Which chess set shoulc I buy?

Buy the quality wooden board with good size triple weighted pieces. It will last a life time and you will never regret it. Nothing beats playing OTB on a good quality board rather than a cheap pastic one that clubs buy. It won't make you a better player but you'll sure feel better about it.

Electronic boards will be out of date in 12 months but a solid wooden board will last forever and you'll play your grand children chess on it.

Mine cost £450 (board and pieces) and I have never regreted it.

Originally posted by Arctic Jack
I've got roughly 350 UK pound / 700 US dollars to spend.

I'm torn between a traditional wooden board, not sure which one yet or the DGT electronic chess board to use with my laptop. Does anyone have the DGT board? What is the board/pieces quality like? I've read they have brought out more expenisve pieces to use called 'Royal' 'ebonized' 'classic' etc nd? Could you also give me a link so I can see your choice.

Thank you,

Bernard.

The 3.5" King Hastings Comemorative plastic Chess Set which is weighted. It's only around $30. Get the vinyl tournament board for tournaments and a cool DGT electronic chess clock that's endorsed by Kramnik. Save your money! Don't buy expensive chess sets. I once had a Kasparov chess set worth $1,000 which was designed by himself! I played with it a few times, and then some crack head chick who kicked me out of my Dallas, Texas apartment ended up stealing it along with my other WOODEN chess sets. I was so upset! But, now I have a Hastings replica plastic weighted tournament chess set, and you know what? I love it more than I loved my $1,000 Kasparov endorsed chess set with the walnut case. Remember, novelty wears off quickly. I'd suggest buying a really nice plastic set that's tough and beautifully designed to your liking, and giving the rest of the money you were going to spend on an expensive chess set to a good charity that maybe would benefit the homeless or children with cancer. Am I too far off? If not a charity, at least buy a lifetime membership to Chess Life or whatever Chess Federation is in your particular country.

I think to buy DGT Electronic Chessboard too,


Why I want to buy so expensive this set ? only one reason to play real opponent via internet with real pieces!

Any experience with that ? any have this electronic chessboard ?

I got a nice offer from one guy from the local chess school. I live in Riga (actually Sigulda, but that's almost the suburbs)(That's in Latvia, near Russia, coast of the Baltic sea) and in 70'ies and 80'ies some candidate matches were held in Riga Chess School and there were tables made especially for these events and of course kept for later tournaments. Now the chess school wants to get rid of them and are offering them for free. The problem is that they (the tables) are not collapsible, you have to carry them as a whole. You got to have transport, a van preferably. I would like to have one too of course but the transport is a problem. The tables are very heavy and first of all, you'd have to get them down from the 5th floor. Anyway, their cool and have a history. Tal, Korchnoi, Karpov and other such famous players have played on them.