I had been wanting a well made, reasonably priced, solid chess set I could keep out and use for games with the kids or analysis purposes. Although attracted to the early nineteenth century Staunton design, I wanted something a little different. I was watching a review by “Random Chess Talk” and he had a Royal Chess Mall version of the Dubrovnik on hand. I liked what I saw, so I started researching other manufacturers versions of the Dubrovnik to get their spin on a classic, well researched, historically significant set. Royal Chess Mall hit all the marks in what I was looking for. Upon arrival I inspected the packaging and found no issues save for a small indent probably suffered during shipping; no fault to RCM and the pieces inside were fine. A couple high lights for me were the wide, solid bases and an almost linear progression from king down to rook. One thing I always thought was a distraction from a Staunton set is the king is generally disproportionate to the rest of the line in height. I applaud the updated rook that is truer to the original and think the knight one of the prettiest of any set I have seen. In closing, the set feels good in hand, well made, has no sharp points to distract from play, and is something I will be proud to pass on one day. At twenty percent off regular price and free shipping I definitely consider this an investment worth making. Thank you.
The Chess Pieces arrived very well packed and I can't see that imperfections have any effect. Would purchase again.
The set itself is absolutely beautiful however, the stain is definitely sub par, seemingly applied as an afterthought and rushed. There are several spots where the stain is not present and should be (even though the stain appears to be applied with a distressed/worn effect) I’m actually shocked that a set in this calibre would be given such a horrible stain and it was deemed acceptable. I’m a wood worker and I would never send a finished product out like this. Overall the set is beautiful, but the few pieces that were not stained properly definitely takes away from it’s appeal. There was also a ding in the white's king, minuscule for sure but I can't help but thinking this should have been caught in some sort of quality assurance process, if there even is one (it doesn't seem that there is any QA going on here). I had to take away at least 1 star due to the stain but, If these pieces were properly stained I'd give them 5 out of 5 stars. I was hoping that these would be close to as nice as the Minceta Dubrovnik pieces but unfortunately they still leave a lot to be desired. If they ever get this stain issue fixed they will be one of the nicest Dubrovnik sets available though!
Beautiful! I wanted a nice set of pieces that would fit my 14x14 board (40 mm square) I got from my Grandfather long time ago! It was difficult to find a good quality set that could fit this relatively small board. I'm very happy with the quality and the feel of the pieces.
I am very happy with the chess set I have received from Royal Chess Mall. The board is beautiful and so are the pieces. It is not absolutely perfect - and I did not expect it to be, as it is hand-crafted from real wood. So, if you extensively examine the board and each piece, you will find what you might call some small flaws, tiny knots in the wood, or perhaps one or two pieces that are a slightly different shade to the others, but nothing that would detract from the overall enjoyment of admiring and using the set. And I think the price is very fair for what you get, with the 20% discount I was able to secure (just write to them and ask). Free shipping too. So, all in all, highly recommended. I am already tempted to buy a second set of a different design, although I absolutely do not need it and don't have the space for it! Mhm, maybe as a birthday present for my godson...
Great set
Love the chess pieces the quality is amazing and they honestly do feel expensive and are very well weighted and also very even in both weight and size of all the pieces. The only issue I have is that all the light boxwood pieces have this almost orange look to them depending on how light reflects on them. If you are thinking of buying this set I would definitely recommend it I give it a 9/10 for price and quality just the orange look being my own little concern. ☺️
All Excellent
This set is perfect for me! The size of the pieces, and especially the weight!! You won't find a heavier set. I like playing blitz and bullet with these pieces. The metal clank when capturing is fun.
The pieces are great looking, classic Staunton, with lots of detail especially the knights. Finishes seem durable.
Bottom felts could be damaged if not cared for. Wish the bishops had a deeper cut. Only criticisms I have.
My cat approves-
I love this chessboard. It is beautifully made and the color I chose goes very well with the set I chose to buy, just enough contrast I think.
