Beechwood Veneer Folding Go Game Set

by Yellow Mountain Imports

Product Features

• The Go board measures 18-7/8''L x 17-3/4''W x 3/4''H (48cm x 45cm x 2cm) opened.
• There are 181 black and 180 white stones in the set.
• Stones are double convex, size 33. They measure 9.2 mm thick by 21.5 mm wide.

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 6.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001N3N96A
• Manufacturer recommended age: 5 years and up
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #113,605 in Toys & Games (See Top 100 in Toys & Games)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

Product Description

This beautiful yet economical full sized foldable Go board comes with a set of double convex Go stones. The stones and felt trays fit nicely inside for easy storage. Our ''Hi-tech'' Go stones are made of a starch compound that is engineered to be antibacterial, biodegradable, perfectly shaped, economic and absolutely indestructible. These stones will never mold, chip, break or shatter.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing Go Board for the price., January 20, 2009

By 

E. White (Mount Airy, MD) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Beechwood Veneer Folding Go Game Set (Toy)

I was looking for a good Go board (didn't care if it was folding or not). I was not willing to pay hundreds of dollars however.

My initial look on Amazon for a board therefore left me rather disappointed. Any 'inexpensive' boards had horrible reviews. Primarily due to being rather small in size, and having cheap plastic stones.

Deep down the list I stumbled onto this set. I was surprised that it wasn't reviewed/rated yet, but the description made it seem really good. Almost too good to be true for the price of $37.80 (and free shipping)

Upon receiving it, I'm very impressed. The board is much larger than you would think, absolutely full size Go board. It's very hefty (especially with the stones in it). It's a lovely dark color and the lines are painted on in gold paint. (Some people may complain that it's not the normal yellow color, though I like the change) The clasp is rather small, but seems to hold it closed well.

The removable trays are wood, covered in velvet. Basic, but nice, and much better than a plastic bag like many cheap sets come with.

The stones themselves are much better than I could have thought. They are a man made material as the product description mentions (a starch/plastic combo from what I understand), but they actually feel very good in your hand. Decent weight, and they 'rub' against each other making sounds in your hands just like real stones would.

The only two complaints that I would have, are that the hinge on mine doesn't allow it to 'perfectly' lay flat on one side ... so there is a little lip on that line. slight 'adjustment pressure' mostly fixed this, but it's still not perfect, IMO this is a usual problem with any board that folds open. The second 'concern' is just something I'm worried about for the future. As I said, the lines are painted (perhaps silk screened?) on. I think that if I carried this around regularly that the lines might wear off. To that end I'll probably be making a soft fabric carrying bag for it to stop any such 'rubbing off'.

Overall, I'm very impressed for the price, and would heartily recommend anyone else to buy it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful set, May 8, 2009

By 

Starcat "Engineer and Gamer" (Lowell, MA United States) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beechwood Veneer Folding Go Game Set (Toy)

This is a beautiful tabletop board. The coloration is inverted from the "standard" Go board, with light-colored lines on a dark background instead of the usual dark-on-light. This isn't really a problem like it can be for chessboards where there can be confusion about which side is "black" and which side is "white".

The surface has a reddish hue, which complements the gold lines quite nicely. The stones come in zip-lock bags in felt trays (or is it velvet? I don't really know how to tell). It would be best to keep the stones in the bags when storing the set, since the trays fit into recesses on the "inside" of the folded board, and it's a little tough to tell which side you should open the board on to avoid spilling the stones.

The stones themselves are plastic (if you look very closely, you can see the molding seams on the edges, although you can barely even feel or see them when holding or looking at them without specifically looking for them. They have a smooth-feeling matte surface, giving them a texture remarkably similar to smooth pebbles you might find in the wild, although they don't quite have the heft of real stone.

My board had a slight cosmetic flaw, in that one of the tiny screws on the catch seemed to have gone in at a strange angle, but it doesn't seem to affect the functioning.

The only downside that I've found so far is in the "fun" factor: While Go is much simpler in its rules than other "classic" games like Chess, very few westerners are familiar with it, so expect to have to explain the rules if you just leave it on your office desk as I do. Unless you can find another human to play with, you'll probably have to play against yourself for practice, since there really aren't many good Go computer programs. To date, no computer has been able to play Go at a professional level, although you may be able to find Go puzzles (similar to Chess puzzles) online and in books.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Seems pretty awesome, September 5, 2009

By 

Stephen Bahl (Mt. Nevermind in winter and Wayreth in summer) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Durability:3.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Beechwood Veneer Folding Go Game Set (Toy)

Not having owned another board before, it is difficult for me to say how this one measures up. One issue that might concern some is the contrast, which I find to be excellent. The board is this pretty red color and the black stones show up against it easily, even from across the room. I know it's not the traditional color scheme, but I find this board aesthetically pleasing. The trays for the stones are also quite nice and fit perfectly in the board when it's folded. The clasp looks rather small, but is apparently strong enough to hold the board folded shut. As for the stones, I'm not sure what they're made of, but they work. They are smooth, but not too glossy. If I had my way, I'd make them a bit heavier, but the dimensions are right and they stand out on the board, which is important. Overall, from what I can tell this is a fine board and not at all a bad deal if you're looking for a full-size board that isn't incredibly expensive.