Suggestions for a chess set gift

Hi folks. I could use some guidance as I move forward with a gift purchase. Its for a long time friend who is getting married soon. We have played chess off and on since we were children so its a bit of our past together. However, we've never indulged in a nice set before, just whatever you might would find in a local game store. But for the occasion I'd like to get him something nice that he could keep for a long time.

To begin with I know we dont' want anything themed. Classic Staunton is what I'm looking for. I'd really like to keep it under $350 but I would maybe fudge up a bit if it was something worth it (and yeah, I'm aware that multiple thousands of dollars could be spent on chess sets). Definitely wood. He's a carpenter and anything else would be an affront to his tastes. Besides, it would just be used at home. As a carpenter, I think he woud really appreciate the rarity of true ebony pieces but I realize that immediately pushes the price up.

They have a smaller home so I can't be certain that the set would be on constant display. I've looked at some of the folding boards and I recognize the benefit of that storage if its not going to be kept out. But I really like the look of the elegant thin flat wooden board.

So considering what information I've provided, would anyone like to lend a hand and get me pointed in a good direction? I've read the buying guide from The Chess House and spent some time looking around their site, House of Chess, and House of Staunton sites. Its just hard to really understand the price differences and what your'e getting at each level (for me). Again, we're not collectors, we just like to play. Having not played on anything nice, it won't take much to impress us. But still, I'd like to make sure its a good set, with durability and nice aesthetic. Thanks everyone!

Has he ever talked about one day making his own chess board?  Since he's a carpenter, maybe get him a nice HOS set from one of their ebay auctions and maybe inspire (and/or help) him to build a custom board.  I got a HOS Prestige chess set (blood rosewood and ebony) that normall sells for $399 for only $130 shipped.   There are some great deals to be had there.  

I'd really recommend the House of Staunton sets, not just because of the great quality, but because for a wedding gift you want something that has that name brand appeal to go with it. I have one of these in Box and Rosewood, which I absolutely love to pieces (pun not intended). IMO choosing a set here really just comes down to finding a design you like and working from there.  I'd suggest at least a 3" king, otherwise the set looks a little too small for such a gift, and unlike the above poster I'd suggest buying a board to go with it because a lot of people consider it an annoyance to have to work for their presents.

I'd also stay away from the Blood Rosewood, partially because of the price and lack of contrast, but also because of the eco-political issues surrounding its use, which is a turnoff for a lot of people who work with wood for a living. And avoid their eBay site, because once you factor in that the items sold there are useally the seconds, and the fact that there are always discount codes for their main store means that you'd only save a small amount of money for an lower quality item.

EDIT: I just checked their site, and this one is on special, and seems just about perfect for what you want, provided you like the design.

I just bought a set myself a burnt boxwood/boxwood set from The Chess Store (www.thechessstore.com) that is great quality and with a walnut/maple chess case.

King size is 3.75" and is under $300.  They have a lot of good deals as well and they package everything very well so there's little chance of breakage.

http://www.thechessstore.com/product/PSBB375VC/Parker-Staunton-Chess-Set-in-Burnt-Boxwood-with-Chess-Case---375-King.html

Vadsamoht, that would be a great set unfortunately they're out of stock! But yes, I think I would have grabbed those...

As I browse around HoS a little more, I'm wondering about the coupons codes that you mentinoned were always available. Are they displayed on the site somewhere?

Sorry, I didn't realise that the set was sold out. I believe their current promotion is for 15% off for orders up to $1000, using the code FATHER15.

It's a popular myth that HOS sells seconds on Ebay.  Nothing could be further from the truth; the sets are shipped from current inventory the same as if you had paid their outrageous website prices.  The difficulty is that auctions aren't always available (only buy it now/best offer seem to be listed at the moment-although 50% off is nothing to sneeze at) and of course you have to win the auction.  While HOS is certainly a wonderful brand (and I have 2 of their sets), all the quality sets seem to be made in the same Indian city and you can get killer deals buying direct.  Seems scary to wait for a Fedex shipment from halfway around the world but thousands of Ebay customers (including myself) have done just that and been more than pleased.  Do an Ebay search in the chess section and use "staunton" as a filter to weed out all the goofy theme sets. You might find some spectacular offerings in your price range.  Enjoy your search.

Thanks for the info baddogno. You bring up a good point that actually prompted me to start the thread. I had researched enough to understand that most of the good stuff was coming from the same area of India and that discounts could be had via direct. But how do I know what the actual good stuff is when I'm shopping around? Ya know, if I'm looking at HoS I'm assuming, that's good stuff. But if I hit another random chess supply site, how do I know what their source is for their pieces so that I know I'm getting comparable quality to a site like HoS? I saw some very good prices on nice looking stuff at House of Chess, but I can't tell what the source is.

Though my experience is a few years old, when I bought a HOS board on eBay that wasn't quite right, it was with full disclosure and not through the HOS eBay seller, but through their webmaster. They are pretty careful about selling known "defective" goods. In fact, the board was quite good and I was fully satisfied.

I'd be careful about buying direct from India. What makes HOS special is not just their designs (which are the best IMO) but the level of finish they ask of their craftsmen and the customer support when things go wrong--as they have for me in a Collector purchase a few years ago (eBay, again).

They will make things right. I don't have the same level of confidence in dealing with an Indian maker, frankly.

That Collector that as received had some cracked collars, a piece or two turned off center, and some pawns that suffered black marks from a too-hard application of the rouge bar, was eventually made whole and proper.

Well, I guess that's their business model: Don't insist on a high level of quality from their craftsmen on a piece-by-piece basis, and don't inspect sets before shipping, but get enough correct pieces from the maker and use this to fix the problems after the buyer receives his goods.

I guess this has worked for most of their customers, but will the maker be as willing and diligent?

HOS prefers to solve the problems and not complain about their customers. On the other hand there was a member here that received a  seriously defective board from a UK seller. He eventually dealt with the maker as well, and both of them blamed him for the problems, with even the UK seller appearing here to do so (cursing, and abusing generally the poor guy who only wanted a board as advertised).

I'd hesitate to trust much money for excellent goods direct to the Indian makers. Unless you have it on good word that a particular one is quite trustworthy in customer service.

Not chess.com's finest moment either.

"He eventually dealt with the maker..."

He had to meet his maker over a chess board?!

Did he offer him pawn odds?

I can only share my experience with 1 vendor on Ebay and that's Chessbazaar.  He has sold some 4400 items on Ebay with 99.2% satisfaction.  I purchased a great little 3" ebony set from him for $45 just to test the waters.  Obviously at that price point you don't expect much, but I was pleasantly suprised to get a quality set.  I've been lusting over a few of his $300 sets for a while, but after scoring several other high end sets on Ebay, I can't really justify it at the moment.  I do trust the guy though and he promises to make things right should anything go amiss.  Like pretty much everything else in life though, you "pays your money and takes your chances".  For a once in a lifetime gift, HOS is probably the way to go.   They're just so expensive though unless you get a deal.  Best of luck, but no matter what you choose I'm sure your friend will be thrilled.

I have to second the recommendations on the HOS sets.  And don't be afraid of the ebay offerings from them.  They seem to be in a lull right now the past couple of weeks, but they were going full bore just a month back and were posting several sets, no reserve and starting from nothing.  Sets were going for $150 to $300 regularly, full 4.0" sets in Ebony.  I bought two and couldn't be happier.  They are just georgous.  Depending upon how much time you have until the wedding keep looking there.  They are always selling their beautiful boxes as well.  You pick up a nice Collector set or Morphy and get a nice fitted case you should come in around or even under you $350 price tag and you friend will have an heirloom set he will treasure forever.  Nice flat wood boards can be found everywhere for really good prices.  HOS has some nice folding wood boards for $69 and up.

There are a couple great HOS threads here.  Check them out if you have not already done so and good luck.  Let us know what you get and how he liked it.  And post some photos!

So was the HoS ebay sets a bit of a fluke last month or does that happen occassionally? The notion that you snagged a Morphy for under 300 boggles my mind. Would love to stumble onto that deal!

                              And what are you going to give his bride?

No, it wasn't a fluke.  HOS does go to an auction format on Ebay periodically, but if you do an advanced search (checking the box "completed listings") you'll see that they didn't do anything until April and May of this year.  Since they would obviously prefer that you purchase at much closer to their retail web price, I'm assuming they only go to Ebay when they really need cash flow or as a way to control inventory.  Doubt that there is anyway of knowing when they'll do it again.  I bought my Sheffield set last December and HOS had auctions ending pretty much every weekend all November and December.  Since the high end sets generally are treated with great respect and loving care by their owners, you might want to keep an eye out for a used set on Ebay also.

I got lucky and happened upon a 2 + month of weekly HOS auctions.  They were auctioning off probably 10 sets a week for a while there.  I picked up an Imperial Collector 4.0" ebony set for a good price (although more than most auctions were going for) and then I kept watching and started seeing Morphy sets go for down under $200.  I couldn't take it anymore and bid on one, a 4.0" ebony Morphy, and got it for $161.  Unbelievable.

Unfortunately, the trend seems to have faded as there have been no new sets the last two weeks.  I think the previous post might be right, in that they only do these concentrated auctions once in a while to clear out old stock and generate some quick cash flow.  That makes sense as blowing them out at those prices all the time would be bad for the regular business.

Its getting pretty addictive looking at chess sets! Unfortunately the stuff that I'm mostly drawn to are simply out of my price range for this gift. Though not my top choice, the Grandmaster Chess Set at HoS looks pretty nice and seems like a good value for the goods. Knight looks reasonable and the rook has a relatively low crenellation profile which I'm finding myself drawn to. Comes with a board and what appears to be a simple but nice box as well. Anyone have this set and care to comment on it?

I'm feeling sort of rushed to decide on a HoS purchase since the Fathers Day coupon probably expires very soon. What's their general delay between coupon offerings? Will it be a while before another discount is offered?

There's also a couple of relatively nice sets from House of Chess for comparably good prices. Very tempted there but I can't find a great deal of feedback for the site. The only feedback I've been able to dig up on them was good though.

So, Grandmaster Set comments? HoS discount frequency comments? House of Chess comments?

The Grandmaster set is good value, but I think your friend would rather have a great chess set than a mediocre package of chess set, board, and box.  There are 2 HOS auctions on Ebay of high end sets, one is already out of your range, but the Derby knight set might come in under $350.  Someone is also selling a used HOS collector set in rosewood and that will probably go for not much more than $200.  There is also a used budrosewood Staunton style 4.0 with a nice paduak and cherry board for $250 buy it now and $175 starting bid (no bids yet).  HOS has discounts fairly frequently.  House of Chess I don't know about.  Like you said, looking at chess sets becomes addictive!  Best of luck, and if this is your friends first good chess set I'm sure he'll be pleased whatever you choose.

Been watching the Derby set on eBay ;) . I didnt see the others you mentioned so I'll search them out. I'm sure he'll like most of the stuff I've been looking at, even the Grandmaster set. Like I said, we've never even touched or looked at an actual decent set. But it is becoming clearer that 350 isn't going to get a complete set that's "great" unless I luck up on an eBay deal. I'm still looking though!