Customer Reviews

Magnetic Wooden Tournament Travel Chess Set - Medium

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this chess set about the same time as I got a smaller magnetic chess set because it was relatively cheap and I thought it looked nice in the picture provided. I was looking for a small, magnetic chess set to use in order to follow along with some chess books I had bought.

Although I am not new to chess, I am very new to taking a serious approach to studying chess in the hope that I can improve my game. So, I bought a couple of books recommended to help improve my game and quickly realized that I need a "visual aid" to see what the books are trying to teach me. So, I bought the Carrom Magnetic Chess Set first due to it's many good recommendations. I like the Carrom set for travel or for kicking back in the recliner and reading, but for serious study at a desk or on the couch (if you have a TV tray or other small table to use) I really like this set better. It is just nicer and larger.

Pros:

1) Has markings for algebraic notation
2) Cheap price
3) Nicely made for the price

Cons:
1) must be on a sturdy flat surface or it will fold up on you
2) weak magnets (this seems to be the most common complaint of all travel chess sets)
3) can't be "locked" into an open position

I don't know how it can be that nobody has made a truly high quality, fancy travel/study chess set with decent magnets. While some wooden chess sets are routinely manufactured which sell for thousands of dollars or even tens of thousands of dollars (e.g. www.houseofstaunton.com), nobody has bothered to tap into that market and manufacture a high quality travel/study magnetic chess set with anything other than the cheapest material. Until that day comes, I do recommend this chess set as a very good product for the money!

I bought this as a something to have around the house and so I could take it for travel at the same time. Its a great board. The pieces fit in molded plastic inside and the magnet is strong enough that you can hold it vertical and they wont fall off (just don't start shaking it). My one tick about it is the overall look of it. the squares are separated by a rope like impression that was pressed into the wood. Other then that its a great board to have.

This wooden set sells in NYC for $40. Need I say more. The magnets on some pieces are not weak but are inset to far into the base causing them to slid off the board, a white rook and knight in my case. The magnetic attraction of the pieces causes them to jumble while stored. Other than these two small complaints this is a great chess set for the money. I'm glad I bought it. I will use it often when studing games and positions. Nice European detail.

Nice set. Magnets are strong enough to keep pieces in place under usual circumstances. No complaints.

If you're looking for a nice looking travel fold-up chess set, this is a good buy. If it's important that the pieces be magnetized, this is a joke! Calling this a "magnetized" chess set almost amounts to false advertising. The pieces are very slightly magnetic, and if you very carefully tip the board they will remain in place, but one slight bump and they're gone. The manufacturer should be ashamed.

This is a wonderful travel chess set. Looks like a much more expensive set. My 8 year-old grandson and I like to play chess while traveling on the road. The pieces are large enough to easily handle and the magnetic base holds the pieces securely through the bumps and turns.

I bought this product because it was advertised as "magnetic"... The picture on Amazon even had the chess board set diagonally with the pieces stuck and having had the product a few days already, the magnets on the pieces and the board are not that strong. My son (who I originally bought this for) really likes it, but for what I paid for this, I was expecting much stronger magnets....

I very much wanted this to work because our kids love chess and the idea of being able to continue the game in transit is great. However, the magnets did not work. Not even at a slight angle. The pieces slide right off. I wrote this review and the seller contacted me and told me to put them in the freezer. I did and they did work much better after that, however they are not strong magnets at all. I do appreciate the seller contacting me and caring enough to try to fix it, though. He offered to replace pieces that didn't work well.

crappy ceramic magnets are the fly in this punchbowl. They are extremely cheap and weak ceramic magnets. I had to get new pieces and buy good magnets for a quality set, which is what I believed I was buying. When slanting the board as shown in the illustration, four to five of the pieces simply fell off the board, and the rest were subject to any slight jarring of the board and suffered the same fate.

Excellence in design ruined by slapdash don't give a damn execution.

The chess pieces are well defined and have strong magnetic quality. The board is large enough to be used at home as well as a travelling unit.