Buying Chess Sets
Guides to buying the perfect chess sets and boards.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Fossil Marble Chess Set & Red Onyx
- Staunton style Pieces Comes With Beautiful Velvet Gift Box
- Beautiful Wedding, Holiday, Anniversary, Birthday Gift
- Notice the genuine FOSSILS in the board and pieces
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Fritz Chess - Grandmaster Challenge III
Make Your Next Move Your Best Move!Product InformationPlay Chess Like a Grandmaster. Fritz Chess is designed for players of allabilities including beginners advanced players and even professional players.Outstanding training features a massive database and much more will coachplayers to play their best game of chess! 750000 Game Database includesgames from World Champions Garry Kasparov Bobby Fischer and Grandmasters fromaround the world. Photorealistic true 3D wooden and glass chess boardsplus customizable 2D and 3D boards with zoom and tilt functions.Product Features Automatic adjustment of playing strength in friend mode. Opening Book includes statistical analysis for professional opening training. 200 Tactics Problems and solutions build your skills. Beginners: Complete beginners course threatened squares function explanation of moves and much more. Advanced Players: Comprehensive openings database including statistical analysis. Grandmasters: Deep analysis functions including blunder check and calculation of variants. 750000 Games Included. True 3D Boards For Players of All AbilitiesWindows Requirements Windows Vista XP 300 MHz processor 64 MB of RAM 285 MB free Hard Disk space SVGA 800 × 600 or higher resolution Video Card and monitor Windows-compatible Sound Card and speakers CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Antique Chess
Friday, August 7, 2009
Buying Computer Chess Games
Chess computers are an invaluable tool to learn the game of chess. For best learning set the difficulty to a level where you only win 25% of the time. Your computer chess game will give you hours of competition and practice.
Maestro Travel Chess Computer
*100 playing levels, backlit screen, built-in stylus and chess clock *Take back and replay over 200 moves *Auto power down feature with unfinished games held in memory *Uses 3 AAA batteries
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Chess For Kids
The method I use
When I am going to teach someone chess, I teach piece by piece, starting with just pawns. After teaching how the pawns can move, and a few basic 3vs3 1vs2 scenarios, setup the pawns on their starting positions. The object of the game is to advance a single pawn to the 8th rank. That's it! Play this around 50 times (not in a single sitting of course), the more the better. This will familiarize the budding Kasparov with how the pawns interact, aid each other, and move in general.
After this add a single piece, a knight for each side in addition to the pawns. The idea here is that each piece can aid the pawns in their own way so we have to learn how each piece individually can help the team. Continue adding a single piece, and removing it, just knight, just bishop, just rook and pawns and so forth for all pieces. Then go back and play with 2 knights/bishops/rooks and the pawns. Keep progressing until the player is completely familiar with all the piece combinations, without being bogged down with opening theory, or tactical traps.
Using this method, my first student went 15 moves into the Queen's Gambit Declined in their very first complete game.
After the player has a good command of moving the pieces, and desires to progress, there are plenty of great books to elevate the new chess player's strength
Tactics
This is my favorite "starter" book.Bobby Fisher Teaches Chess
A great idea for a book, and well put together with the top mating combinations
How to Beat Your Dad at Chess
Openings
Chess Openings Traps and Zaps: Bruce PandolfiniWednesday, August 5, 2009
Wood Chess Set Buying Guide
Weight and Height
Weight
When looking for a set to display at home, or even play with in tournaments, it is important to get a set that you are comfortable with. usually, the heavier the piece the nicer it is to play with. The pieces tend to tip over less, and have a good massive feel to them. Along with the weight of the wood, chess pieces are usually fitted with weights beneath the billiard cloth bottom. In a tournament game with little time left, there is no time to keep up-righting the pieces every move. Heavier sets weight 40 ounces or more.Height
The height of the set is always measured by the height of the King. Chess sets and boards you play on should be proportionate. Playing with larger pieces on a smaller board is not recommended since the height of the pieces blocks or occludes other pieces, and it's harder to get the "big picture". A typical tournament set uses between a 3 1/2" to 4" King with a board that measures over 20". A good ratio may be a 21" board with a 3 3/4" King.Ebony Sets - a warning
Ebony produces the most desired chess sets with a rich dark red color. However, ebonized pieces are just heavily lacquered pieces giving the illusion of Ebony. Be careful, if the price seems to good it may not be a good deal.Below is a mix of high end, luxury sets, as well as sets suitable for casual play or beginners in wood. The folding sets fondly remind me of my first wooden set, that I treasured as a beginner while trying to beat my Dad at chess.