3 ms·

Not only are these expensive, they’re hard to find. A few years ago I asked my (Indian) in laws to gift me a nice wooden chess set in lieu of the usual gifs th

Not only are these expensive, they’re hard to find. A few years ago I asked my (Indian) in laws to gift me a nice wooden chess set in lieu of the usual gifs they get for me from India. I asked for it thinking it’ll be easy for them to get and it’ll be something I’ll cherish and find use for instead of dealing with clothing sizes or designs I might like. It was absolutely not like that. The quality of the pieces is so drastically different and now I know why. Even now after they spent 2x-4x more than a good quality plastic set the bishop isn’t that much taller than the pawns. The rook is as tall as the pawns. And that was after they spent a lot of time finding a decent set that had a good feel and ensuring the due isn’t chipping off.

blip54321 4y ago
Historically, India made premium products for export markets. Many weren't sold locally.
tzs 4y ago
Unless the in laws were serious chess players, I'd be afraid to ask for a chess set as a gift. The chances would be too high that they would get some theme or novelty set that might be great as a decorative object but is not so good for playing, especially if you want to play with other people. So if you are into say WW2 history, you might end up with something like this [1]. Religious? Maybe you get this [2]. Once mentioned you read an interesting article about Frank Lloyd Wright? They might remember and get you this [3]. Like marijuana? They might think this is the perfect set for you [4]. What I'd want is a set that if I took it to tournament I could choose to use it when I'm playing Black and White would have to accept it. (Note for non-US players. Typical tournaments in the US do not provide equipment. The players are supposed to bring sets and clocks. If both players offer equipment for a game, Black gets to choose which is used unless Black's choice is not considered standard [5] and White's is in which case White's is used). [1] https://www.chessusa.com/product/2S-009.html https://www.chessusa.com/product/2S-009.html [2] https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Z-W02.html https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Z-W02.html [3] https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Y-030.html https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Y-030.html [4] https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Y-420.html https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Y-420.html [5] Standard is pieces of plastic or wood or something with a similar appearance. King height 8.65 to 11.54 cm. The cross or other finial no more than 20% of the King height. King base 40-50% of King height. Other pieces proportionate in height and form. All pieces well balanced for stability and comfortable moving. Staunton design, with minor variations allowed. Color should be the colors of naturally light and dark wood or approximations of those, or simply black and white. Board must be opaque and made from something smooth that allows easy movement of pieces. Colors should offer high contrast between the dark and light squares. Red and black checkerboards are explicitly called out in the rules as nonstandard. Square sides should be approximately 5 to 6.4 cm. Divide the diameter of the King's base by 0.78 to get the ideal square size. The square should not be smaller than that, but it is OK if it is up to 4 mm larger.

blip54321 4y ago

Historically, India made premium products for export markets. Many weren't sold locally.

tzs 4y ago

Unless the in laws were serious chess players, I'd be afraid to ask for a chess set as a gift. The chances would be too high that they would get some theme or novelty set that might be great as a decorative object but is not so good for playing, especially if you want to play with other people. So if you are into say WW2 history, you might end up with something like this [1]. Religious? Maybe you get this [2]. Once mentioned you read an interesting article about Frank Lloyd Wright? They might remember and get you this [3]. Like marijuana? They might think this is the perfect set for you [4]. What I'd want is a set that if I took it to tournament I could choose to use it when I'm playing Black and White would have to accept it. (Note for non-US players. Typical tournaments in the US do not provide equipment. The players are supposed to bring sets and clocks. If both players offer equipment for a game, Black gets to choose which is used unless Black's choice is not considered standard [5] and White's is in which case White's is used). [1] https://www.chessusa.com/product/2S-009.html https://www.chessusa.com/product/2S-009.html [2] https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Z-W02.html https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Z-W02.html [3] https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Y-030.html https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Y-030.html [4] https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Y-420.html https://www.chessusa.com/product/2Y-420.html [5] Standard is pieces of plastic or wood or something with a similar appearance. King height 8.65 to 11.54 cm. The cross or other finial no more than 20% of the King height. King base 40-50% of King height. Other pieces proportionate in height and form. All pieces well balanced for stability and comfortable moving. Staunton design, with minor variations allowed. Color should be the colors of naturally light and dark wood or approximations of those, or simply black and white. Board must be opaque and made from something smooth that allows easy movement of pieces. Colors should offer high contrast between the dark and light squares. Red and black checkerboards are explicitly called out in the rules as nonstandard. Square sides should be approximately 5 to 6.4 cm. Divide the diameter of the King's base by 0.78 to get the ideal square size. The square should not be smaller than that, but it is OK if it is up to 4 mm larger.