know can shed some light and point me in a better direction.

My pieces are not creamy yellow, butter yellow or any gentle hue of yellow but really yellow.  Did you all get the same?  Most of the sets I researched were ivory & black, cream & black and even tan & black or brown. This set ranged from yellow to creamy yellow in the forum photos with comments saying it would not be yellow but closer to creamy ivory.

The pieces are absolutely gorgeous in design and weight but the color doesn't look any better on the sky blue board I purchased with the set.

This has been an expensive lesson.  With shipping charges to Canada, postal import handling fees and taxes this set and board cost me a whooping $87.55 ($114 Canadian)

I think this grandma just wanted a shoulder to cry on.

I am a big supporter of this set and bought two.

I think this set plays better than any other plastic set so far including my original Ultimate.

After playing one game with it, I gave both sets away.  I personally don’t like the yellow.  I’ll wait for the next batch and hope for a less yellow color.

I used to think the Drueke Players Choice color was odd, but nobody mentions the color anymore.  Twenty or thirty years from now, do you think there will be a premium on the "rare butter colored limited edition Ultimate Set"? ;-)

That "Color" looks gawd awful, so yes, I would look for a return (mentioned on post 5); or seek an exchange for something else?

@dpumpkin -

You could try calling Shelby on his cell phone, tell him that you are not happy with the set, and ask if he can help you with a refund.  He is a very nice guy and I believe he would probably be sympathetic to your plight.   Though doubtful if he would be disposed to help with the Canadian fees and taxes.  Otherwise, as someone mentioned earlier, you could probably sell them on eBay as the "iconic yellow" Ultimate Chess Pieces, or to someone on this site once Shelby runs out of his current inventory - assuming that happens.

Another thought.  Shelby has another, what I consider to be a nice looking set and which I think is also better than average quality - the Bobby Fischer Series pieces.  If that is of interest, maybe you can arrange some kind of swap with Shelby...

http://amchesseq.com/Bobby-Fischer-Series-Triple-Weighted-Chess-Set--375-King_p_148.html

The light pieces are light brown colored, but to me, better that than canary yellow....

Otherwise, check out a couple of sets which I think are also of good quality...

The Pro Tourney set from The Chess Store which I think is attractive...

https://thechessstore.com/protourney-plastic-chess-set-black-camel-pieces-3-75-king/

I also like the Marshall Series set in Black & Natural from House of Staunton (HOS)...

https://www.houseofstaunton.com/the-marshall-series-plastic-chessmen-3-75-king.html

Finally, there are several more plastic chess set suggestions here...

https://www.chess.com/blog/RussBell/chess-sets-for-club-tournament-play

dpumpkin - I followed the Ultimate thread when Shelby was working with overseas manufacturers to get the reissues made.  The cliffs are that he sent over a color swatch that matched the original cream color and they came back with a very yellow sample (what you received).  He showed the thread a picture of the samples and the color got a lot of negative feedback.  I think he gave them the benefit of the doubt and assumed that it was just the camera and that the color actually matched the swatch.  The manufacturer sent over a finished set to Shelby before final approval but they did it in ivory white so he didn't have an accurate representation of the color.  In the interest of time he approved the full 2-3k run of the new Ultimates and that's why they're yellow.  

Hopefully he'll sell out and decide to do a run closer to the original color.  But that's probably going to be a long way out.

This is the story.  I will add that the China company had already done about half of the white sets when they sent Shelby the color. 

I have talked with Shelby and a couple of things are interesting.  A lot of people like the color or at least don’t mind it and love the set.  There is one place looking to buy something like 700 sets for their scholastic system.  So the 3,000 sets will be sold pretty quickly. 

Shelby mentioned looking into different color or colors.  I expect the future sets will lose some of the neon butter color.

Yeah, I don’t like it but the one guy I gave one of the sets to loved the set.  The second one I have donated as a prize for a side tournament we will be running in our club.  When a number of teens saw the set and found out about it being a prize they got kind of excited.

From what I have read and heard the majority of people like the not so mellow yellow set.  When I played with it I loved how it handled and played.

You have all been so wonderful with all your replies!  The information shared has really helped me understand much more.

"neon butter" ...that made me giggle.  A perfect description of seeing the pieces in person.

This purchase was slated for my grandson at Christmas but it was not ready so instead I gifted him his very first chess set called the Pro Tourney from the Chess Store.  Nice set and color but it just doesn't hold a candle to the design and weight of this new Ultimate Set. 

Well, everyone has given me lots of ideas to ponder.  Shelby worked so hard to get this set made, it would be terrible for me to bother him with another complaint.  I understand it has cost him quite a bit both in time, stress and pocket book.  Instead, I will look at this set as a Limited Edition Ultimate Chess Set!

Now I need a wood colored chess board.  Time to get out the magic markers.

I think it's a bot...

The above is wrong in a good number of ways.

The retailer Chess House knows how to turn lemons into lemonade in their description of the Ultimate Chess Pieces:

...These pieces were reproduced in a more brilliant yellow color for 2018...

"Why certainly, of course I want the "MORE" brilliant yellow color. How could anyone not want MORE of something!"

Really, the set is a very nice one.

There are other very nice sets on the market with something I personally do not like.  That does not stop them from being very nice sets.

There have been quite a few people on this forum that received their Ultimate sets and really like them.  I have also read the majority of people on Facebook, that I have read, loving this set.

And the only problem that I see is there are some, including me, that don't like the color being so yellow.

I look forward to the 2019 version coming out with a different color

And remember, I'm the one that called that color, "Neon Butter" first.

Gross. Nah actually they probably play well. 

I have a solution. Ditch the dull, boring (everybody's done it) black color, which obscures detail, and go with a light colored golden brown. That way you can have buttered toast.