Selecting a perfect chess set can really give you headaches. It is not easy to find a right chess set especially if you are buying it online. Markets are flooded with a huge variety of chess sets in different materials, shapes, and sizes. The chess pieces and the chess boards are often bought separately and that increases the difficulty level of ‘’choosing the correct chess set task ’’. We at Chessbazaar are here to help you find a breakthrough and by taking care of some very important points, we can help you in breaking the back of the beast.

Follow these steps to find your perfect chess set:

1. The purpose of the use of your chess set – The very first step to choosing a chess set is to decide that for what purpose do you need the chess set.

If you want to buy a chess set for your routine, use at chess clubs or at home then either you should go for some robust Staunton tournament chess sets or any weighted Staunton chess set would be the best option for this.

Related: How to Set Up a Chessboard – Step by Step – chessbazaar’s Guide

If you travel a lot and can’t travel without your best companion ‘chess set game ‘then you should buy a magnetic travel set. Our travel magnetic chess sets are ideal for playing on planes, trains, buses or in the cars. These chess sets use magnetic fields to secure the chess pieces to the board ensuring that they will not move. The chess pieces have been fitted with a magnetic stud in the base and the board is fitted with concealed Iron sheet.

Chess sets are also a wonderful way to decorate your living room, bedroom etc. If you want to light up your living space with a beautiful chess set or if you want to buy something antique for home decor, you can go for luxury chess sets or antique chess sets.

If you want to gift a chess set to your Dad, friend or your loved ones then our economy range is for you. You can buy a good quality wooden chess set here without burning a hole in your pocket.

And if you are a chess collector, then we have a special corner for you. Our Antique reproductions category is substantially designed for chess collectors and enthusiasts. Shop now>

2. Set a price for your chess set – Ask yourself, how much can I afford for a chess set? You should buy a chess set that fits your pocket well so that you always feel satisfactory each time you play with it. Prices of the wooden chess sets vary according to the type of the wood, king size, weight, quality of the craftsmanship, the number of queens, services offered by the company, design of the knight etc. You need to set your priorities and determine that what kind of chess set you require and then determine the price accordingly.      If you are low on a budget then chessbazaar.com is one of the best places to look for. We’re the cheapest option in the market for buying a new wooden chess set but that doesn’t equate to cheap quality too. Chess bazaar was founded in 2007 by Vikramjit Singh, who believes that high-quality chess sets don’t need to cost a fortune. At chessbazaar.com our primary motto is “MAKING HEIRLOOM QUALITY CHESS SETS – ACCESSIBLE TO EVERYONE”. All of our chess sets are of heirloom quality that lasts for many generations. We also offer free replacements* and the lifetime warranty on our most of the chess supplies.

Related: 5 Reasons Why Collecting Chess Sets is a Good Idea?

3. Selecting the type and color of wood – After you have set a price for your chess set, you need to select the type of the wood that suits your taste the most. You can choose out of the best and luxurious wood types such as ebony wood, bud rosewood, rosewood or the evergreen ones like Sheesham and boxwood. Type of wood selected by you would also depend upon the color combination you want to have like black & red, black white, red & white etc.

4. Select your Chess pieces – After keeping everything in your mind – the price, type of wood, design, weighted and non-weighted, and the purpose. If your primary purpose is playing speed chess, blitz etc then don’t go for heavily weighted (quadruple or more) chess pieces at all, you can’t play a blitz or speed chess easily with heavily weighted chess pieces until & unless you are a super human. Heavily weighted chess pieces are best for décor purpose or for occasional play. Though there are hundreds of designs available at our website like Dublin pattern, minimalist pattern, upright pattern, monoblock pattern, themed chess sets etc, but for actual play, Staunton pattern design is the standard among all. We’ve all in our store, so go ahead and choose your dream chess pieces according to your taste and requirement or simply go for standard Tournament chess set approved by fide.

Related: How to Make the Best Chess Opening Moves?

5. Matching a board to your chess pieces – Next difficulty is to choose a right board for your chess pieces. After choosing the perfect chess pieces now is the turn to choose the right field to play. If chess pieces are not matching properly with chess board then it will not give the satisfaction to a chess player. First, calculate the size of the base diameter of the widest chess piece “King” and divide it by 78%. For eg, if the base diameter of the king is 1.5″(38mm) then you should go for a square size of 1.9″ (48mm) or more. The concept is if you get the King chess piece just right, other chess pieces also fit in automatically on your chess board.

To simplify your search here is the formula to calculate the right board size for you chess pieces – Calculate the base diameter of king and divide it by 78%.

Related: Chess Sets — Everything you need to know!

6. Calculate the base diameter of the king and divide it by 78%. With this formula, you will get your board size. Now choose the type of the wood, color and the design of the edges and wooden frame that suits your chess pieces the best. Handmade wooden chessboards from ebony wood and rosewood and bud rosewood are often more expensive ones than the veneer or leather chess boards. Select the board according to your imaginations and ideas. Imagine the chess pieces and the chess board combo in your mind and make the final call. Still, if you’re unable to find a right chess board for your chess pieces then don’t worry, we have a chess sets category which has chess pieces with their matching chess board.

After following all these steps, we hope you’ll be able to find your perfect chess set.