Royal Chess Mall

I like the Improved French Lardy Chess Pieces very much, so much that I bought four sets!

The quality of RCM is better than Chessbazzar but also the price is higher. We can go for Chessbazzar lower prices in sales where imperfect sets are passed off as perfect (the reason why their sales are always on certain types of chess sets and not all) or pay the extra bit for better RSM chess sets. From my experience I would go for RCM rather than throwing my money away on Chessbazaar products with all types of annoying and disappointing issues. 

Well, honestly, I have been trying to share my experiences so that they would not go through my ordeals. Chessbazaar’s main stock in trade is their affordable prices but there is a very good reason why other well-known companies in India and US cannot sell their products for the same low prices. Surely, if your products are high quality they cost you more talking in terms of better wood type, the higher wages you must pay higher-skilled woodturners and the more expensive machinaries you use for ensuring higher quality. However, I still believe that other well-known chess sellers in India are doing Chessbazaar a favour by keeping their prices high pushing low budget customers into the mouth of Chessbazaar and all the pain and agony that follow as a result. In chess if a move looks dodgy it probably is and so is the case when we come across bargains which seem too good to be true!

I bought one set from RCM and it was perfect....I've bought twelve sets from C.B. and had issues.They did make good on them,but in one case I had to buy new pieces,since they messed up the sizing.In two other cases the replacements came in to me with a different color(slight,but not as nice as the original) and a lower quality patina....Still nice though!

Overall,I have to say all my other sets were perfect and imo,C.B. is fully capable of making some very fine chess pieces.

You can have issues with almost any vendor,unlessyou go Noj.

I have a newly purchased Hallett set coming in from Staunton Castle,which I am anxiously awaiting....I'm willing to bet there will be no issues from these folks.The Ceska Klubovka pieces I got from them about 3 months ago were amazingly fine in carve,finish and overall high quality woods......These guys are one of the premier sellers in my "limited"(to two sets) opinion.

From my experience with Chessbazaar the number of issues with their products is really frustrating. Apparently, either they do not take their time to make their chess sets patiently and with care abd attention or they do not possess the skill and the good machinaries to do so. I also own many sets from Chess Empire, House of Staunton and Staunton Castle and their quality is light years ahead of Chessbazaar’s, of course, there are a few issues with these sellers too, for example, Chess Empire is not that good at making Dubrovnik sets or Staunton Castle messes up a bit with its Russian and other historical copies but their woodturning quality and polishing are much better than Chessbazaar’s.  Even Royal Chess Mall is making better quality products nowadays despite still getting the shape and proportion a bit wrong in its copied set. The engima is what CB was doing with all those imperfect sets they produced before they decided to open up a sale section for them? I believe this is an easy guess! In their slow business days in the past Chessbazaar customer service was more caring and cooperative but since their business has boomed it has gone to their head and their customer service has very defensive and indifferent and beats round the bush. I believe the reason why we fall for CB sets is their big sales on regular economy and medium range and as always they are always the same sets (smokey, desert gold, dubrovnik, Bohemian, America staunton etc) and also their fast delivery via Fedex (of course since a year ago CB also adds the import tax and the final total ends up higher than you expected). It is true low price is attractive but low quality is equally repulsive. 

I bought two sets from Royal Chess Mall and am very happy with them. Quality and service exceeded my expectations.

That is good to hear. RCM is actively trying to improve their quality and match their copies with the original more and more, of course, it is still overshadowed by the superior quality of SC and CE but they are trying hard to catch up. However, RCM has overtaken Chessbazaar in quality and they only need to match their prices as RCM prices are still higher in economy and medium range products than Chessbazaar’s. 

Over the past couple months I bought sets from both CB and RCM. 

Both sets are imperfect.  I asked RCM for options about replacing my dark King for its tilted cross, and got no response.  Ended up fixing it myself.  The flaws in the CB set are not bad enough to complain about.

They're both better than my chess is, so probably no one besides me will ever notice the flaws.

i suspect that they are sometimes mixing up the packs. If you look at my pictures you see that i got the wrong pieces first. It was a slight struggle but rcm, respectively, stayed friendly throughout the process. Now since i got the correct pieces (3.9" tournament pieces ebonized for 98 bugs) i can assure you that besides a small flaw on the knights snout which only could be seen looking on it from the front not only are the pieces very well made but also having a curvier base (ressamble onion towers) than the average tournament pieces and in contrary to the average 50-80 bugs tournament p they got a polished "crown" inside at the rook, they leave the inside unfinished which makes it easier for moisture to enter the timber. They also have better wood, the wood grain is outstanding giving an almost marble impression.

None the less, india has allot of pieces being not good enough for premium sets that end up being sould all over the world for 50 bugs. If you end up with one of those just contact them. premium prieces demand premium pieces and if nothing goes fishy you like me will end up with one premium set you paid for.

Edit: ah yeah, i might add that the premium pieces must have the correct weight, the premium set was significantly heavier by around 300 grams. Another indicator for you

I don’t think the reason why Chessbazaar products have so many imperfections is because of them mixing up the packages. I hope this is not intentional as at the back of my mind I cannot dismiss the thought that it could be. I have had less issues with Royal Chess Mall but their prices are higher than their quality for sure. 

Stallion, you're a good man and you've got a legit argument, but we got it! You don't like C.B.

Just stick to the "wrong package" idea. If you cannot see the difference of the pieces you get vs the pieces you ordered you earn to be punked. I mean arent we all primadonnas?

Well, in the photos CB chess sets look much better than what you get from them. Whether it is good photography or photoshop I don’t know. 

thearetically if they do not write "product slightly differs from the image and changes are possible" they have to deliver.

They can never say such a thing that the photo is better than the product. 

of course, its normal in the business, if the product varies and is cheap you will often read something likewise to "Pictures are just an example and the product might vary from it" but unless this is written beforehand they have to deliver the displayed pieces (thats what happened to me and i got the displayed ones, best german knight set there is)

I am considering these although I was actually set on a 3.75" king. The improved Lardy has a 3.9" king. I have a 4" Pinney Liberty set (repro) that I find a tad too large for my 2.125" squares. What are your thoughts about the size of your 4(!) Lardy sets? Do they feel and look 4" or could you mistake them for a 3.75" king set? Much appreciated brother7! 

3.75” is more suitable for tournament play and the original set is the same size. Of course, the original one looks much more beautiful and classy but hard to find. This set by RCM is not too bad a copy after all and although it is different from the original one in several ways, it is still not too bad a set for everyday use and play. 

I am at a point where I am loathe to add anymore sets to my collection. Stories like this one are becoming way too common!

I hope it works out for you.....It's a really nice set.

Btw,I own the same case/box....My pieces will also fall out,if the box is upright,but I'm careful and i don't think it's designed to fit ultra snugly.

Good luck.

Good luck finding "any" company that provides a service or product without them finding some angle to SCAM YOU! OR, completely avoid responsibility with things go wrong, This 100 percent part of their business plan, Go ahead, try to prove me wrong! Internet service, ATT phone bill with BS charges, auto mechanics selling you services they DON'T DO, IT guys scamming you on computer repairs, Insurance company's tripling rates and good F--ING luck processing a claim when you need it. This list could include hundreds more...but you get the point!

The first thing that comes to mind....I'm going to put them on BLAST on social media...which has zero effect unless a news channel picks up on it....

How often is someone motivated to go out of their way to give praise about a company that has treated their customer very good...? Not often enough.

Lets talk about Royal Chess Mall, RCM

Royal Chess Mall did something, that by today's standards is not normal....at least by my experience. Let me explain...

1) Aprox 5 months ago I purchased an awesome set; 1849-50 Leuchars Cook Staunton Chess Pieces Only set - Ebony Wood & Antiqued Boxwood - 4.5"

2) They arrived and I found maybe 3 pieces had very small cracks at the base, and the antiqued coloring was a little on the orange side...and not what I was expecting

3) email sent to RCM noting my concerns...with pictures...

4) our time zones are a day apart so the communications process is; send email, receive response next day when Im at the office. Here is where the above normal customer service happens.

5) the very next morning I'm reading an email from Manwinder, Customer Success Manager Team Royal Chess Mall; in so many words, they are working on producing replacements and will send them out ASAP.

6) after giving some long thought on this, I decided to take a chance and ask a special request; I'd be willing to KEEP the set I received as they are if I could have a custom order produced exactly at the same set I received only without the antiquing effect, basically just boxwood.

7) next morning email; yes we accept offer please note it will take aprox 6 weeks to produce, of which i was happy to agree...

8) received the 1849-50 set, 100 percent awesome craftsmanship....I was shocked and very happy...HOWEVER FedEx crushed the box and broke chips off the base of 4 pieces...there was smoke coming out of my ears...

9) Manwinder quickly replied to my email, agreed to begin the process of replacing them, no questions asked... We did the 20 photos of box packing and damage...only to have FedEx reject the claim....In the process of ALL THIS NONSENSE, I placed ANOTHER custom order

10) I wanted a set with a solid wood base for use with the chessnut pro, economy priced around 250 dollars, bud rosewood and boxwood cook style to match the 1849-50 cook style. All my sets are ebony and box wood...i wanted to start adding some nice color to my sets...

11) after giving Manwinder, a break from my emails and special requests, I decided to check on the status of said items...

12) email came in next morning; replacements for the 1849-50 cook set are being processed and will take some time, the custom solid base bud rosewood set has already shipped, here is the tracking--I was shocked to see I was to receive them the next day along with a discounted NICE chessboard!

13) Last friday I received said set and board; As I began unwrapping each piece I was waiting to find some damage--every piece was PERFECT! Every piece was awesome in that the set as a whole was 100 percent perfect, no piece was polish more than the other, the nights all matched perfectly...and the style of the rooks and bishops all are exactly perfect and as I like them to be...regarding the 1849 style.... I was truly not expecting to be so impressed.

13) I'm trying to add a few photos of my process of adding the electronic chips so you can get an idea of what I'm talking about.