Royal 30 European Wood International Chess Set

Out of the box, the set was absolutely beautiful. It has sort of a home-made feel to it, which I thought was nice. Some of the algebraic notation around the board is a tad bit blurry--the letters and numbers have been carved, and a stain brushed in the grooves. It's perfectly legible, but some people may prefer uniform printed notation. i found the board has a certain charm absent in wood boards that merely have a checkered design printed on it.

The pieces look glorious on the board. I will say, however, that the queens are not made of one solid piece of wood. Still, this does not compromise the beauty of the piece (if you don't inspect it upside down, that is). In addition, these are not "triple weighted" pieces. They are fairly light, but perfectly suitable for play. the felt on the bottoms is especially nice, though I may trim the edges a bit in the future.

I will say, closing the board with the pieces inside is not something you can do quickly. None of the pieces may overlap AT ALL, or you will not be able to latch it shut.

Quite simply put, I love this set. I feel I have given an accurate summation of its virtues and vices, so to speak. So many chess boards are $100 or more--without the pieces included. This is a lovely set of a high quality. You won't find a nicer set at this price.

This set looks lovely! Also no child labour was used in making it. Fantastic. My only complaint is the weird-looking bishops are kind of hard to tell apart from the rooks. But it's definitely no deal-breaker. Fun to look at and fun to play.

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Set arrived promptly and in good condition. I really like the different pieces and the box is very nice for the storage of the pieces as well. Very beautiful and elegant chess set.

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Bottom line: I'm pretty happy I spent a couple extra bucks and avoided a cheap plastic set.

Upper line: The set is well crafted and feels durable. I can throw this set in my backpack and not worry about it falling apart. The pieces and board itself are goregous; the wood looks like it has been stained, not painted. The board appears to have been carved, which gives it a great handmade feel. The pieces do all fit into the board itself fairly easily. It's small, at probably 15 inches square. However, that does not make it hard to play at all. I've got pretty ginormous hands, and have no problem moving the pieces at all. I'm happy.

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I was very happy when I opened the package.For the money, it is an excellent set.Some reviewers had a few negatives to say, but I compare apples with apples, SO, again, for the money it is an excellent set, a great deal, and would make a nice starter set to give to someone as a gift.Pieces are actually very decorative.Sure, the felt trim is not perfect, and they could have a molded interior for storage, but the price would be doubled.This apple is not an orange, and I give it 2 thumbs up!