A&A 15 inch Wooden Folding Chess Set w/ 3 inch King Height Staunton Chess Pieces / 2 Extra Queens - Natural European Ash Wood w/Storage Bag

Echiquier en bois avec marqueterie de 2 essences: érable et noyer. Les finitions sont très bien faites ainsi que la présentation. L’intérieur contient un plateau thermoformé recouvert d’un tissu aspect velours, rouge. Chaque pièce a sa place dédié. Deux reines ont été ajoutées. Les pièces sont en bois, bien executées mais sans détails très poussées. Personnellement, je les trouve très belles ainsi.Un petit feutre vert est collé au fond des pièces pour ne pas rayer le plateau. Un fois mis à plat le raccord est indétectable et le plateau très stable. Les fermetures sont originales ettrès fonctionnelles. Le plateau n’est pas aimanté, ce qui le rend peu nomade en extérieur (hormis sur une table de jardin!) Une fois ouvert le plateau mesure 38,1cm x 38,1 cm sur 5,6cm de haut. Le tout se range dans une pochette en feutrine grise munie d’un scratch. Un beau cadeau pour un prix attractif : 37,89€.

I wanted to surprise my father with a chess set because he really likes to play and the old one that he had was not looking so great anymore so I found this one which was looking very interesting and the reality is that when I have received the product I was pleased with the fact that it also has a storage pouch which is looking very good and related to the set itself, the box is made from wood and has very interesting round finish at the corners and also the closing mechanism looks premium. Inside the box everything is nicely organized and each piece has its own designated spot and to remove them and put them back it is very simple because once I've seen where they have to go then everything is easy but I cannot say that the quality of the pieces themselves it's something to impress but obviously the most important aspect is the fact that this set is as described and also it is made decent material. My father was really impressed with this set and I started to play with him for a couple of times and per general I can say that the experience of using this product is as I expected and how definitely recommend it to anyone.

Arrivée dans un carton renforcé, le coffret en bois est aussi livré dans une pochette en tissus épais pour protéger l'ensemble des chocs et des rayures plus tard lors de son stockage. Le coffret est magnifique. Les bois de frêne, de noyer et d'érable le composant sont de bonne qualité, pas observé de défaut particulier. Le système de fermeture est correct et surtout discret. La boite s'ouvre complètement pour faire office de plateau de jeu. Les pièces sont maintenues dans des emplacements moulés et recouverts de feutrine et ne bougent pas pendant le transport. 2 pièces à l'effigie de la Reine en supplément pour la "promotion" d'un pion. L'article arrive avec quelques goodies : 2 planches de stickers, 1 carte postale et une carte de remerciements. La règle est très bien rédigée et illustrée mais est entièrement en anglais. La qualité et le design du coffret sont très bons, le design des pièces l'est moins (j'ai déjà vu plus joli et détaillé). Un coffret premium avec des pièces basiques, mais au prix d'environ 38 euros cela reste acceptable. Je recommande pour les amateurs d'échecs en cadeau ou pour soit.

The chess set comes in an illustrated cardboard box wrapped in cellophane. Inside the box the set is further protected by being placed in a felt pouch/case which is then surrounded by another layer of cardboard. The packaging is well done. Along with the chess set you get some extras in the form of stickers, postcard etc. Everything is very nicely presented and gives a quality feel to the set. The set itself is made from ash so should survive life around the house without getting dinged every time its handled. The construction of the board is really nice with well finished edges, sturdy hinges and a lovely satin feel to the wood. The hinges are finished in brass as are the locking clasps which snap shut with satisfyingly secure clicks. The corners are smoothly rounded and the joins are nice and tight with only the smallest of gaps here and there. When the board is open there is no difference in height between the two halves, everything is nice and flush. The board also sits square on a flat surface without any of the corners being raised due to the construction not being true. The squares of the playing area are seamlessly joined and the grain of the squares although not perfectly matched all compliment each other nicely. When not in use the pieces are housed inside the board and are seated within a suede/velvet lined moulding that holds them safely in place. The pieces are of a classic design and are decently sized. They have felted bases and are heavy enough to prevent any ice-skating from occurring due to accidental knocks or clumsy handling during a game. The construction of the pieces is competently done with no rough edges and they feel substantial and solid in the hand. They make a satisfyingly soft ‘thunk’ when you place them on the board, especially handy when smugly emphasising a gotcha move. All in all this is a very nice chess set. It feels and looks way better than it has any right to in this price range (thirty odd quid at the time of review), and comes across as a much more expensive set than it actually is. Seriously, over the years I’ve owned sets that cost a LOT more than this but were of half the quality. I like the presentation. I like the design and looks, I like the wood choice, I like the construction and I like the overall finish. I’d have no hesitation in buying this as a gift for someone and I’m pleased that this one is mine. Me likey a lot.

I bought two sets of chess pieces from A&A at the same time, this one and one with a pasteboard storage case (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B8NRS8YB). The pieces are quite uniform between the two sets, as expected, and so meet my intended purpose. I have replacement pieces for every piece when one is inevitably lost or broken. I grew up seeing many games with small pieces such as pawns, a checker, dice, etc. replaced by something close. By buying two identical sets of pieces that will never be a problem. The pieces are quite as nice as expected, and perfect for recreational play. But after reading many reviews I thought I would check the dimensions... Well, the kings were slightly taller than 3 inches, but the base of the king was more like 1.2 inches rather than 1.4 inches. The pawns had bases that were more or less 0.8 inches, with only slight variations, but were only 1.4 inches tall rather than 1.5 inches. Not a big deal, really, unless you are trying to find replacement pieces to match your missing or broken piece later on, or are looking to buy this set to replace a piece in your set. Another thing I noticed was that every single piece had a oval base -- not dramatically oval, but enough to realize these either were not turned on a lathe, or were sanded unevenly. The case which came with this has a nice wood frame with panel sides which will form a playing surface if the case is opened and turned upside down. The panel looks to be a engineered wood product rather than wood, but is thin, light, and durable. I have no intention of using the case as a board, but will use a separate board (one piece) to play on. Inside is a flocked plastic tray with molded spots for each piece. Makes it quite easy to check that you have picked up and put away all 34 pieces, minimizing the chance of leaving a piece out to get lost. I only hope the plastic is heavy enough to be durable over many years. The wood case added twenty dollars to the cost over what I paid for the set with a pasteboard case, which is not a bad price when I priced other wood storage boxes for chess pieces. This case is quite nicely finished. Bottom line: it is an elegant set of chess pieces with a good case that will be a pleasure to play with for decades, but could be difficult to replace a piece some ten or twenty years from now.