Wegiel Handmade European Professional Tournament Chess Pieces With Wood Storage Case

I got this for my son during a deal in the spur-of-the-moment, with only 30 minutes left to go, so, totally an impulse buy, but I thought it might be worth it as another inexpensive Christmas gift. My son is definitely a beginner and has only started playing with family, but also plans to join chess club at school. Based on his skill and interest level, I felt this would be a good set. I am happy to report -- it is! For being an impulse purchase, this worked out great. I did a quick price check of other sets of wood pieces and it turns out they are usually much more; this set was a great price and is made of wood, including the box. Both inside and outside of the box are good quality, although the metal clasp/closure looks a bit dated or cheap to me. The stain on both the box as well as the darker pieces is different that pictured, which isn't a big issue for me but might be for some. Box color looks like a nice espresso or walnut in photos, but is a light, reddish mahogany color. In addition, the dark pieces that are pictured as a warm, medium brown stain are actually dark walnut. I like darker wood, so this works fine. Staining appears even throughout the pieces (and, by the way, were all accounted for when I checked) and the felt bottoms seem nice as well. All pieces fit in the box fine, but be aware that there are wood particles/shavings in the bottom and this should be cleaned out properly. I assumed it was only some dust and went to blow it out, only to have wood fragments go right up into my eyes and face -- that was fun. Still, I'd rather clean it out myself and have that than my son get hurt or acquire a splinter from that mess. Lastly, I think the box packaging it comes in is horrible and thin/unstable, so much so that it provides no protection (as packaging should) to prevent damage to the wooden box. No matter, it is still a great "first" set that I think would be a great gift for any chess-lover.

I bought this as an attractive yet inexpensive set for a chess board I'm making. I was very dissatisfied with the lumpy and poorly defined economy pieces available elsewhere for under $15, and these proved to be a solid step up.As you can see in the pics, the pieces are hand filling, and mine are big gawmy gorilla hands, so you can see this isn't a wimpy set by any means. The board in the pics has 1 1/4" squares, and the king fills that space up nicely, though it is clearly made for 1 1/2" squares.While simply styled, the pieces are plenty attractive with a semi-gloss finish. One minor gripe is that the bishops lack the defining angled cut shown in the advertising, but I'm not in the habit of quibbling over details when I've spent less than $30 on the thing. It's a bishop. I can tell. If I wanted a fancy bishop I'd be paying $100+, but I'm a tightwad, so this is fine.A lot of reviews like to dump on the storage box the set comes in. I see no problems with it. Though it's not a fine mahogany chest, if you've purchased this set with an eye towards economy, then you shouldn't be surprised that it is a generic wooden box like you can get at A.C. Moore for $6. And if you paid $27 for this set expecting fine, exotic hardwoods, then you should probably take a class in economics, because that's not how these things work.In summary, this chess set is just exactly what I paid for: an attractive, nicely made, sturdy kit for a decent price. What more can you ask for?

When they tell you the king is 3 1/4" tall or whatever, you naturally come to sort of expect that they're all pretty good size pieces. Well they're small. It's a nice set, but I'd like the pieces to have more weight to them. I don't know. It's cool they came with a box. I love boxes. I also love breasts, beer, poker, and flying kites. Not real big on walks along the beach though. But these are good chess pieces for the money. And they come in a neat little wooden box, which I like.

Those pieces are fantastic! Use them with a roll-up chess board, 2.5" squares and they fit perfectly and their weight keeps them in place. Great buy for this price. The box is wood and makes the entire thing look more expensive and exquisite. I use the box for other things now but they hold the pieces well.Some have complained that the pieces are hard to "move" (push, without lifting them) over the board. Well, I don't know, if you're too weak to lift a small figurine to move it from one square to another, maybe checkers is right for you! I have no problems moving, pushing, or lifting these pieces!

I bought this chess piece set for Christmas for my husband, who had a chess board he made in wood shop in high school but no pieces. He was pleasantly surprised when he opened it because he'd looked around for similar sets, but never found one for a good deal (and approved of the price this set was when I told him).The pieces are heavy enough to be solid and have felt on the bottom, which helps them stay in place on the board. They look great on his chess board (for whatever that's worth), and the box also is well made. There's separate compartments for each color and the latch sticks just enough that the box won't come open on accident.