What is your favorite Chess board and favorite pieces?

So now that I have revived my love for chess, I am looking for a pretty board that I can keep in our living room.  A few years back, I bought a little chess table at Dillards, and another board that  put on top of the table as the board looked nicer than the one in the table.  The board came with some nice metal pieces as well.  Over the years though, the metal (gold and silver) has faded in color so sometimes it is hard to tell the pieces as they are very similar in color now.   The king has a sword he holds and the tops broke off of those.

So I thought maybe I would invest in something else.  As I look at the online chess sites... most are selling the classic staunton type pieces in wood. Is this the style that most of you use?  Or do you like something fancier, or themed?

In the wood pieces, I see they come in different sizes and weights..  Some look identical but the price varies a lot... I saw some wood pieces in the 400 dollar range that look just like the 50 dollar ones?

So I am looking to you to tell me what you like, why, and where did you buy them?

Thank you all for your time :)

-Chuck

How big is your living room?

lol!!! I always wanted something like that!! The Arizona Biltmore Hotel here in Phoenix has a huge chess board made out of grass out in their lawn, and you can rent pieces when you stay there lol, its awesome...even bigger than that picture you showed there.

Staunton is pretty much the gold standard for plastic pieces.

My personal favorite is my wooden set that I got from House of Staunton. It's blond rosewood and boxwood, and the board is just gorgeous.

BTW, I'm fairly certain wholesalechess.com sells those large garden sets.

I definitely prefer wood, well weighted. The price can vary a lot, depending on the quality of the wood used, the workmanship, and of course, country of origin (as well as country of retailer). Red sandalwood (a.k.a. "blood rosewood") costs more than ebony, which costs more than rosewood, "ebonized" boxwood, sheesham (a. [euphemistically] k.a. "golden rosewood"), etc. The quality of the design, cleanness of the turning and carving, the degree to which the wood is polished, and the finish can all affect the price. Those last few details of fine workmanship can take some time and cost some money. I have heard that the knights in a nice set can be responsible for half the cost of the set.

If one is less concerned with the finest points of woodworking, and just wants a nice workhorse set, the lower priced ones are perfectly fine. Among these, I still have a strong liking for the House of Staunton "Grandmaster" series in either rosewood or ebonized boxwood. Others may disagree, but I find the sheesham (golden rosewood) decidedly inferior, and I am willing to spend the extra ten or twenty bucks for the darker black pieces.

The set may be purchased from their site, or if you're willing to work a little, may sometimes be gotten more cheaply on eBay. (Pssst, buddy .... I got a spare one in rosewood I'd be willing to part with for a mere ....) Note, the workmanship is down just a little on the last sets I've seen -- the knights were a little clumsy looking compared to the ones in the photo and the crown of the queen wasn't as well cut. Still, the design, proportions, and balance of the set is tough to beat.

A bit different, but interesting and still quite playable is their "Royale" series, also listed under 4.0 inch sets.

Any of the more expensive ones which might appeal to you should be at least as good.

How small are your kids?

I think a good weight is 87 to 90 ounces which is the whole set excluding the extra 2 queens which do come with all Staunton sets

It's a matter of taste. The Chess Store's basic Parker sets and The House of Staunton's Grandmaster sets are virtually identical designs from what I can see. HoS does not offer the burnt sets like TCS does. To my taste, the burnt sets are a bit distracting for actual play, though they may look good for display. I don't like combinations of dark and light on both color pieces (Is that my knight, or his?). I think the burnt sheesham is less of a problem in that regard than the burnt boxwood would be. Again, it's personal taste, but I'd go for a straight boxwood white with either a dark rosewood or solid black "black," -- simple elegance which looks good on display and is easy on the eye while playing. Of course, no one (here) says you couldn't own more than one set.

Any attractive board with adequate contrast is fine. I prefer the dark squares to also be a different shade or color than the pieces for ease of play.

Weight will be proportional to size. The HoS Grandmaster set is listed at 46 oz. for the set, and the pieces (3 - 7/8 inch king) have a good feel. Heavier wouldn't hurt, but this set definitely has adequate heft with good balance and stability.

I improved my collection with the Internet. I sold off most of my older sets, and bought nicer new(er) ones. Websites (such as those mentioned and others) have a number of interesting new sets, while auction sites have new and old sets available in seemingly never-ending variety. This is easier, and usually better and more efficient than having to rely exclusively on local merchants' inventory, though the locals should never be ignored.

I know I'm a little late to the party, but I live in the Phoenix area, too, and I've found some lovely chess sets at the local antique shops and the associated flea markets. Look around, both in brick-and-mortar shops and online. You might be surprised. If you live near one of the Bookman's locations, definitely check them out. They get a lot of chess sets in, esp. after Christmas, and some are really high quality. It's a bit random there, though, as they deal in used merchandise and can only sell what people sell to them.

If all else fails, check out Game Daze at your local mall. They've got some good, but basic, wood sets that you can look at and kick the tires on. If you order them online, though, you'll usually save a good chunk of change.

Happy hunting!