What do you think about silicone chessboards?

I like the 5,6 cm square. Are they durable?

too grippy on the pieces for my tastes

almost everyone in nyc uses the silicone board even the chess bum at union square. it become non grippy as u use it over time. unless u enjoy wasting a few second of ur life unrolling the vylnl board.. or carry the heavy mouse pad board..

I find them too sticky and I prefer my pieces sliding across the board and not buffering across the board

I've only had mine for a couple months but I love it with the plastic Dubrovnik set. 

Ron, seems everyone copied the Butterman board ,this is what I call it since he came out with it long before everyone else, and it is very popular now. Very thin, foldability + and cleanability easy.  Had one folded for many moths and it laid perfectly flat. Pieces slid with no problem.  Shelby has an assortment of them and other chess vendors too. 

I have seen many of my friends switch from vinyl to silicone chess boards right after silicone boards were made available. I really love how silicone folds and doesn't crease compared to vinyl. The technology of using silicone for board games is amazing. The silicone market is expanding tremendously with its wide applications. Though I am old school and love the wooden chess board that has been passed down to me, I like how silicone board makes a difference. I have already bought one and carry it often to outings, it doesn’t crease and stays flat!

Here's my plastic Dubrovnik on my silicone board...

thats a nice set friend

I have a couple of silicon boards that I use with my travel plastic pieces.  

Positive: Light weight,  folds super easy and small, no wrinkles and unfolds flat, super easy to clean spills and kids snacks from.

Negative : Board surface is a little gripping.  If you slide pieces it will grip the baize and separate it from the pieces.  My young nieces and nephews tend to be the bigger culprits of this but I've done it also in a time scramble.  It's not a huge negative but I have crazy glued a few baizes back on. 

I wonder if wiping the board with a little talc (baby powder) would help with the grippiness?

With the very thin mousepad boards that clean up easily why even consider silicone?  We can all thank Glen Butterman who passed away for his pioneering the board.  Since everyone is making them now even the vinyl is getting less and less popular. I kept mine folded for a year and just used it with no problem. 

Mousepad has a better feel for me. But not quite as foldable as silicon which I can fold and put in my pocket. Also silicone is perfect for summer poolside play but overall I am with you and prefer mousepad. 

I think all current roll-up board types suck, albeit in different ways. Which one is least bad for you depends on your personal preferences. Personally I slightly prefer vinyl boards, but I hope someone will come out with a silicone board with some kind of low-friction anti-static coating. With all the wonders of modern material science, surely it must be possible?

@ Ronbo710: May I ask where was this blue and white squared silicone board with the rounded edges obtained from?

It was on e bay a while back and can't remember who the seller was -sorry.

Are these silicone roll out boards best laid out on a solid surface? Or can they be laid out on carpet or over tablecloths as well without creating a ripple affect on the board? If you get what I mean . 

IMO they require a hard, flat surface.

In general, I'm against artificial surfaces. I think they slow down the play and can cause injuries.