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Buy a Chess Set For Christmas

Posted on October 25, 2009 by chessblogger

The Christmas season is looming ever closer and it will soon be time to begin thinking about buying presents for our loved ones, and not so loved ones! For those relatives you are not too keen on we would always advise socks and pants, maybe some soaps and smellies for those with poor hygiene. But for those you are fond of there can be no better present than a fine chess set.

A luxury chess set will last longer than a lifetime, in many cases it should last multiple generations. There is also something extremely satisfying about a fine chess set. You don’t have to be a fan of chess, or even a fan of fine crafts to appreciate a lovely chess set. There is just something magical about them that is impossible to explain. A total of 32 (34 on a luxury fine set) pieces, each one carved with such loving attention that it could be sold as a fine gift on it’s own!

One mild irritation about buying a chess set is the problem of where to find one. It’s almost impossible to find a decent selection in a high street shop. Even the specialists chess shops don’t sell particularly great chess sets. Online shopping is the only answer it seems but with Christmas round the corner there will be plenty of the usual suspects piling the sets high and selling them cheap.

Plan ahead and do your research, buy from a reputable retailer who is happy for you to drive over to their premises to sample the products before you buy them. Be fussy and remember that the UK consumer laws mean that if you buy online you have the right to return it for literally any reason and for a full and complete refund. Always ask a retailer if the photos on their website are the actual photos of items from their stocks. It’s not unheard of for less reputable sellers to steal product images of high quality products and use them to sell their cheap wares. Aside from getting themselves sued in the new year it’s also bad practice on behalf of their customer service which results in disappointment when the products arrive.

So when you type buy chess sets into google this Christmas do your best to ensure you buy from the best and if you do make a mistake don’t worry about getting it returned and getting your money back. Good luck and Merry Christmas!

The Regency Chess Company

Posted on August 21, 2009 by chessblogger

The Internet is awash with retailers selling chess products. Recently a new contender arrived on the scene in the form of The Regency Chess Company. Based in Bath, United Kingdom these guys are creating something of a stir among the chess retail industry.

One of the most striking things about the regency website is their amazing product photography. I am informed that they do this themselves and only photograph the exact items that they stock on the website. This means you can be sure that you will receive exactly whats in the photos when you order, not a generic product sourced from another manufacturer long after the original photo was taken.

Already they seem to be holding stock of some unique and exclusive designs of Staunton Chessmen but one of the striking things about their range is their selection of chess boards. Many of the UK based chess retailers seem to stock a fairly small range of boards whereas these guys have a vast selection that includes basic veneer boards right up to luxury solid hardwood boards.

Already some long established budget retailers have begun copying The Regency Chess Company, like all great things, imitation is inevitable. It would appear that if you want to buy the cheapest chess sets, buy from somewhere else. If you want the best, buy from Regency.

Luxury chess sets

Posted on June 3, 2009 by chessblogger

Chess blogger has been on the prowl for luxury chess sets this week and has travelled afar to look at some in the flesh. Before one begins to scratch the surface of fine chess pieces it’s hard to know just how luxury and indeed expensive a set of chessmen can be. London seemed to be the place I needed to get to if I wanted to see a decent range of expensive chess sets. The big name department stores and a couple of niche chess specialists was where I was heading. I wont go into detail about the products and stores I looked at, instead I will keep this post fairly general.

Was I impressed? Well in a word yes, and no. Although I did see a great deal of chess sets, some for hundreds, others for thousands of pounds I didn’t see anything that looked like it was of immeasurable quality. My keen eye is always trying hard to spot faults and many faults I did spot, even with one set that was the most expensive one in a very well known department store.

It seems that price can’t be your gauge to quality, while some chess sets may appear to be ‘reassuringly expensive’ it seems the reassurance of quality is not to be assumed lightly.

New UK based chess retailer launches this month

Posted on November 8, 2008 by chessblogger

A brand new UK based chess retailer opened it’s doors this week. A new kid on the block of chess retailers that will no doubt cause quite a stir. Will no doubt be interesting to monitor their progress and see what sort of designs they add to their site in coming weeks.

Buying a chess set direct from India

Posted on October 6, 2008 by chessblogger

You have probably seen the many listings on ebay for elaborate and seemingly high quality chess sets at an amazingly cheap price. More often than not these sets are in India or China waiting to be posted to you for a fraction of the cost of buying the same set in the UK. There is however a catch, well more than one actually, that you need to be aware of.

Firstly there is the postage fees. It goes without saying that buying your chess set from the far east is going to cost a lot in postage. It’s very common for a seller to advertise the set for pennies or just a few pounds and then make their real profit on the postage costs. This is all well and good until you receive the goods and they were not what you expected. The seller will happily refund your pennies, but will regard the pounds already spent on ‘postage’ as non refundable.

Then there’s the quality. It’s a well known fact that India produces some of the worlds finest chess sets, there is a vast number of chess manufacturers and artisans working there to produce chess sets, in some cases for quite prestigious names in Chess. The market over there is vast and it seems anyone and everyone wants a look in. It’s easy for an ebay trader to buy a few sets from a local chess makers. A few rupees will buy them the pile of rejects that a supplier has weeded out from their stock thats intended for export. It’s all too easy for them to find their way onto ebay at tiny starting prices.

While buying from an Indian ebay seller might seem like a great way to save a few pounds it’s seldom worth it. All the proper producers of chess are too busy dealing with their real export customers to worry about ebaying off a few sets here and there so you can be sure that the set isn’t coming from them. Expect massive shipping times and a level of customer service that’s typical of a company 6000 miles away.

Remember that UK chess suppliers are governed by strict trading standards regulations whereas a small time ebayer in India or China is answerable to no one should your transaction turn sour.

Buying a chess set online

Posted on July 24, 2008 by chessblogger

The explosion in online shopping has enveloped the chess set market and the internet is now the place to visit for the biggest selection of chess products available. The vast selection is not without it’s problems, how is one to know what to buy, or who to buy it from? The large players like Amazon and ebay are in on the act as well as a number of other huge online shopping portals. Then there is the minefield of independent e stores offering a vast array of products and service levels.

With 1000s of different chess products it’s difficult to gauge if the set you are looking at is indeed worth the money. Cautious buyers often stick to well known brands such as Jaques, Gibson and House of Staunton. This can limit ones choice somewhat and is not the best way to bag a good value bargain.

An online chess retailer should be upfront about the products they are selling, giving the full details of where the product is made and how much it weighs. Both of these factors are paramount in determining how good a set is. Look for security certificates and membership seals on the sellers home page, check their authenticity. It’s too easy for a rouge seller to launch a retail store for the sole purpose of liquidating a load of bad stock. If the site doesn’t give the ‘trust’ feeling move along to the next one.

The old saying ‘The camera never lies’ goes out the window when it comes to buying chess sets online. A competent studio photographer can make even the cheapest set look good online. A certain importer of cheap Chinese goods has been known to supply product images of genuine European versions of their cheap copies in order to boost sales of their chess boards and pieces.

If buying an expensive set make sure the seller offers an excellent returns policy, if the photos and description have mislead you use their returns policy to get the set back to them in exchange for a full refund. Compare their products to those from another site, with all the smoke and mirrors it’s easy for a seller to dress up a budget set to look like it’s worth more.

Remember that paying by credit card offers excellent protection, if everything goes wrong use your rights under the consumer credit Act to get your money refunded. This safety net allows you to take full advantage of the vast selection of lovely chess products available on the internet.

The growth in global trade means that many of the smaller online chess retailers buy their stock abroad, sometimes from brokers who source stock from artisans in remote parts of the world. Some online stores will import limited quantities of highly crafted sets which means you can buy a unique or rare chess set without having to pay an astronomical price for it.

Finally, don’t be scared of ordering your chess product online. There is an increasing amount of excellent stock out there thats not to be missed, just go careful, use your head and remember…. if it’s too good to be true it probably isn’t true.

Chess sets, where in the world do they all come from?

Posted on July 17, 2008 by chessblogger

The origin of a chess set is an important factor when choosing which one to buy. Ultimately the set is as good as the people that made it and the materials they used. Indeed why should it’s location have an effect on it’s quality? Most of us know that when it comes to consumer goods a little bit of discrimination is required if we are going to buy the best we can find.

Most chess sets available in Britain are imported, very few sets are actually made here and those that are tend to be very expensive. Firstly lets look at India, thought to be the home of chess India has a deep history of making chess sets. A country rich in natural resources and high quality timbers that are ideal for making chess sets. The chess manufacturing in India is established and developed, many factories exist making chess sets and experienced carvers create some beautiful chess pieces from inside their own homes.

The internet has helped to make Indian chess sets readily available by establishing good long distance relations with UK chess sellers and Indian brokers of chess products.

Next on our list is Poland, well not just Poland but other places in Eastern Europe as well, now part of the EU. The Polish have a history of craft manufacturer and are well known for making some unique and very ornate chess sets. They use decorative wood burning and staining to enhance the look of their sets. In past decades the Eastern European sets were often seen as a cheap alternative to British or Western European made products. The goal posts in quality moved when a new force in mass production came along in the form of Chinese production.

The Chinese manufactures were good at copying the designs from India and Europe. With rock bottom labour rates and raw materials the Chinese manufacturers offered excellent prices. They aimed their products at the customers who had previously imported from the eastern sides of Europe. Evidence can be seen of this in the form of Chinese versions of classic Polish chess sets. With fast production times and low prices the Chinese began churning out chess products at a rate of knots.

While things may have appeared grim for the Polish suppliers, their designs being mass produced for a fraction of the cost there was one factor the economists had not foreseen. Quality was slipping in the Chinese quarters often with some diabolical results. All of a sudden the market was awash with 1000s of cheap chess sets. The growing internet shopping culture made them easy to sell, the less honest sellers often posting up photos of the original Polish set while shipping the Chinese version.

Large department stores stocked 1000s of sets bought for a couple of pounds and sold for a couple more. It seemed the chess market was in trouble, with intense pressure on price and what seemed like a never ending source from China. Speculation was abound about the effects that rising quality standards in China might have on the Polish and Indian sets.

It seems the birth of the mass produced copy did not spell the death for the older industries. Quite the reverse in fact. While the cheap Chinese copies flooded ebay and the bargain basements the discerning among us sought out the genuine article, the very products that had been copied to death by the Chinese. What had previously been considered the budget sets from the poorer side of Europe were now considered the genuine article.

The ‘Made in China’ badge became something of a stigma and best avoided if at all possible, while a set made in the new Europe gained a new set of credentials. It seems there will always remain a home for the cheap Chinese produced chess set. Yet the demise of the quality crafts from other parts of the world was not to be.

Chess Set customers need do to some weight training

Posted on July 15, 2008 by chessblogger

When you are in the market for a chess set weight is an important factor to consider. Whether you are buying a small travel set or an ornamental set of pieces, the weight of the board and pieces can be a significant indicator of the quality of the set and how valuable it really is.

Lets look at wooden chess sets firstly. Wood comes in a number of varieties, dark wood, light wood, hard wood and soft wood, nice looking wood and ugly wood. One thing you can however rely on is that the heavier the wood the harder and stronger it will be. It’s all to do with density and the harder and denser the wood the nicer it will look and better it will wear.

Hard wooden chess sets will stand the test of time and suffer knocks and abuse much better than a soft wood set. If you have ever tried digging your fingernail into a piece of wood you will understand the difference between soft wood and hard wood.

Weighted Chess Pieces

The pieces within a chess set will sometimes be weighted. Generally speaking a cheap chess set will have solid wooden pieces with no weighting inside. More mid range and luxury sets will be weighted. The weighting of chess pieces is done in a number of ways. The traditional way involves partial hollowing out of the chess piece from the base end and then filling the cavity with molten lead. A leather circle is then fixed on the bottom of the piece to hide the unsightly area. More modern methods involve drilling holes and inserting rods of metal or lead into them, then covering up the end with a leather or cloth circle.

Buying online is becoming an increasingly popular way to buy chess sets. indeed it is becoming harder and harder to find a good enough selection on the high street. Most online shopping systems will list the weight of the product. When shopping for chess sets this must be an important factor in the decision making process. A 14″ folding chess set with chess men should weigh in at over 2.5 kg if quality materials have been used. Size matters, don’t discredit a set for being only 500 grams if it is only 7 inches wide!

Holding a heavy chess set in your hands gives an instant sense of a quality product. Think back to your birthday when you are opening your presents, usually it’s the heaviest of the parcels that conceal the most mystery.

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