New Chess Villa Columbian Knight pieces.....Exceptional.

I had decided to pretty much stop posting here, due to the toxicity of past forum members and the equip. forum just seemed to lose some of it's appeal.

That being said, I have to give a shout out to Chess Villa's "beyond gorgeous" Bud Rosewood/Boxwood and glossed Columbian Knight set. I honestly didn't expect such a high degree of exceptionalism and beauty for such a reasonably priced set.....The set has to be a good $75 to $100 underpriced....I kid you not!

Anyway, I am fortunate to own sets from the likes of S.C., H.O.S., Noj and a few private vendors. I have quite a few in my collection and recently realized that since I always have a set on display, I also always have an empty coffer. Not being too swift, it's taken me this long to realize this.

So, the wife said she'd still cook for me, even though I don't need another chess set. I own 23 full size sets, 4 big boards and 3 travel sets. Bunch of books that I desperately need to get through too. Did I really need another set? Of course.

I pressed the buy button, not expecting the beyond stunning (I'm not kidding) set of pieces that were sent to me. Took 4 days from order to door....plus this seller was so gracious I was almost embarrassed to have asked him to take special care and send me a nice set, with no issues. Way too many sellers allow pieces to go out with issues from cracks to off colors, to carving problems...Plenty more.

The guy literally emailed me daily to update me on how carefully he was going to check out these pieces, even going on about how these were specifically chosen. I don't know how true that last one was but, it sure made me feel good.

Well, if this set was one of the upper tier set from the likes of HOS, S.C., T.C.E. I'd easily believe it! Even the woods look to be more dense and harder than some other sets of similar build.

Nice and weighty too. Really solid little gem.

My God! There must have been a slow down since The Queen's Gambit hit the air waves. It's crazy how gorgeous these pieces are......at the current asking price.

I like to reward folks who deserve the accolade. Chess Villa gets an applause.

Btw, the pics don't come close to showing how exquisitely made and finished these pieces are....Just sayin'.

Btw, I found out about this vendor from a good forum member friend and collector "bagongbayani". Fine fellow but, only owns a measly 90 sets.

Beautiful set. I always appreciate members sharing. Sometimes tastes differ, sometimes you bring a nice set to the attention of other members, sometimes we hear a new perspective.

Sad about the toxicity of a few members - I’ve largely stopped sharing as well. Same old story really though on most social media.

Enjoy the set - and yes, one more is *always* needed! 😁

Thx....I was disappointed in that some I mistakenly thought were good forum friends, who I knew for a long time, didn't step up when a particular trouble maker began to attack me, on various silly subjects. Kinda' laughable in hind sight.

I just figured I was wasting my time and overall, it wasn't worth it. The efforts of this vendor required a shout out. He was such a nice guy.

It's nice, to be nice, to the nice.

Hey @magictwanger, thanks for posting. I've seen some listings for 'Columbian' sets but I don't recall seeing anyone posting here with good pics. There seems to be some variations in 'Columbian' style sets, so could you show us a link? I've only found this Columbian Knight set on Etsy which may be your same set, but the rooks look different (I like your version better) and also slight differences in other pieces. Did you get something customized?

Hi Andy....Easily found on E-bay. It's the 3.8" set from Chess Villa and priced at $164.99, incl. shipping. There's a few similar sets, with all sorts of crazy prices. Chess Villa offers it for lower prices, if you want Ebonized pieces....The Bud Rosewood set was the one I preferred.

You can get a slight discount if you contact the seller like I did. Definitely, Chess Villa is the one to buy from. The guy's really customer oriented.....Good luck buddy.

I just noticed he sells it on Etsy too. Life is good.

Amazing set, the manes on the knights are very unique!

I mostly "lurk" on this board, and have noticed the toxic brew lately created by some not-nice people. Most people have good intention, but as a reminder to myself, I have the below Gary Larson cartoon hanging on my wall as a reminder that some people are not-nice:

I've been pining for the 4.6 version in padauk. I see it for $250 at chess villa's etsy. Dang, I just bought a different set. Hmmm....

You know what they say, "n + 1"...

Wow, really cool rooks as well! And the pieces look really beautiful on the medium brown Druecke board!

Thx to all....Btw, the board is a JLP repro of a Drueke.....Another lucky score, since I got it in new condition, for half price.

Btw, "Classic Cartoon"!

Good on you Magic… I too reduced posts due to toxicity and have now moved to other platforms … I still play games here, which I enjoy … shame the mods didn’t step in earlier and more often. (It shouldn’t be up to individuals blocking other individuals or having groups defend one another - a more formal ban from chess.com should apply when guidelines are clearly broken, again and again.) No public naming and shaming, no pack drills … just whack and they are gone. Alas … it didn’t happen - the disease spread and a positive and constructive forum was eroded.
The instruction from chess.com is simple - be relevant and kind… cheers, Mark
PS … apologies, not my intent to hijack a thread.

If the light allows the void the darkness will surely fill it.