Magnetic Wooden Travel Chess Set
Monday, July 12th, 2010 at
4:21 pm
Magnetic Wooden Travel Chess Set
Average Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5
- King: 1.85” (4.8cm). Queen: 1.75” (4.5cm). Pawn: 1.1” (2.8cm)
- Board measures 10.5” x 10.5” (26.5cm x 26.5cm). Square size: 1.2” (3cm).
- Hand crafted in Poland.
Product Description
The nicest portable chess board you’ve ever played on! Wooden Birch board and Hornbeam wood chessmen are magnetic so they stay where they are put without worries of a bump or a jiggle to disrupt your game…. More >>
Magnetic Wooden Travel Chess Set
Tagged with: Chess • Magnetic • Travel • Wooden
Filed under: Board Games
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I bought this chess set about the same time as I got a smaller magnetic chess set because it was relatively cheap and I thought it looked nice in the picture provided. I was looking for a small, magnetic chess set to use in order to follow along with some chess books I had bought.
Although I am not new to chess, I am very new to taking a serious approach to studying chess in the hope that I can improve my game. So, I bought a couple of books recommended to help improve my game and quickly realized that I need a “visual aid” to see what the books are trying to teach me. So, I bought the Carrom Magnetic Chess Set first due to it’s many good recommendations. I like the Carrom set for travel or for kicking back in the recliner and reading, but for serious study at a desk or on the couch (if you have a TV tray or other small table to use) I really like this set better. It is just nicer and larger.
Pros:
1) Has markings for algebraic notation
2) Cheap price
3) Nicely made for the price
Cons:
1) must be on a sturdy flat surface or it will fold up on you
2) weak magnets (this seems to be the most common complaint of all travel chess sets)
3) can’t be “locked” into an open position
I don’t know how it can be that nobody has made a truly high quality, fancy travel/study chess set with decent magnets. While some wooden chess sets are routinely manufactured which sell for thousands of dollars or even tens of thousands of dollars (e.g. http://www.houseofstaunton.com), nobody has bothered to tap into that market and manufacture a high quality travel/study magnetic chess set with anything other than the cheapest material. Until that day comes, I do recommend this chess set as a very good product for the money!
Rating: 4 / 5
I bought this as a something to have around the house and so I could take it for travel at the same time. Its a great board. The pieces fit in molded plastic inside and the magnet is strong enough that you can hold it vertical and they wont fall off (just don’t start shaking it). My one tick about it is the overall look of it. the squares are separated by a rope like impression that was pressed into the wood. Other then that its a great board to have.
Rating: 5 / 5
This wooden set sells in NYC for $40. Need I say more. The magnets on some pieces are not weak but are inset to far into the base causing them to slid off the board, a white rook and knight in my case. The magnetic attraction of the pieces causes them to jumble while stored. Other than these two small complaints this is a great chess set for the money. I’m glad I bought it. I will use it often when studing games and positions. Nice European detail.
Rating: 4 / 5
Nice set. Magnets are strong enough to keep pieces in place under usual circumstances. No complaints.
Rating: 4 / 5
-Positive: Looks and feels great. Very solid so far, and seems like it will last.
-Neutral: Magnets are just the right strength, for me. Weak enough to allow for easy movement, and strong enough to keep them in place through an average jostle. (1 rook has no magnetism)
-Negative: The spaces that hold the pieces while the set is closed are too big. Half of the pieces(mainly pawns and knights) bounce around as the set rotates. In order to keep them in place, I had to modify the interior myself.
Overall, it is a good product for the price and I am satisfied.
Rating: 4 / 5