Large 2-in-1 Travel Magnetic Chess and Checkers Game Set

I almost didn't purchase this product, due to many of the negative comments I read here on amazon, regarding the quality of the pieces (which is very important to me). Fortunately, I decided to take a chance and place my order anyway, primarily due to the incredibly low price, and also because I simply loved the look of the Tournament style, Staunton chess pieces that come with this set. (Look closely at some of the other travel sets you'll find online...the pieces just do not look right) I honestly don't know what some of these negative reviewers were expecting for only $11! (at least, that's what I paid) For the quality of the board/pieces that you get, it is an incredible buy! Not to mention the added bonus of getting a highly portable, magnetic travel set! (And one that's not too small either, as many of the other sets I've seen out there are!) Which brings me to the next thing I love about this product: the pieces you get are not only solid & very nice looking, but they are nice-sized too! The main reason for my purchase, was to have a set to take to work with me, and challenge my friends - if the pieces were too small, no one would want to play a serious game with me (or even take me seriously!) Back to the price... $11 people! Again, I don't know what some of these negative reviewers were expecting to get for that price! Think about it; even if you could find something similar to this at some retail outlet (which I was unable to do), believe me, you would pay far more! The quality of both the board and the pieces is outstanding! Very solid looking and feeling. It does not look cheap! Also, the pieces are not "too light" as I've read in some reviews... not at all!! Their weight is proportional, and quite appropriate for their size and portability, and they definitely feel solid in your hand. As I mentioned before, the pieces themselves are Tournament Style (Staunton) in appearance, unlike many of the other travel sets I've seen online. Nice looking pieces like this, are typically what you pay a quite a bit more for. The board is also quite solid, and snaps to a close nicely; fitting all the pieces inside comfortably. I'm going to great lengths here, describing the reality of what you get when your package arrives, in order to help someone out there, who is on the fence just as I was, to avoid missing out on this great chess set! I love chess, and I love nice chess sets. In my lifetime, I have purchased somewhere on the order of 30-40 different chess sets, ranging in size & quality, and this one ranks right up there with my favorites! Please do not be hesitant to order this product based on some of these erroneous and misleading reviews that have been posted. Believe me, you will not be disappointed. The ONLY thing that I would say might improve this product, is if they included 2 extra queens for pawn promotion. But again, since I only paid $11, I would not expect something like that. If I really needed to carry an extra queen in the box, I would simply order another set! At this price, it's worth it! (Let me say it again: It's only $11, people!)

I bought this board about two weeks ago, and it was a very nice choice. This board is small enough to be used in travels, but big enough to be comfortable when you play. All the chess pieces have very strong magnets covered with nice felt-type coverings. The magnets are so strong they actually hold the pieces in place when the board is upside down and shaken. No, the checker pieces are not magnetic which was a slight bummer, but I really just wanted the chess set anyway. The board itself seems durable, however, I noticed the hinges on the underside of the board APPEAR to be a little week. It MIGHT an issue later on, but for now it feels secure. The board also has numbers and letters on the sides of the board which make it nice for anyone who wants to learn chess notation. Small complaint, if you are the black player, the letters and numbers on your side are upside down, not a big issue, but just something to note. The board also locks very securely in place when it is shut. The pieces fit fairly nicely in the board when not in use, however, it takes me a little bit of time (5-30 seconds)to organize the pieces in order to close the board properly. Overall, a very nice board for a great price. I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a good and cheap chess board. Summary, Pros Large board, but small enough to be used travel Strong magnets for chess pieces Notations on the side Strong locking when the board is not in use Comes with a small paper on the basics of chess piece movement Great Price! Cons (I am just nitpicking) Checkers are not magnetic (not a big deal to me) The pieces may take some finagling to make them fit when the board is closed (again not a big deal to me) The notation for one side appears upside down. To some people, the king and the queen look a little to similar. I can tell the difference clearly, but might be a slight annoyance to some. The hinges on the underside of the board MIGHT weaken. However, as long as you don't bend them the wrong way I think it will be fine. Overall very pleased with my purchase and would highly recommend it.

Bought a couple of these as stocking stuffers for my boys, aged 10 and 5. The sets are both inexpensive and cheap. But don't get turned off by "cheap", that's not a totally bad thing. First off, they are of sufficient quality, NOT total garbage. I imagine the set would last a good long time if taken care of. The game board folds in half to form the case, and the pieces fit conveniently within that case. There is a latch of sorts that holds it closed. The pieces stick magnetically to the game board, could be used in a moving vehicle on a road trip perhaps. But the magnets are not particularly strong, so you would still need to be careful not to jostle it too much, or the pieces will still fall off. I would say the magnets are more useful just to add stability to the pieces on the game board itself, as the pieces are quite small. They also are a bit lacking in definition. It's not impossible to tell the pieces apart, but there is very little height difference between some of the pieces, and in my opinion, the rook just doesn't look like a rook. Alas, they are "good enough". For the price, it's hard to complain. The pieces are gold and silver, not the traditional black and white, and the board squares are black and silver/gray. These are great for children because if something breaks or gets lost, you're not out much money, and it's inexpensive to replace. I think it was a good purchase and a decent value.

When traveling or on camping trips, I need to clear my mind, other than by reading. This product is very great, easy to carry and store, and doesn't require much space.

Pleased with the strong magnets. The metal is molded right into the surface of the plastic so pieces hold even when upside down -- and yet is light.-weight. The plastic box snaps tightly shut and stays shut (with heavy usage plastic may give out eventually, a big hair rubber will hold it then). Plenty of room for the pieces which actually bang around a bit -- I may place a cloth or score pads in there. The "hinges" are simply extensions of the plastic so may eventually give out but this is not a problem to me (a little duck tape after many years of use). The 14" board and almost full-sized pieces for $16 seems to be an excellent value. I hope to make this a life-long set for study at night in bed or for easy transport to other locations in my house, and for sporadic trips. It is light-weight but I would get the 12" size or smaller size if you want to carry it around all the time. The plastic squares, though not exactly painted, probably would become scratched up with a lot of tossing around in a car trunk. I would keep the plastic bag with it as a cover. The chess pieces are beautifully crafted standard Stanton-esque with aesthetically pleasing color tone (muted white and muted black, ebony and ivory look). I actually like the feel of plastic pieces much more than lacquered wood. Playing chess on the silver and black squares is easy on the eyes. Only one magnet required a little glue. I threw out the checkers. Very pleased with the product.

The case is sturdy and flat. Fits in my purse similar to a checkbook. Convenient design and quality magnetic pieces. I love that mid game you can store it away and your game remains intact until you can play again. My son and I love it! When we find ourself waiting around, we pull it out and play. My only complaint - no place to magnetically store the pieces not in action on the field. I would love the designers to add to long sideline areas to place pieces won in battle. This would ensure they don't get lost when the boards is folded up and put in my purse. If the makers add this feature....I'll definitely buy it again. Great investment.

My son and daughter found an old chess set we had lying around the house, and became interested in the game. The set was missing some pieces so I looked on Amazon for another set. I wanted to get a good one for my son (he is 10) and a cheaper one for my daughter (she is 6). So I gave her this set and she loved it. That's the best part about it, it draws the attention of children. My 3 year old even became interested so I showed her what the pieces were called. We played and had a good time. A larger set I think would not have made the same connection as this smaller set. Love the price and its really portable, not to mention it was easier to play than the older large set we had. (it's a cheap Walmart set) The magnets helped the pieces stay on the board apposed to our older one which was a bit frustrating because the pieces would easily get knocked over or moved. OH! AND ALSO THE MAGNETS AND SIZE HELP WHEN YOU HAVE TO PANICKLY GRAB THE SET AND PICK IT UP WHEN THE 1 YEAR OLD RUNS OVER TO DESTROY!!! 1. Affordable 2. Fun for children 3. Portable 4. Decent Magnets Size: The board is a bit wider than an individual DVD case but around the same length. (DVD=Rectangle/Board=Square) the Pawns are smaller than a penny and the bishops are about the size of a quarter both compared in length (how tall) Queen and King a bit larger. so very small pieces. Material: All plastic except for magnets of coarse. Storage: Pieces come in small bags inside set when board is folded in half. comes inside cardboard box (shown in picture)

I wanted a cheap, 15" + board, chess and checkers set, with free shipping with amazon ($35+). This was the only thing that I found that fit the bill. Review: Pros/Cons +Was cheap +was 15" which was nice for the price +has checkers +magnetic for travel, magnets add weight to pieces so feels solid +the bottom of the chess pieces were nice, I was able to move each piece smoothly across each square +you can fold, which will act as a storage & it closes & locks in place so you can carry it around without worry of pieces falling out +looks a little fancy, but preety much everything made of plastic: the board, pieces - a small part of the side of the board (small hinge) came broken - some of the magnets were loose, but were restickable - no magnetic checker pieces (its noted, but makes sense to add magnets to the checkers: helps add weight to it and helps on travel) - the letters for black were facing towards white (backwards) so they are useless, to me at least - you can somewhat tell that there a small film/sheet laid on top (which make up the layout of the squares), its not too noticeable when playing * Overall this was a great buy and you get what you paid for, it was cheap. This was the only set that i found on amazon that had all I needed. You can easily fix broken pieces and falling magnets with SUPERGLUE, it does the trick. Its for travel but I just bought it cause it had chess/checkers, nice sized, & cheap so I wasn't concerned with the magnets. In the end I am happy. C+