All chessmen are not created Equal.
Some are fancy and artistic and look great on Display like contestants in a Beauty Contest. But beauty queens don't always make the best girlfriend - likewise some chessmen are just more fun to play the game.
That's these guys. Sure they look nice too, but their true beauty is in their balance and they way they FEEL in your hand as you move them around the board. Bobby Fischer clearly thought so as out of the countless sets he must have played chess with these were his #1 choice.
He had a famous set of these he kept with him to study you can spot in photos of him planning strategy.
I highly recommend these to anyone who enjoys playing chess.
I bought this Beautiful set of Chessmen solely because the Knights remind me of the set's namesake, Mikhail Tal. The expression on their face is of a Maverick, a Bad Boy, a little bit of a loose cannon who might not have been as precise and methodical as 2 of his fellow World Champions Botvinnik and Petrosian, but was a
Wizard on the chessboard skilled in the art of Attack which could unsettle and sometimes get the better of the Brainiacs. He is one of my favorite Grandmasters all time
and I always enjoy reviewing/replaying one of his games win or lose.
This set of Chessmen is for Collectors. The King standing a true 4.5 inches tall towers over his subjects like the tallest skyscraper in a City Skyline. Every piece is handcrafted with care and great attention to detail - especially the knights. The Luechars knight is slightly different than the Cooke knight and these are done perfectly.
The deepest cut Bishops I have ever seen and the mighty Rooks - all the pieces look good and look good together. Very happy to own this collection and when they are not involved in a serious battle they will be on display in my Living Room.
This is a really beautiful set of chess pieces it is very solid and look very aggressive and ready to win a victory.
I got this set for my Chessnut Air+. Royal Chess Mall really lives up to its awesome reputation. The pieces are well crafted and detailed. The holes drilled for Chessnut sensors are so well fitted. I don't even need to trim the sensor as those from other chess piece makers. The pieces are surprisingly heavier than I would expect. They have a wide base, so the weight is nicely balanced even without weighted. The only downside of this set is probably that they are a bit crowded for the Chessnut Air or Air+. The king and queen basically occupy the whole square. It does not bother me any way. I am very happy with this set. I hope Royal Chess Mall can offer more sets that are Chessnut sensor compatible.
To start, I like goofy-looking knights, they look more fun & cooler than those fierce or serious ones. The Soviet Grandmaster "Glass Eyes" Chess Pieces has the best unique knights i've ever seen. The kinda confused-surprised look of these knights is exactly what i look like when playing.
Well, all of the pieces in this set are just gorgeous. The quality and craftsmanship is really elegant and superior. No flaws, just perfect. I've played blits with these pieces (see pics), and the feel and weight is great, makes you wana play chess day and night. Kudos to Royal Chess Mall.
chess piece : professional staunton (heght3.0)
I am very satisfied. The boards are very sturdy and clean. It goes very well with the piece.
I purchased the stained mahogany set, my first chess set from RCM, and I couldn’t be more pleased. The craftmanship and the finish are top- notched. The weights are perfect and are lovely to handle. They look great on 57 mm and 60 mm boards (I prefer the larger squares). I wish RCM would offer the box boards of the original sets. That would certainly complement these pieces. I purchased the pieces only but RCM included a nice cloth bag which I did not expect. This satisfied customer appreciates the nice touch.
Pedido desde México me llego inpoluto
Me encantan los tonos rojos, en la madera luce genial en mi tablero
Just received my second set of chessmen from Royal Chess Mall, the 1950s Soviet Latvian set. Delivery and packaging were impeccable, just like the first time. The design and craftsmanship are beautiful and I can´t keep my eyes off them. If I give only four and not five stars it is because the knights are not weighted enough (unlike my first set, the 1960s Soviet Championship Tal set, which is superbly weighted). Lack of sufficient weighting makes the knights kind of shaky. This could easily be remedied by enlarging the knight´s base to make it resemble the bishop´s. In that case there would be enough space for sufficient iron or lead inside. In addition, some pieces were not entirely flat at the bottom. The felt seems to have been glued in a hurry, without enough attention to detail. Having said that, these are minor issues, the set as such is beautiful and I love playing with it.
Muy buena calidad, esculpido al detalle y rápido tiempo de entrega. Cumplen mas allá de las expectativas, es el set mas hermoso que he visto. Gracias Royal Chess Mall desde Perú
This budrose wood it has extrordinary combination of woods, the perfect shades. glossy lacquer makes it looks like a gem. I recommend it.
I rarely write reviews but made an exception here because in light of my happiness I felt compelled to blurt this into the world and help other shoppers. I ordered these 3.9“ Lessing Staunton last Friday, and they were delivered from India to Germany by today (Wednesday). I had no hassle with import/customs formalities. The pieces arrived in perfect condition and are absolutely stunning and just as advertised. They fit perfectly on 55mm squares but are also fully acceptable on 57mm (2.25“) squares.
The entire website and shopping functionality incl payment and tracking were also perfect. Overall an absolutely amazing buy and shopping experience and I could not be more pleased. Thank you so much!!
- Olaf
I'm really satisfied. The delivery was quick, the packaging was very rugged and protective. Every piece was individually wrapped with a thick layer of packaging foam. The pieces are masterfully crafted. They feel heavy the padding is thick, so they are silent. And they look gorgeous 😍 on my 35mm square size board. It totally worth the price.
Just received my board and added my 3.75" French Staunton pices on it. It looks so good and feels so nice !.
Received it around 1 week after ordering, carefully packaged in foam and plastic wrapping, protecting it all the way.
Already looking forward to the many games i'll play on it :)
- After closer inspection i noticed a couple of small issues: there are scratches from what i suspect is sand in the laquer, and the edges have a slight wear as if the board has been impropper stored or handled. There was a bit of glue? on top of the board that i had to remove. Given the price i paid i guess it's ok, only a close inspection will reveal the issues.
I finally found the perfect little board for my small chess set... an ebony and boxwood German Staunton set with a 2 3/4" king... the board, a drueke style 15" board with 1.5" squares (38mm) quite lovely in person...the picture doesn't do it justice... the connoisseurs analysis sized chess set...
I'm just getting back into chess after many years, I purchased a nice board and thought it I would get some decent pieces, they are superbly made and nicely weighted, thank you royalchessmall
Very happy customer
Will U.K !
You can look everywhere and you won't find a better French Lardy set of chessmen than these and the set sold here in Walnut Stain.
In particular, the knights (see photo) are EXACTLY right - other sets you find have imposter knights, ranging from 'not quite right' to 'absolutely ridiculous'.
I am now the owner of BOTH sets, so no need for me to waste time looking at those other wannabe
sets. Excellent job Royal Chess Mall! - Stephen
I love these chess pieces very high quality the board is ok but pieces are exceptional
Once again, here we have an excellent set of Chessmen from Royal Chess Mall. Very handsome set - fun to play with - perfect to show off to Friends or just set up on a Chess Board in your Home to show your good taste.
Très beau jeu d'échecs
Reçu 2 jours avant la date prévue,
Commande passée le lundi reçue le lundi suivant. Je n'ai pas eu de frais supplémentaires à payer
Les pièces ont une finition irréprochable et l'échiquier est superbe. Mes photos ne sont pas à la hauteur de ce jeu d'échecs.
Je suis entièrement satisfait
Merci Royalchessmall
Having recently been informed about the existence of Royal Chess Mall (RCM) (reading an article in Chess.com and then watching relevant videos on YouTube), I started exploring the company's webpage. After admiring a few chess sets of their collection, I immediately realised that the page was so well structured and updated in such a professional way that it was impossible for the visitor not to find all the necessary info about their products. Not only do they mention King’s height, but also the accurate dimensions of all the pieces -even the base diameters- in inches and centimetres, and many other info, accompanied by many close up photos revealing all the details of the crafted pieces. It was impossible to have any questions unanswered.
So, being positively surprised, I decided to order directly from RCM’s webpage the ‘1849 Jacques Cook Staunton Collectors Chess Set – Ebony Wood and antiqued boxwood – 3.75’’ an all time favourite of mine. After that surprises kept coming one after the other…
The set was picked up by DHL from Armitsar India (RCM’s location) on Thursday 15 February 2024 and was delivered to me in Greece on Wednesday 20 Feb 24, way faster than was initially estimated! I didn’t opt for the shipment via Indiapost since the delivery time would be at least 20 days, the tracking difficult and the custom’s procedures time consuming. Although I had to pay an additional shipping cost, since the town I live is characterised by DHL as remote (RCM mentions this on the shipping info), it was worth it, because they did all things required for customs’ clearance and without having to pay any import taxes or extra fees.
The chess set recieved was professionally packed in a sturdy waterproof box and all the pieces were individually ‘‘nested’’ in a thick foamy material successfully preventing any kind of damage. A chess pouch was also included in the box as a thank you gift from the company.
Taking each piece out of its packaging and meticulously examining it, I was left speechless time after time, admiring the high level of RCM artisans’ craftsmanship and their attention to details. All the pieces were spotless, a totally flawless chess set with fantastic finishing! The details on the Knights are stunning with dynamic lines. I believe that there is no other better chess pieces’ colour combination than that of ebony and antiqued boxwood. The set looks way better compared to the photos on RCM’s webpage and the feel of the weight on the hands is just remarkable! One cannot go wrong with this classic chess set. IMO 3.75’’ is the sweet spot for a chess set.
RCM’s professionalism was such that the same day of the delivery I was sent an email, informing me about the arrival of the product and asking me if I had any kind of complaints.
First time to have such an excellent buying experience from abroad!
A huge ‘thank you’ and congratulations to all the personnel of RCM, who made a dream of mine come true in the most positive way!
PS. The chessboard’s squares on the photos I've posted are 5cm (RCM correctly proposes at least 5.5 cm)
Exact match to photos.
Piece of art, jewelry work.
A design that surpasses all other examples of St. John Pre-Staunton Calvert that I have seen online. An amazing modern interpretation, where the boxwood and ebony are incredibly fitting. I tested the ebony, it's real. Price for quality and value needs no comment.
Take moer than an hour (I 'm not joking) to enjoy the figures on the first day. And for the second day, take your time also.
This is my third purchase from Royal Chess Mall, my second 3.75-inch, 1849 Jacques Cook Staunton but in boxwood and bud rosewood; I assume padauk in most cases. Please read the review of my antiqued boxwood and ebony set (https://royalchessmall.com/products/1849-jacques-cook-staunton-chess-pieces-only-collectors-set-ebony-wood-3-75) before proceeding.
Basically the same can be said for this set from the expert carving of the knights to the precise and consistent turning of the remaining pieces by talented artisans. Though the contrast between boxwood and bud rosewood is not as dramatic as antiqued boxwood and ebony, there is no wood for individual pieces more strikingly beautiful than bud rosewood. Only amboyna burl, often used for inlays in high-end, custom-made pool cues, is more eye catching, but the wide color variation makes it inappropriate for chess pieces.
As with the antiqued boxwood and ebony, this set is an excellent choice for tournament play as seen in the photo. Opponents may object to bright red lacquered pieces (I wouldn’t), but you’ll receive few complaints with the deep, rich colors on display here. Okay, I imagine some players may, but you can’t please everyone.
Lastly, every piece was perfect right out of the box, and as with the other two sets a pleasure to unwrap from their protective foam strips.
Five stars for the 1849 Jacques reproduction in boxwood and bud rosewood! Five stars for the artisans at Royal Chess Mall!
Though not as towering and majestic as the 4.5-inch, 1849-50 Leuchars Cook Staunton lacquered in ivory & crimson previously reviewed, the 3.75-inch, 1849 Jacques Cook Staunton in antiqued boxwood and ebony is no less a masterpiece. I don’t think any two woods go together better on the chessboard than antiqued boxwood emulating an aged patina and deep, black ebony.
Regarding individual pieces, of all of the sets I own it sports the most aesthetically pleasing knight with a traditional, lightly serrated mane and remarkably expressive muzzle. It is expertly carved by the artisans at Royal Chess Mall; I have seen none finer. Lathe turning from the king to the last pawn is first rate as well. The uniquely concave, curvilinear rook from base to turret I find particularly attractive compared to straight-stemmed versions.
In my opinion, this set is more practical for tournament play than a 4.5-inch set. Due to the wide bases, some players may opt for a 2.375-inch square board. However, my photo reveals the set fits nicely and looks great on this 2.25-inch square curly maple and walnut board. Unfortunately, this particular board with its wide frame cannot be purchased; it was made in 1981 by my best friend as a Christmas present.
Lastly, I must mention that this set was ordered through Amazon and arrived with seven (7) of the seventeen (17) boxwood pieces a dark yellow bordering on orange. In other words, it was an “imperfect” set not advertised as such by Amazon. However, Royal Chess Mall made replacement pieces after I returned the darker ones with a lighter control pawn, and they did so on their dime. As you can see from the photo, the antiqued boxwood pieces are beautifully matched. Excellent service by a business who makes things right for the customer.
Please note my next review will be on the same 1849 set but in boxwood and bud rosewood.
Five stars for this 1849 Jacques reproduction! Five stars for customer service!
