"King's Classic" - European International Chess Wooden Game Set, 11.3" Small

Cute chess set! Not heavy pieces. I purchased one exactly like this while in Europe many years ago for my son and my daughter kept taking it from his room because she wanted it. I found this on Amazon and is almost 100% identical to the one I picked up in Europe. Two happy kids! Recommend!

This set is great $ spent and it arrived in 2 days! I *was designing a custom board for my lady when I stumbled on this set while looking for a pieces-only set. It is an elegant design that she will be keeping out full-time, I’m sure!The bishop, rook, pawns, and king/queen are *PERFECT in my estimation (a lifelong chess enthusiast), tho I may simplify the knight to match. A light rubbing with #0000 steel wool will unify any irregularity in the finish.I’m *covering the board with my own lasercut design, so that’s just a bonus; it doesn’t seem to match the design quality of the pieces (so sue me— I’m a designer!) Tho the inside-board liners (for the pieces) are awkward, they will keep the pieces from rolling around and abrading each other, if ever traveling.I’d give it more stars, but *I’m taking the design further than it arrived with— and I consider this a dynamite heirloom *bargain for the chess lover in your life!*—Update after 6 mos: We LOVE THIS SET! OK, tho I covered the board with my own lasercut design, the pieces alone are fabulous (wish they were sold by themselves). We leave it out even when it’s a week since we last played— because it’s a home-run look, and nearly *everyone who sees it comments its unique character (even those who don’t play).

Several issues with craftmanship:-The board would not lay flat because the metal hinges weren't placed properly. I had to rip out the nails and realign the hinge before nailing it shut again.-One of the queen's head beads fell out. Not a big deal, I just glued it back on.-The metal hinges are covered with a cheap looking fabric. I ripped that out and placed a nicer fabric.I diy-ed the entire set in an hour (and it was honestly pretty fun!). Given the price, I think this is still a great buy, especially for wood.Pros:-larger pieces, especially compared to other 12 inch sets. Tradeoff here is that you can't secure the pieces to the inside so they'll roll around when you're carrying the set because they're too bulky. The details on the pieces aren't perfect, but they still look great and easily distinguishable!-lovely detail on the chess board, the squares have this gorgeous rope trim detail. It really looks quite beautiful.-the A-H and 1-8 notations look neat. Other wood chess sets feature handwritten notations, but I think they look messy.-perfect size and light-it's a great price, I find that cheaper sets are just too flimsy. I wasn't willing to pay more either (and usually those sets are larger).Cons:-again, craftmanship-the green felt inside is pretty ugly. Still wish the pieces could be secured but I do prefer that they're larger and bulkier, it makes them easier to spot and distinguish.-I personally would have preferred weighted piecesHere are the customizations I did:-realigned hinges-placed nicer fabric over the hinges-made the pieces weighted by removing the (ugly) green felt bases and gluing pennies and thin felt.-added dark brown details to the light pieces. (the dark brown pieces have light details but not vice versa, so I wanted them to match)In summary, I'm rating this 4/5 stars because it's not perfect, but if you have issues and take the time to customize it, I promise that it will be perfect!! It's an absolute dream to look at and play on now.

Nice gift set. Ready to be gitted. Good quality pieces, not bad board design. And hopefully person will love it...

Looks great, is lightweight but sturdy

GOOD

Pros:- Pieces fit snug in closed box, all pieces included- Looks greatCons:- Way over-priced at $50- If you're expecting a solid wood set, this will let you down. It's very light- I assume just a veneer.- No extra queens

The set is beautiful, the Polish craftsmanship is impeccable*, the pieces are all definitely hand lathed and carved, the small irregularities and subtle differences in shape betruths the attention given to making these. It comes with a cute little pamphlet for kids explaining how to play, that does not look like it was written for idiots. The board is definitely laser cut and hand assembled beautifully, I just wish they’d used a thicker base material to give the board a more solid base for the pieces. The pieces are a little light, specifically the kings and queens, and can fall if lightly jostled. Overall, definitely worth the under $70 for a stunning hand crafted imported international chess board. (I know I made up the word “betruth”, but it works.)