What’s your favorite chess set(s)?
I’ve becme fond of the HOS 3.75" plastic Collector set.
I’ve had my eye on the Collector Series as a tournament set for a while. But at home, when I want to push real wood, I use a British Staunton set from the Chess Store.
The Fierce Knight and Wingfield Stauntons are also nice.
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My first House of Staunton set was the Collector Series in Rosewood. The set just seemed too fragile for tournament play. At least it scared me enough while playing with it to not want to chance it on a tournament board and setting.
Since then I have owned a number of sets, and here are my favorites:
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For blitz and skittles the best set is the House of Staunton Liberty Series. All my sets are Rosewood for the dark pieces. The Liberty Series was originally the Pinney design from the 1930’s. This set wears like iron and has held up extremely well. It is also very well balanced and is exceptional when playing Chess using this set. This set is the best value of all sets, bar none. If I had to choose only one set to own it would be the Liberty Series.
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My favorite nice set, which still is tough enough for tournament play is the Morphy Series 4.0" King in Blood Rosewood. My friends agree this set is pure luxury and plays very well. This is my favorite set for play at home and in games G/120 and longer.
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For games G/70 to G/90 my favorite set is the House of Staunton Proline Series set. They discontinued this set awhile back, but I like it best. I play it with their Mahogany and Maple folding tournament board, which also is inexpensive at around $60. For under $160 complete cost (set and board) I always receive compliments on the set and board as much as I did when I used their more expensive options.
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For games G/45 - G/60 I like the House of Staunton Classic Series set. These sets are relatively inexpensive for nice wood, about $100 for Rosewood. Thanks to birthday and Xmas presents, I have this set in it’s 3.75" and 4.0" King size iterations in Rosewood. I particularly like the 3.75" set with the House of Staunton masonite board, or a 2 1/4" roll up board for areas with less room. The 4.0" set matches nicely with that Mahogany and Maple folding board I mentioned above. The crenelations on this set’s Queen are not as pointy and dainty as on the Proline Series or their more expensive sets. This makes this set better for tournament play where the pieces might get banged around a bit more. Nonetheless, this set is gorgeous and very well balanced to play with as all the House of Staunton sets are.
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And finally my favorite set to take to Barnes and Noble and play with at around G/30 is the House of Staunton Zagreb '59 set in Rosewood. I use this set with a House of Aragon leather roll up, green board and the Saitek Competition Pro clock, with its green LEDs in the buttons. On the green tables at Barnes and Noble, this set up looks and plays phenomenal.
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I have found that the best sets are the lesser expensive House of Staunton wooden ones. Thanks to Frank Camaratta, all the House of Staunton designed sets are exceptionally balanced and play very well. I have mostly played with and seen, and even owned a couple of other brand sets. They all pale in comparison to the House of Staunton ones for balance and “feel” when playing Chess with them. The lesser expensive sets all cost $100 or less and they play just as well as their more expensive ones. This makes the House of Staunton Classic Series, Liberty Series, Grandmaster Series and Championship Series the best value around (yes I own each of these mentioned sets). Yes, their plastic sets are also really good when it comes to playing and balance.
I don’t have a favorite chess set. Certainly the first wooden chess set I bought, a Boxwood/Ebony from the USCF in the early 90’s holds a special place in my heart.
-I rarely play it, due to it being rather cumbersome to actually take it anyplace to use it, so I only use it when I have a fellow chessplayer come to my house.
I still want to get a “club” set from HOS. 4.4" king, and suitable board. I suppose I’m a bit of a collector of chess sets. I have 3 wooden sets so far. (One for run of the mill, running out the door to play chess, another tournament set (with HOS deluxe bag & folding wood board + Chronos clock), and of course, the aformentioned Ebony & Boxwood.)
Interesting… I own the Classic Series and it does a fine job. Rosewood is pretty durable (unlike Ebony, which is brittle). Is the Collector series that much more intricate?
-BTW, the “run out the door” set is the Championship series. Which is fairly similiar to the Liberty Series.
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I turned to Rosewood in 1995 when an Ebony set I bought started to crack on more than one piece. Since then I have found Rosewood to be more interesting in grain and aesthetics than Ebony. Yes, it’s also very durable and not as brittle as Ebony.
The Collector Series looks thinner and has parts of pieces that just scare me when looking at them on the chess board that they might chip or break easily if bumped or banged. I had a 4.0" set, one of the first 10 Frank had made in Rosewood. I guess he called it the Collector Series for a reason. It is better to collect than to play.
The Marshall Series is a much sturdier design. Then and again the Classic Series plays just as well for a lot less money. If I didn’t already own the Proline Series, the Classic would be the only I use in tournaments.
I sold my more expensive sets a number of years ago to lighten my load, per my wife 
The Championship Series is the standard DGT set but weighted instead of having the electronic chips for the DGT Board. I like this set, which I have in Rosewood. It is the least expensive one also. I just like the Classic Series design better for playing slower time controls. Once again it’s just more aesthetic for me.
Ron,
Have you ever had an opponent complain about one of your sets because of insufficient contrast between the light and dark pieces?
I have this horrible negative fantasy about having to rule against a beautiful set in an event I’m directing, because of a quite possibly legitimate complaint along these lines.
Bill Smythe
A true Classic is the Gallant Knight Chessmen of champions.
- For blitz I like any of my HoS Championship sets. Cheap, good feel and durable.
- My favorite set is a HoS Players series in box wood and rosewood. Lovely-- and I got it on clearance for <$100. I also like my HoS Professional in lacquered natural and black.
- I too have the Proline series and it is one of my favorites for any play. I have it in Golden Rosewood which when treated with Howards feed-n-wax darkens down slightly and makes the wood look super. In fact, I use this stuff on all my wood sets and it is amazing how nice it makes them appear.
- I gave my Classic set to a kid several years ago. I have several of the folding Masonite HoS boards and they are my favorite for most occasions. I have them in 2", 2 1/4", and 2 /38" (for use with my Zagreb set). I wish they still carried the Masonite boards. They were a bargain at $25–indestructible.
- I have a few other favorites, like my HoS Wenge tournament board (non-folding), a Windsor II set from HoS that is ebonized. BTW, I have found that HoS ebonized pieces are superior in black finish to any other brand I’ve come across. I’ve never had one chip despite some harsh treatment. Lastly, I have a HoS Royale set in Golden Rosewood that is gorgeous on a wood board with 2 3/8 squares. Again, the Howards polish makes the GR dark down slightly and it is amazing how good this set looks. It’s still on clearance at HoS for about $80.
So many sets. So little time.
It would be odd to have a ruling against an otherwise fine Staunton set because it is in rosewood or golden rosewood. The latter is used all the time in play at the highest levels on dgt electronic boards. That said, I do have a problem with lack of contrast with some maple and walnut boards as well as maple and golden rosewood.
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There never has been a problem like this and there never will be, with my sets and/or boards.
The Rosewood is very dark, especially when contrasted and compared to the Boxwood White pieces. Yes, the House of Staunton sells some sets at very expensive prices that has Ebony and Rosewood as the 2 wood combinations for the set. But they are quite expensive and not your standard tournament fare. So, there never is a problem with the contrast between the light pieces versus the dark pieces of any of my sets.
I am particular to match boards and board colors to best contrast with the set pieces as well. I make sure the dark square color is not the same as the dark pieces or even close. I make sure there is good contrast of my chess board’s dark squares to the black piece wood color. This is why I use the Mahogany and Maple board with my Rosewood sets. The Mahogany is a lighter color than the Rosewood, but still dark compared to the Maple which is the light squares. When my Rosewood pieces are on the Mahogany squares the contrast is very good to be able to quickly and easily distinguish the piece for the square. I did own a chess board, at one time, that had Rosewood for the dark squares. I did sell that Board off rather quickly as there was not enough contrast with it and the pieces. I currently have a Green dyed Sycamore and Bird’s Eye Maple board for my nicest, Blood Rosewood set. I just the Mahogany and Maple Board for my standard tournament sets. I also use Green and Buff boards (leather, masonite and silicone) with my other sets.
In fact, I have never had a problem as you suggest, Bill, with my House of Staunton sets. I do understand that some other companies’ sets, especially some of the older Lardy sets have had the problem of the lighter pieces being too dark for easy contrast.
For long time controls, I prefer to use a wooden set. Easier on the eyes. In faster time controls I use a Players Choice or a double weighted plastic set.
As far as a “favorite”, it depends on how many wins it is giving me. When a set loses several games or misbehaves by playing badly, it is punished and put away for a while until it learns its lesson. Another set becomes the favorite until it, too, loses some games. One wooden set I have will never be used in tournaments again because of its poor behavior. It’s just lucky I don’t use it for blitz chess or bughouse. 
I wonder how many others have encountered the same problem. I had one set bought at deep doscount that refused to win even after a period of banishment. I threatened to let some 4th graders have it and it finally started winning. Still, I don’t trust it
Ron, I have considered buying that green wood board but have not really had a good look at it with a rosewood or blood rosewood set. Do you have a photo you can email to me?
I know I’ve seen sets that some players might object to on the grounds of insufficient contrast. I guess none of them were yours, then.
Bill Smythe
I just ordered Golden Rosewood pieces with a walnut and maple board. (House of Staunton.) Does anyone think I won’t be happy with the choice? I’m pretty set on the Golden Rosewood, but I wasn’t sure from the picture if I should have gone with walnut or mahogany.
As Hubert Humphry might have said, “I think you’ll be pleased as punch.”
I agree that the Golden Rosewood and Walnut and Maple Board would be a very good wood/color combination.
What set did you order?
Their “do it yourself combo”, with the Championship pieces and tournament (folding, with notation marks.) board. This board is to be used at the tournaments I host. I supply the boards. Most players get plastic, but board 1 will get to play on the wooden set.
Of course, they can always bring their own sets, but I just thought it would be a nice touch. The value looked quite good for what you get.
It is a good value, especially when you go over $100 and get a break from HoS on the shipping.