Weighting chess pieces

Hello,

Can someone please explain to me what this means: to have pieces weighted?

From my vague understanding, some metallic weight is applied to the inside of the chess pieces when they are manufactured, and this is supposed to provide some sort of benefit. 

Am I correct?

Thanks,

BCgn18

Yes. I have a set that was lightly weighted, probably double weighted, that have small metal plugs in the base. In general, the pieces have a little more stability and heft.

I prefer to play on a weighted set.

I'm guessing the benefit is to make the base denser than the upper portion of the piece as to greatly aid in preventing collapsing and topping over, yes?

I suppose it's not just enough to have triangular structural support. (Head and upper shaft diameter is 1/2 to 2/3 that of the base)

Thanks.

Re #1

This link gives a good explanation.

http://www.wholesalechess.com/pieces-and-weights.html

Yes, that's basically correct.  The added weight in the base lowers the center of gravity, making the pieces more stable and less likely to tip over if bumped.  Some players also prefer the feel of heavier pieces.

This is especially true of plastic pieces that are typically manufactured hollow to save on cost. By adding weight to the bottom they become far more stable. They are also much more satisfying when placed on the board as the give the feel of a solid setting. That is for the majority of people.

The problem with adding more diameter to the base is that then you require a larger chess board for the same height pieces.

I was most speaking on the standard: 2" or 2.125" base for 4.5" Kings; 2.75" or 2.875" base for 6.0" Kings. That doesn't change.

What is the standard of pricing single weight, double weight, triple weight and quadruple weight? Is it adding as much as $100 more to what the price would otherwise be for a chess set (for quadruple weight)?

Thanks again.

Not for plastic sets at least. I think the difference is a very reasonable, though I would have to look up examples. 

I know I didn't pay a lot more for my higher weight sets 

I think that one could consider single-weighted pieces to weigh beween a pound and two, double-weighted between two and three, and triple-weighted more than three pounds (extra queens are usually not taken into account when denoting the weight of a set of pieces), but that's just a very general rule of thumb. I haven't stumbled upon "quadruple-weighted" pieces, perhaps it might just be a marketing slogan of sorts.

Oh they do exist: Quadruple Weighted chess set at Amazon.com and I have seen others.

And actually: Quadruple Weighted sets at SalesButler

The set at Amazon did have a total weight of four pounds. I didn't check all of the sets at the other sites. I've only had double or triple weighted sets. Now I'm kind of wanting to find one of these four pound sets to see how they feel.

Of course, you can usually just add your own weight if you find a great set you like but want it to be heavier.

I'm sorely tempted by this great looking set for my first Wood Tournament set: Grande Staunton Set in Boxwood and Rosewood

Wow, so such beasts do actually exist (with a weight reaching four pounds it even does fit into the rule of thumb I cited above).

The first tourney set I bought was listed as quadruple-weighted. I really liked how solid they were. Downside is that the pawns, when dropped, tended to lose their heads

(joke about pawns losing heads edited out; turns out, I'm not as funny as I would like)

Martin_Stahl, is it true that these pieces really weigh four pounds?

Alsol, will pawns run this same risk of disintegration if they were only triple-weighted?

I really don't recall what the weight is on them. My replacement set is triple-weighted and you can tell the difference. I'm also trying to be much more careful with them and mainly use a lightly weighted set at the club.

Hmm. So, quad-weight posing a new issue while over-solving the original one is what you're saying?

Are pieces ideally light-weighted in tournaments?

What about Blitz and timed play?

I have a Pro-Tourney set from chessstore.com that are triple-weighted. Been using them for 3+ years regularly. Only damage is an ear from one of the Knights chipped off when it fell off the table onto a concrete floor. Very durable.

Well, I much prefer the feel of at least a weighted set and really liked how solid my first set was. The weak pawn heads may have may just have been an artifact of the molding process and the weight.

The newer set is a little bit larger than my first one. Add in the difference in weight and I don't like it quite as much. The set I play with outside of tourneys is a free one I got that is double-weighted I think. Decent pieces and I would prefer those to unweighted/single-weighted.