Travel Games

I have a 20 year old magnetic chess set that looks almost exactly like this one. My old set (made in Japan) finally wore out and I was hoping that this one would be as great. Unfortunately, made in China items are rarely the same quality as made in Japan.

The good:

1) The design of the plastic Staunton style pieces are nice – nothing fancy, but in good proportion to each other. (They are exactly the same design as my old set – the king is 2 inches tall – the knights look like horses – you will NOT mistake the bishops for a pawn.) The pieces are just the right size for the the board’s one inch squares.

2) The magnets are adequate. The pieces stay in place in any reasonable board position. You can prop the board on your lap at a 45 degree angle and play over a game from a book.

3) I like the square notation on the edge of the board – that’s a good improvement from my old board. I’ll use this as an analysis set.

4) The price is right – you do get what you pay for – this is a reasonable value for the price.

The bad:

1) The black squares and black pieces are almost exactly the same color. Visually the black pawns tend to disappear on the black squares. The dark color squares should be a dark gray or brown or something other that the exact same shade of the pieces.

(The light color squares are have a delicate and attractive yellow tint – the white pieces show up just fine on the light squares.)

2) The board snaps closed with molded plastic snaps. The board closes securely now, but eventually the plastic will wear. (My old set had a magnetic closure that works perfectly to this day.)

THE UGLY:

I have one big complaint — The set has a folding board with storage compartment inside, but THE HINGES ARE PLASTIC STRIPS. Yes, the plastic hinges are obviously different from the plastic in the rest of the set, and perhaps they are some sort of super plastic that will flex tens of thousands of times before cracking, but I have my doubts. I would have rated this set as almost perfect if it had a nice brass hinge. (And I would be willing to pay more too).

So there it is, a plastic magnetic chess set large enough to use (2″ king & 8″x8″ playing area), small enough to travel (closed size 9.5″ x 4.75″ x 1.75″), good piece design, good enough magnets, fair board, great price. But I worry about the longevity issue. Will those plastic hinges withstand the test of time?

Rating: 3 / 5

This is the best chess board I bought in my collection.

Best value for price. Outstanding quality.I bought expensive boards but I keep using this board the most.

Below are what I like about this board

1) Very durable

2) Strong magnets – You can turn the board upside down and the pieces do not fall off

3)All pieces have clear distinctive details

4)Fold the board and put the pieces into it.

5)The board is marked with numbers & Letters. This will help to learn chess better.

6)Portable-9inch (You do not miss the big board)

I ordered 6 additional boards to give as gifts.
Rating: 5 / 5