Your preferred size range for chess boards

Hi, everybody.  I'm new here.

What is your preferred size range for chess boards for home (or in a setting where regulation size isn't important)?  Let's define it as the range between a board that's too small to be engaging and too large to be taken in comfortably.

Thanks!

Hello, Louis.  

I think most of the regular posters here like a regulation sized board (2 - 2.75 inch squares) even at home, except possibly for analysis use where space is limited.  In that case a "Library" sized board works well. That's certainly my experience, anyway.

On a related note, this thread might interest you ---->> A System for Sizing Chess Pieces and Boards

When working through a book, I like to have two boards on a coffee table.  One is a regulation sized wooden board -- usually with 2.25 or 2.375 inch squares and the other is a small 12x12 inch vinyl analysis board.  I often go through variations on the small board and return to the main position on the big board.  Besides it looks cool and my wife doesn't complain about it after she heard some guests comment favorably on the look.

I have a 12" magnetic that's about as small as still remains comfortable to play on and view.  I've tried 7" and of course you can use it for study, but it's just not as nice and play isn't much fun.  I have one of my 12s doweled/glued/ducttaped permanently open for ease of movement in public settings.

I love big sets on big boards.  My everyday analysis set has a 4.4" tall king with a 2" base so the board is huge as well.  Actually the overall dimensions were kept down by use of a very narrow border so it comes in at a little over 2'.  My fanciest board is raised above a very wide border so despite being only 2 1/4" squares is my widest at 25".  And then I have another 2.5" square board with no borders that's marginally portable.  Usually I go with a folding wooden tournament board for portable, with  2 1/4" squares.

So somewhere between a foot and a little over 2' seems to work for me. I'm sure there are other opinions...

For play nothing beats a 55mm square tournament board with heavy pieces.

But at home for random analysis it's a bit overkill both in the constant reach your arm has to make and the space it takes on the table or worse, a computer desk. 

There I prefer my 50mm square board which still gives me the "big board" feel where pieces are comfortable to move around, won't knock them over but taking up considerably less space. Smaller works too but smaller than 30mm becomes problematic as I'll start knocking over pieces when I want to capture something.

Like others here I think the usage and where you are playing matters.

The standard is the 2.25" square board.  

We now meet in a hotel and have a six foot table for each board.  So this board size is great.  I also have 2.375" and 2.5" boards that the bigger pieces need.  With the whole table, these are good, too, for tournament play.

When the space is tighter the 2.25" board is the biggest I want, and I actually have used a 2.125" and a 2.0" board in these situations.  Of course the sets for those boards are also smaller.

When going to a cafe, I usually bring my 2.0" board and a 3.5" King set.  this works well for this.

Sometimes I go to a restaurant and eat with a friend and play chess.  For this I have a 1.875" vinyl board and a HoS Marshall analysis/library plastic set, along with a DGT 960 folding clock, perfect.

Eyechess wrote:

I like that set they used on "Harry Potter and the Something or Other".

I haven't been able to find one in the shops though. And Daniel Radcliffe and Emma Watson keep ignoring my emails asking them to act as chess pieces, so it's not gonna happen.

As a result, I have to be content with my Ebony and Boxwood set - the board size is such that 4 pawns will nearly - but not quite - fit in each square.

This makes it looks right, IMO, and I believe this is the standard advice

Hmm, we usually go to a Perkins Restaurant or Denny's.  We always sit in a booth.

Thanks for your replies.

I tend to take a less-is-more approach and go small with things, but was pretty sure I wouldn't be happy with a 1.5" board and 2.5" pieces.  I ordered a 2" board today.

Anything from 1.75" to 2.75" is fine.  Different situations suit different size boards.  If I had to pick one board as my favorite it would probably be a board with 55mm (2.16") squares. 

The idea that the 2.25" square board is the standard isn't really accurate when you take the whole world and history into consideration.  The world championship match last year between Carlsen and Anand was played on a board with 50mm (1.96" squares.  Seen here:

http://fidechessset.com/#story

If you look at photos of chess clubs around the world you will see a variety in board and piece sizes.

And here's a look at some of my borderless chess boards. Shown, top to bottom, are a 2", 2.125", 2.375", and a 2.5" board. [While the boards look similar from this side view, the wood combinations are varied and include: bloodwood and maple, bloodwood and ash, bubinga and maple, and padauk and ash.]

At home, I like 2" or 2 1/4".  I've got a small folding portable set that I take to restaurants and bars but, after reading this thread, I'm thinking I may start taking a little larger set with me.

I'm considering getting a 45mm (1.77") squares folding board for use at home.

World Chess has an interesting set they call a Studio Set. This includes a nice looking 45mm folding board (made by Rechapados Ferrer) and complementing wooden pieces (King height is 76mm with base diameter of 30mm). There is an excellent review here.

The idea is that this is more compact compared to a tournament board. It will be easier to find a place to play and store the board. It's not intended as a portable board, but some say they travel with it.

Absolutely and only 55mm square-size boards, at the tournaments, like at home. I think you shouldn't waste time and energy stressing your eyes and mind to keep "adapting" to different chessboards, sizes, etc. To not speak about those who analyse on two completely different boards at the same time...

In my case, if I decide to participate to multiple tourneys organised by the same chess club, I even buy the board and pieces they will be using at the tourneys.

The great @ifekali has a nice video on chessboard size:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJeVid62NZo

The king-queen-bishop placement is sort of a unique criteria (I haven't heard it before) but it seems to work and it's somewhat logical.

I think questions need to be asked of any bishop who's set on "penetrating the royal pair" but that's an interesting and, as he says, quick way of assessing whether a board is the right side!

Why not , just get a vinyl Board cheap really good + come 's in many sizes ,

I had my ones for many years , just make sure to roll SQ on the outside ,