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Custom Chess Sets – Finding the perfect match

Custom Chess Sets

The last post we made was about wooden chess sets, and in that post I talked a lot about how while there were some pre-made options, most were actually custom chess sets where you select a chessboard and chess pieces separately.

That can be a somewhat complicated process, so this post is dedicated more in the process of combining the right pieces and board in order to make the chess set that is perfect for you. While I will focus heavily on the Staunton design, I will also explain a little about the figurine and theme …

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Travel Chess Set Styles (besides Magnetic)

Travel Chess Sets

Not long ago I made a post on magnetic chess sets – I wanted to do a quick post on travel sets – and as you can imagine, there is a great deal of overlap. However, not all travel chess sets are magnetic (one could argue that all magnetic sets are for travel) This post will fill in the blanks of the other types of chessboards and chessmen often used for travel.

Other types of Travel Chess Sets

While magnetic chess sets are often used for travel, their main drawback is their size. Many people find them …

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Staunton Chess Pieces – A brief review of traditional chess piece design

The Staunton Design – Tradition Chess Pieces

One question that comes up a lot in both the chess store and the emails we receive at our website is about the term ‘Staunton’. Chess players may know Howard Staunton as a top British chess player in the 19th century, and all know the staunton design for chess sets. However, when you are looking for a gift for a friend or loved one, and they ask for a “Staunton Chess Set” confusion can reign!

The reality is, it is not just professional chess players that are familiar with Staunton style chess …

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Chess Sets for Kids, Buying a Chess Set for Children

Chess Sets for Kids

Many times, a person without a great deal of chess knowledge is looking for a chess item – be it a gift or just to expose someone to the game. The process of finding the right chess set for them can be really difficult, and with the holidays just around the corner I thought i’d try and ease some of the confusion – after all there are thousands of chess sets out there and you want to find the right one.

Question: Which chess sets are best for children?

This is perhaps the most commonly asked …

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Chess Sets from around the World (Part 3: Poland)

I’d like to conclude the first part of my chess sets from around the world series with a little bit about Eastern Europe. I think that many of us think of Russia and Slavic nations when we think about chess and that is with good reason. Eastern Europe has a rich tradition with chess, and some of the world’s greatest chess players grew up in this region.

Surprisingly, it’s been over a decade since we imported any items from Russia itself – instead a huge array of chess products come from Poland, many with that distinct Eastern European design.

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Chess Sets from around the World (Part 2: Italy, Greece)

Now that we’ve looked a little bit at Western Europe in the first part of my blog series on chess sets from around the world, let’s take a look at some of the Mediterranean countries and what their chess set offerings are. Today, we’ll be look at chess products from Italy and Greece.

Italy

Metal Renaissance Chess Pieces from Italy

Italy has a wide selection of metal, brass and alabaster chess sets. There are a number of top Italian manufacturers such as Italfama and Chellini. Italfama has literally hundreds of chess sets from metal or brass chess …

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Chess Sets from around the World (Part 1: England, Spain)

I had some great feedback on my post on Chess Sets made in America, and even found a few new manufacturers that offer unique and unusual chess items – so I might very well need to update that post in the future!

In the meantime, since I wrote about chess sets here in the States, I thought it would be worth writing a little bit about where the chess sets we do have come from. Here’s a quick hint: Not all of them come from China!

This week’s question: Where do Chess Sets come from / Are certain chess sets …

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