When it comes down to it, most of the time when we think of really nice chess pieces we are thinking of a wooden chess set. It makes sense – this has been the gold standard for high quality chessmen for over a hundred years. Not only are wooden chess pieces hand carved, they are often well weighted by metal in their bases. The chessboard options are usually high quality veneers or inlays, and together they make a set that looks fantastic.

These are not just for chess players. These sets look absolutely fantastic as home decor, ...

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The post Wooden Chess Set – Options and Styles appeared first on Chess USA.

The number of different chess pieces and chess boards is staggering. Not only are there hundreds of designs and styles, there are also many different broad categories of chess piece sets each filling their own niche. Be it from glass chess sets to marble chessmen, these categories of chess products have had their popularity wax and wane over the years.

I’d like to take a little look at some of the popular chess design styles. Today i’ll focus on glass chess sets.

Glass has been a popular choice for ...

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There are not a whole lot of brick and mortar chess stores out there, so I realize we fill a very particular niche in the chess world. Because of that, we get a lot of requests for things we do not normally handle. Probably the most common? Questions about antique chess sets. How much are they worth? What are they made of? Sometimes just a search to find out a little more about a chess piece set that has been passed down in the family.

While answers are often extremely hard to come by, I thought ...

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The weather is finally getting good here in New York, and we’re taking this as the traditional opportunity to do some spring cleaning. Once we clear the shelves a bit, we can make some determinations about not only products for the upcoming holidays, but also investigate some cool new ways to expand what we do from the retail side of things to also have more of a social aspect – but more on that in a later post. For now, what does that mean? Our Spring Cleaning Chess & Game Sale, ...

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Not long ago I made a post on magnetic chess sets – I wanted to do a quick post on travel sets – and as you can imagine, there is a great deal of overlap. However, not all travel chess sets are magnetic (one could argue that all magnetic sets are for travel) This post will fill in the blanks of the other types of chessboards and chessmen often used for travel.

While magnetic chess sets are often used for travel, their main drawback is their size. Many people find them ...

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When on trips, many of us have seen a garden chess set. It could be at a resort, a hotel, or even on a cruise ship – but outdoor chess piece sets have become so popular that more and more individuals want one for themselves.

The first time I was introduced to the idea of life size chess pieces was actually when I was a young boy at a renaissance faire. The live-action chess match is a staple for many of these faires to this day. Of course, instead ...

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When people are looking for a chess set to play with that is also quite portable, they are often looking for a magnetic set. In fact – along with the tournament chess combination sets and wood folding chess sets, these are some of the most popular items we carry. If you’re looking for one, i’ll tell you a little about the styles and options available for you.

Unfortunately, it’s never simple. There are a wide range of items available in different sizes and styles to choose from. ...

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