Brief comparison between chess king sizes
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- Опубликовано: 13 июл 2024
- Thanks for watching as always, everyone has been so supportive of this channel. I threw in a little bit of humor, so the video might seem a bit unusual but I was in a funny mood. Here I briefly look at the difference between chess sizes, mainly the kings, and express my own preference.
Chess
#chess
I always look forward to your videos, Alex. I really admire the production skills you've developed and how committed you are to your content. I learn a lot from your channel and enjoy your non-chess related comments as well.
Wow, thank you for the donation! I will be sure to put it to making this channel everything we want it to be!
Kubooxooki, you are a man!
I recently bought a FIDE regulation board after I started to get more serious about computer chess and wanted to start playing over the board. I was actually amazed how large a 2.25 size chess board is and how big 3.75 sized king is. It actually makes it quite hard for me to visually process whats going on on the board. I think I shouldve started with a smaller 19x19 inch board
The editing and production in this video were great, Alex. This is a whole new level for your channel. Great work. I loved how you were able to combine the chess-piece size discussion with the topic of camera lenses. Very useful analogy. Also, very nice presentation of the Super Thanks program. I'll make sure to chip in.
Great use of comedic timing too, man!
Sorry you no longer have the Zagreb set. I decided to buy it after I saw your review, and I love it. It's by far the most elegant set I own, though I admit that at 3.875" that King is already feeling too big for me. I have two sets that feature 4.0" kings―the HoS Fischer Plastic Chess set and the Reproduced 1930s-70s Hastings Chess Congress set. They're both great and attractive, but a little too cumbersome to play with. Specially the knights on the Hastings set are not very ergonomic, I think. I just grew up looking at pictures of that set and always wanted one, but it's a different thing when it comes to playing with it.
And when it comes to playing (anything from analyzing on my own to playing blitz or classical tournaments) I always go with a 3.75" king set. The Bobby Fischer Ultimate Chess pieces (version 3) are my favorite for blitz, and my old German knight wooden set is my top choice for classical games. I recently purchased a Dubrovnik set in stained crimson boxwood and boxwood, and its 3.7" king is just the perfect size. I love how well balanced that set is.
Again, congrats on reaching this new great level of video production. I'm thoroughly enjoying your content.
Thanks a lot! It's always great to read your comments! I this the Zagreb set is, like you said, ergonomically well suited for practical play. Sometimes looking at the pictures of a set online and drooling over one set or another is different when it comes to owning one and playing daily games on it. I think that the Cooke set I have is actually 3.625 and not exactly 3.75 which is very much so close to ideal size. Interestingly, because of the extra weighting they use, some of these smaller sets are also nice and stable. With regards to video work, honestly I am working on trying to find ways to improve video quality and boost engagement, I don't want the videos to be lengthy and monotonous, it's difficult to stay focused. I even thought about getting a buddy to help with camera work but it never works out so I do everything myself. Thanks for sticking around!
Very thankful for this video looking for my first luxury set, glad I checked this out. Good humour. Hold onto that.
Living in an apartment, I prefer smaller chess sets. I like enough space in the squares so it's not too hard to push around pieces, though.
its after taking me just over 20 weeks to save up for a nice chess set and board for about 500 euro ,i wanted the slim Jim but even on sale its 475 euro ,so I'm going for the 1849 Staunton Jacques for 250 and ebony board at 250 ,the 3.75 and 4.5 kings are just about the same price but after this video and reading the comments ill go for the 3.75 its a once in a lifetime buy and hope it goes well ,thanks for making the video
@AlSuChess What is the name of the third, 3.75” king? It looks very neat.
Nice video Alex. Informative.
Any one know the name of the smallest set in this video? Looking to make my own travel chess set and that seems like a good size for my design. Thanks in advance
The beans comment cracked me up.
I'd like to know if the same chess set can be named differently according to seller's web site?
Just a quick question for anyone out there what is your favorite combination of woods for a chessboard
I agree king size is important. Since I want to compete in tournaments, I have the board you demonstrated, the elm burl/birds eye maple in 2.25 inch and use it with a Raykjavik II 3.75 regulation king. In addition, the set is pretty durable. But for display and casual games, I just purchased a Chess Bazaar St Petersburg bud rose wood set with 4.2", 1.85 base king. It fits comfortably on the 2.25" board. The knight is spectacular with large detailed mane that I was concerned might be unwieldly. To my surprise, it is almost as if they made one in clay, picked it up with thumb and fingers and the way it fit was then carved. So the mane is not only gorgeous, it fits the fingers like a glove. I didn't need a new 2.5 " board for the Savano set and it also came with a velvet lined box fitted for each piece for $590. The pieces have a more detailed body with multiple carved rings, it is a beautiful set for display yet usable in slower games. I am suggesting you might test that set. Now I live near and play chess in St Petersburg....Florida so the set's homage to the church at the St. Petersburg Russia site of the assassination of Alexander II with the kings finial has an additional l meaning for me.
Wow, that is quite a nice set, and I have to agree the knights are very elaborate! I think that for the price, considering you got a box and all it's a good deal! The ergonomics of certain luxury sets can be a concern for some people so I am glad you think the St. Petersburg set handles well, maybe not for bullet or blitz games, but at least for classical I bet is very nice! I would just be concerned about being extra careful not to drop any pieces, especially the knight!
I love my Preston Series set with the 4.4 king (2.0 in diameter base) so the board I had made for it is large. I LOVE the heavy weight of the larger pieces and sound they make on the wood board. Defiantly go for a 4.4 king set. Also Nice lawn :)
That's a very elaborate set, and pricey too! I like the knight, but feel like for everyday play may be a little overkill! The bishops are fancy too!
@@AlSuChess Haha...the knight and the Queen are what drew me to the set. :)
I love your videos dude you seem like a very nice guy to know
I'm pretty happy with the Zagreb Elite set that was on clearance from Staunton. It's 3.875" king with a 1.75 base, so it's nice on a 2.25 board. I changed my order from a 2.5 inch square board and I am happy I did because a 2.25 inch board is big enough that it requires thought to move and play in different rooms or outside. The Zagreb set is heavier than other sets it's height, I believe it's similar to the 4inch Cooke set in weight. I also think taller sets are more likely to get damaged if you are moving them between rooms like myself. That's another advantage of the Zagreb is that the knight has a head that is tucked in and the Queen's crown is somewhat rounded, which should allow for lots of heavy play. I'm not convinced I got Rosewood in my set though, if they had a black/white style set instead it would have been ideal for me. I have a game light that goes right over my board, but when I play outside if the sun is at a certain angle, the pieces can sometimes look the same color.
Thank you for watching and also thank you for such a thorough comment! I 100% degree with you on every aspect about the Zagreb set it's very nice, just like you said it's a chess said that can withstand tougher play and is overall a very nice size and fairly ergonomic. I also think a 2.25-in square board is suitable for most people and most games, although going a little bit larger maybe better for larger pieces in most cases 2.25 is good.
@@AlSuChess I agree, a larger sized board would allow for larger sets, and thus expanding a potential collection. A 1.75 king base is technically at the recommended limit for a 2.25 square. For now, I just wanted one presentable and playable set. It was a good deal for around $270, for a maple/brown erable 2.25 board and Zagreb pieces (and some coupons). It is $20 more for the larger squares and I think the board becomes and extra inch on each side. I don't get to play enough in person to justify another, larger set unfortunately
Hi Alex how do you feel about the Sinquefield chess sets? There are basically two main versions: one of 2014 style (also used later throughout to 2016) and the 2017. The main difference is the knight's and bishop's shape (and also little diffs on the other pieces). IMO these are ones of the most aesthetic and practical chessmen.
You mean the Sinquefield cup sets? The 2017 is nice and I like how the knight is pointing the face downwards, quite aesthetic. The king and queen share many similarities to the cooke chess set I purchase, but the cooke set, the knight is more modest looking. I like the later version of the Sinquefield set more personally!
@@AlSuChess Yes, the Sinquefield Cup sets resemble the Cooke one that you had shown. Only the knights are different. Those Sinq Cup ones are a bit expensive.
Board size has to be a factor. The board space changes so much if pieces are too big or small for the board. For working on chess puzzles, I think clearer with more space so pieces a tad smaller than usual for the board. Perhaps fewer accidents playing speed chess with more space on the board. I'm also not sure about ebony pieces on ebony squares - sense that a bit of camouflage is going on. I also notice in some sets a detailed knight is too big compared with the rest. Wide heavy bases are more comfortable to use. bigger pieces are less likely to go adrift on squares. Bit peeved by how difficult it is to shop by size online. So many searches find items that are not the size you looked for or there are so many items where you have to search the fine detail of postings to see the size, - same for board sizes
I 'd like to have a list of all chess sets you own. TX
I have found that size does matter and in the DIFFERENT pieces is very important for me, personally!
I found the sweet spot to be between- King size- 4.0 to 4.2.
There were other important considerations WITHIN the set that really did have a important impact on my purchase choices.
The King 4.0 /4.2 and the reason for me is when moving the piece in the process of grabbing it, on 3.75 and lower - I really had to watch that I
did NOT hit or knock over the other pieces, I NEEDED (that is the important part) to use a VERY TOP to down "pinch" like grab so I would not knock over other pieces!
I have also REALLY focused on the height and diameter of the OTHER pieces in the set! We have all experienced sets that may not be "on spec ratio" in regard to one size COMPARED
to other size pieces in the SAME set! Some pawns are really a little TOO small for the rest of the set and this can happen with other pieces!
So, I have focused on looking at ALL the pieces height, base and weight !
This really came into focus for me AFTER I purchased a set that just felt SO nice, easy to grab, heavily weighted and the BASES were wider- that whole feel, the weighting and wide base stability--- changed my WHOLE criteria for buying a set!
Pieces that have a narrow base also tend to be MUCH lighter in weight. Now you really have 2 issues!! The pieces falling over much easier and needing to use "careful top down grab for a piece"!
IMHO-- if you go for a shorter king- 3.9 and LOWER . try to make sure the WEIGHTING of the WHOLE set and diameter of the bases of DIFFERENT pieces are wider than what you may typically read!
Someone below mentioned the "Zagreb Elite" set; this is a GOOD example of a shorter set, but GREAT weighting an feel!
It is a GOOD idea to use something like this as a BENCHMARK! Even if you get a set that is NOT as close to spec as the Zagreb-- you DO have a BETTER idea of what you WILL get!
There are USUALLY --TRADE OFF'S and you just need to decide what are ACCEPTABLE --- to you!
Can you find that perfect set-- I am not sure -but -----you can get VERY CLOSE and for me that has made a lot of difference in enjoying my sets!
Wow! What a great comment! I fully agree with you on pretty much everything you mentioned. For a lot of people the size variation not only between different chess sets but also within the set can make a difference between using that chess set or having it sit on a shelf most of the time! You brought up many important factors that are worth considering, especially when in comes to pieces being knocked over if there is a problem with height variations between the pieces. What do you think about the Knubel chess sets, they are very short usually but the bases tend to be relatively wide, they have some varieties sold on HOS as well! Thanks for watching!
@@AlSuChess
That is a very ornate set!!
It does have wide bases. It still looks a little to delicate for a lot of play. That king and queen are very thin leading into the base, I think you would need to do a lot of "tweezer" type moving of those pieces!
Now, if you are not playing it much and love the collecting of historical sets then enjoy!
I just bought the "Patton luxury" set from Royal Chess Mall in EBONY-- not ebonized!-----It is beautiful and it is well crafted as I have repeatedly looked it over!
It is my first true EBONY set! This kind of set might give you an idea my preference in sets.
I have seen ebony pieces on youtube that did have significant cracks and I just wanted to know if you had an Ebony set and how is it holding up??? Any input on Ebony would be appreciated!
Also: Have you bought pieces from RoyalChessMall?? I know you got a chess case, but, did you get any sets?? I have only bought a couple of sets from them and it has been excellent in quality! I know some people do not like getting too critical of chess suppliers, but there is a LOT going on out there, and I think people are NOT informed ENOUGH in
critical HONESTY about what they have purchased or want to purchase!
In line with the Patton, I try to be careful in my choices in how ornate I want my sets to be, I want to play the sets I have -- and not be worrying about what might happen to the pieces as I play them! I want to feel like I can take my sets most places, sit and have the other person enjoy the set too!
@@yakkyuu12 thanks for a great responce! I don't think I've had many purchases from royal chess mall if I think over all the sets I purchased and I do agree with you about different suppliers and different quality expectations from those suppliers. I have come to be relatively happy with HOS delivering good quality overall, also Staunton castle seems to deliver nice sets. I will have to look more at royal chess mall to better guage the type of quality one can expect from them. As far as ebony, I did a couple of drop tests in my room durability testing video and made not that because of the denser structure of ebony, upon impact pieces don't have as much suppression within the impact of the fall and tend be more than likely to chip. I have several ebony sets and usually with ebony sets comes ebony pricetag but what I also noticed is that it seems the level of detail and quality tends to be higher not only in the ebony but also in the boxwood light pieces. They are basically trying to get you a set which you will feel will reflect the price tag. Not always, but that's what I seem to notice. Some ebony has a pitch black look to them, almost plastic black while other sets have ebony in a dark brown gray with streaks where you can see the wood grain better and I really like that. I think if I wanted to pick a nice set which I would be prepared to take with me everywhere I would get ebonized boxwood or maybe golden rosewood. I would probably leave the genuine ebony for when a friend comes over for a game. Hope this helps.
thank you Al
I like the 3.75 the best😊
Video starts at 5:42
Anything between 3.75 inch and a 4 inch king is ideal for me and I prefare a large chessboard 23 inches with 60 mm squares is my preference
2.25" square size with 4" king (like HoS grandmaster set)
2.25 is a good size board!! 4 inch is also within the range of good size!!
I have a set I purchased in 1992 that is a 3" king. Just too small. Useful for analysis. Have one on my coffee table to work with during commercials, 4.5" king large enough to see at a distance but seems excessively large. But the Staunton Raykjavek II 3.75 is the goldilocks, just right, and is the tournament standard. It also doesn't seem to have areas that could be susceptible to breakage like knght's ears from tournament use. Since I eventually would like to play in tournaments, i practice and study on it. Oh, I am a professional photographer and that 24-70 lens has made more money for photographers than any other lens. I purchased the elm burl and birds eye maple board you show and really like it. It is much easier to see the pieces against the lighter color of the dark squares.
That's awesome Bob, it's always great too see fellow photographers, that 24-70 is a great lens that performs well in a lot of conditions that might otherwise be too much for non coated, simpler lenses. I never sold any photographs, but I have recently seen that there's a website you can post your photos and people go and purchase them there, so that might be a good way for some people to take up photography too. I fully agree with you with regards to chess size. At first I felt like 4.4 is great, nice and sturdy, big enough to play any games. But after purchasing the walter grimshaw set, I felt like the walter grimshaw offered everything the larger sets offered at a fraction of the size. As always I appreciate you taking your time to watch and comment!
Staunton Raykjavek looks great.
👍😊
¡Gracias!
Thanks a lot for the super thanks! Gracias!
And acknowledgment..👣
I love your content. And yes, size matters. I prefer art least a 4.25 inch king and a 22x22 inch board.
Thank you for watching! 4.25 is large enough for great games and would sit well on a larger board for sure!
Humor & hyperbole. Hint: use paper plates 😉😁
Video 5:24 - 8:22.