wooden sets

im looking for an inexpensive wooden chess set and board.. should look decent too... the chess cafe sets look ok but there arent enough pics, besides the international ones posted here of the other ones... 

any board reccomendations and pieces would be great..

If inexpensive is your only criterion, I recommend the Chess Cafe International set.  Not collectible quality, but quite decent and you'll feel comfortable playing it anywhere.

lol i dont want that set. i dont really care about playing it anywhere, as i only play with sets at tournaments and use a computer to do all my studying. 

im looking to spend $50-$100 on pieces and the cheapest board on HoS.

In the price range you want, I would buy the HOS Champiionsip Series Set in Rosewood.  With discount it is about $72.  The Rosewood is great when matching it to a Mahogany board.

I would match that with the Mahogany and Maple tournament board they also sell.

To bring to tournaments, I spent a little extra and bought that Mahogany and Maple board in the folding option.  I then bought one of their Deluxe Tournament Bags, to hold it all. 

The bag has elastic bandoliers that hold the pieces nicely and they won't chip.

I believe you can go on their website and make a combo with a nice discount.

For the board, I personally like this board better than the ones at HOS, and it's definitely cheaper (down to $35 now).

http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Tournament-Chess-Board-No/dp/B000Z9CH7K/

Full tournament size with 2.25" squares.

Here are a few options.  I didn't know what size you want, so there are a variety.  Keep in mind, the shipping is free and lightning fast.

http://www.chessbazaar.com/catalogsearch/result/index/?cat=59&dir=asc&order=price&price=-100&q=staunton

I would second this board. I bought it based on pawpatrols post elsewhere and it is a very nice board, especially for the price (I paid $40). Solid sound when moving pieces, not heavy, well made. It does not fold but it is light enough to carry easily.

I also own that board and like it.  It is not the weight but the size of the board that becomes a problem when going to a tournament.

I also have that same Maple and Mahogany (the border is the light colored Maple) in a folding board with the HOS Deluxe bag.  Now that is much more compact to bring to tournaments.  Plus the bag will hold the Chess set, clock and scorebooks or other things.

By the way, you find this combo by going to the HOS main page, www.houseofstaunton.com .  Then search for the word, "combo".  There you will see a lot of combos with this one being a bit down on the page but not at the bottom.

I just checked HOS and they have the Golden Rosewood Championship Series set, the above mentioned folding board,  the Deluxe Bag to carry it all, and a scorebook as a combo.  The price is $149.95 but there always is a 10% discount there (today you can use either "Google10" or "Dynamic" as a discount code) which would bring that price down to about $135 complete.

You have to admit that this is a good price for a wood set, board, bag and scorebook.

Naa screw HoS. The board bag and pieces is just a money grabbing attempt

I'll grab pieces from chess cafe and use my vinyl board

Now, I am one of the first to say how HOS charges too much for their stuff, however in this case it really isn't a money grabbing attempt.

You wanted suggestions for a nice wood set from $50-$100.

The HOS Championship Series set is right in there.  And when comparing that specific set, which is a copy of the DGT Timeless Series set or what a lot of others refer to as the German Knight set, it is one of the best if not the best.  And I mean that objectively.

The Chess House sells one in Sheesham, which is very much like Golden Rosewood, for $60 and the set weighs 33 oz.

The Chess Store sells one in Ebonized Boxwood for $70 and a Rosewood one for $80.  Both of them weigh 40 oz.

The HOS one is $69 for Golden Rosewood, $79 for Ebonized and $89 for Rosewood, but everyone that buys there should get at least 10% off making those sets $66, $71, and $81 respectively.  And the set weighs a whopping 52 oz.  That's 3/4 of a pound more than the nearest one listed above.

The folding board lists for $80 and the bag is $60.  If you get the Golden Rosewood set that would be a total of roughly $188 if you bought them separately with the 10% discount.  The combo price would be $135 after the discount.  That's not a money grab.

The ChessCafe set is certainly cheaper at about $30 in the Sheesham or Golden Rosewood.  It also is the lightest set of the bunch at 37 oz.  You do get what you pay for in life.

You said in your opening post that you were looking for a nice wood set and board.

When someone suggested the ChessCafe International set you laughed and said you didn't want that one.   And you said you wanted the cheapest board on HOS.  I just showed you what you asked for.

Now you are saying you want to go dirt cheap and buy that set and use a vinyl board.  Make up your mind.

1. If you want cheap the ChessCafe wood sets are the cheapest and also the lightest and therefore of the lowest quality.  And yes a vinyl board is the cheapest way to go with a Chess board.

2.  For the money, the HOS Golden Rosewood Championship Set is the best bang for the buck.  It's $61 compared to the other 2 in that price range and it weighs a lot more than any others, giving you the best quality set for the money.

3. If you want a good, cheap wood tournament board, I agree with the guys saying to get the Maple and Mahogany board for $30 or so.  The problem you will have is that the board is big to carry around to tournaments.

4. If you want the best buy and value on a wood set, wood tournament board and bag to carry it all and have the board fold for easier carrying, then that HOS combo looks to be the best deal at this time.  At $135 for all three things, you are basically paying $45 for each item, wood set, folding wood board, and bag.  And that's not bad.

My opinion and suggestion is that if you are looking for one set to play with at tournaments, you want it to be nice, and yes inexpensive.  Getting the heavier set will be nice and you will not regret it.  People that play with wood sets at tournaments will tell you that.

My suggestion is to buy the HOS set at a minimum.  If you just want an inexpensive wood board get the one they mention on Amazon (I have one of those too).  Just remember that you will need a board bag to carry it to tournaments so it won't get beat up.

I have a couple friends that only have an inexpensive wood set and use vinyl boards.  Heck, I won't always bring a wood board to a tournament, especially if the weather is crappy, and use a vinyl board with my sets.

I wouldn't be biased or mad at HOS.  At this time in history, they just have the best of that style chess set at a very competitive price.

Another option from Chess Cafe is their 4-1/8" Olympian Titan set in shesham, which is currently selling for $39. It's a great value for the money, decent quality and nicely weighted at 65 oz! I would say it rivals sets selling elsewhere at 2X or 3X the price. With a 1-7/8" diameter king, it works well with a 2-3/8" vinyl board. If board size is an issue, you can trim off the indexing with an xacto knife and a straight edge, making it about an inch smaller than a standard 2.25" vinyl board.

http://shop.chesscafe.com/Olympian-Titan-4-1-8-Golden-Sheesham-Chessmen-4-queens-EQP1392.htm

There are some boards on the HOS Outlet page with only minor dings that someone could probably get for almost nothing.

link?

Chesscafe has some horrible pics of their merch

Ill wait until easter sales from HoS to gdt that set. Collegw tuition is. A little bit nore important than a new wooden set atm

http://www.houseofstaunton.com/imperfect-chess-items.html

You should check this shop:

www.stylishchess.com

This is the Chess Cafe International ebonized set:

This is the Chess Bazaar Staunton 3.8:

Both sets are quite nice if you're still looking.

The OP stated he does not care for the International Chess Set. I guess Carlsen, Anand,Wesley So & other GM's using this set in Big Tournaments have poor tastes.! Hmmmm.?

I don't like the International set either. It's got nothing to do with good taste or bad, just different.