Good chess set for a family?

by philg

Chess nerds: What’s a good chess set to give to a family with an 8-year-old child who is learning? The “club” boards seem to have letters and numbers in addition to the standard squares. Are those necessary or helpful for someone who is learning? I don’t remember having that when my dad was teaching me how to play.

If the pieces are wood, is it more common to have the black pieces actually be black? Or just a dark brown?

The sets at Amazon seem to be mostly pretty cheap/crummy. I want to buy something that could potentially last a lifetime but at the same time is not so expensive that it has to be protected from children. The family doesn’t live in a McMansion so the set should fold up (i.e., the board should fold up and store the pieces).

[Separately, is learning and playing chess obsolete now that we live in a world of ever more sophisticated computer- and video-games?]

21 thoughts on “Good chess set for a family?”

  1. Isn’t playing on a computer even more compact?

    https://www.amazon.com/Roll-up-Travel-Chess-Carry-Shoulder/dp/B000A5F0MI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1467586563&sr=8-1&keywords=chess+set+roll+up is what aleena uses. If you don’t have the tube then you get a bag with strap on the bottom that holds the rolled up board, and the bag contains the pieces.

    I don’t have a survey of wood boards.

    I didn’t have letters and numbers on my first board either, but come to think of it, perhaps our shared experience suggests the opposite is more optimal

  2. I don’t think chess is obsolete. I think it will forever be pertinent. How about playing chess on the computer with others of the internet? Combining the old with the new is always fun!

  3. I had a Lowe Renaissance chess set. The pieces are great for kids – big so easy to handle and interesting visually and tactilely. The pieces are plastic with weights in the bottom. Mine had a fold up board so couldn’t store the pieces, but there are many versions for sale on eBay. I don’t know if there is a modern version.

  4. Chess isn’t _obsolete_, but modern games don’t give all players perfect information. Modern strategy games like StarCraft and Dota have fog-of-war and line-of-sight mechanics that make the games more interesting because you have to spend resources and attention trying to figure out what your opponent(s) will do in the future and adjust your strategy accordingly.

    I _like_ chess, but it strikes me as a game suited to quiet monastic contemplation while RTSs and MOBAs make you do the best you can given limited information, time constraints, and unpredictable teammates.

  5. If actual chess is going to be played, then make sure it is Staunton,
    which is a specific style for the shape of the pieces.
    Here is an inexpensive club set http://www.chessusa.com/product/PTCS.html.
    In the 70s you saw these almost to exclusion at clubs and tournaments
    –probably the same today.
    It will be more fun with a clock.

  6. Yes the letters and numbers are helpful for a beginner to record games, but it is like knowing what cards have been played in bridge, after enough experience you just know.

  7. My 8 year old had zero interest in any of our several chess sets, until his grandmother bought him the LEGO set. Go Grammy.

    Several months later, he’s a demon and is happy to play on any set. None of our sets have letters or numbers, but we aren’t doing any kind of structured study. I suppose if you’re learning from a book, or recording games, they would be useful.

  8. Re: the followup “obsolete” question, I might have guessed “yes” several months ago. He still loves Minecraft and Terraria, so there might be room for both. He remains uninterested in chess on a computer, seems to prefer the tactile aspect of the game.

  9. Rajeev’s choice is overwhelmingly the set used in tournaments, for functionality you can’t beat it. If you want more of a conversation piece or artistic ornament get one of the “Lewis Chessmen” style sets.

  11. No Stress Chess was a hit with my 5 and 7 year olds. You can play as usual, or a simplified version that uses cards to reduce the element of strategy while helping you learn the moves. More fun and less stress for young players. Two years later and my kids play traditional games against me and each other for fun. Amazon.

  12. The letters and numbers are purely for recording purposes, since the old-style method has seemed to go out of vogue.

    And, yes, generally speaking with wooden chess sets the black pieces are mahogany. I once played with glass pieces where one side was frosted and one side was clear.

  14. My kids liked chess, but found Stratego to be more interesting and engaging. As Nathan says those fog-of-war and line-of-sight mechanics make the games more interesting.

    I, the old chess kid, actually also found Stratego to be more enjoyable than chess.

    Going to chess sites and getting hints
    https://www.chess.com/blog/monsterking/top-10-most-powerful-openings
    can make chess a little more interesting.

    But I think most kids will play Minecraft for fun and chess/Stratego/Ticket to Ride/Settlers of Catan to be with their parents.

  16. Is it urgent? If not, you could look for a set when trundling through the tourist areas in Latvia, Lithuania, and St. Petersburg. Maybe you see something you like.

    No idea if doing so could backfire, at the customs.

  19. My kids started with a plastic board and pieces, but later moved on to a wooden board with wooden, heavier, pieces—but only at the point when they had gotten quite deeply into the game (my son is the current Spanish U14 national champ.)

    Having a board with the squares labeled is useful in terms of learning the coordinates of all the squares, which itself become important if they ever study chess from books (since most book discussion will take place in terms of notation), or compete in classical tournaments where players are required to note their game moves.

  20. >8-year-old child who is learning?

    Chess? Chess is lame. Starcraft is better.

  21. ZZAZZ gave you the canonical answer. Get a green and white board. For a nicer version of his recommendation try

    https://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Tournament-Triple-Weighted-Chess/dp/B009RSFOF2/ref=pd_rhf_se_s_cp_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=41g0xVgn0PL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_SL500_SR135%2C135_&psc=1&refRID=HK1AZ1M9MNQJ6XC4E5K8

    A chess clock is important. And 8 year old like chess clocks.

    https://www.amazon.com/DGT-North-American-Chess-Clock/dp/B00312D2OU/ref=pd_sim_21_1?ie=UTF8&dpID=41u8F7EZMDL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL320_SR320%2C320_&psc=1&refRID=S65BJA2WQT5DXA9QH2XA

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