Customers say
Customers find this chess set perfect for beginners, particularly for teaching kids how to play, and consider it a nice inexpensive portable option. The pieces are made of the lightest plastic, and while customers appreciate that it’s easy to carry around, they note the board is made of thin cardboard. Moreover, several customers report missing pieces in their sets, and the overall quality receives mixed reviews, with some finding it nice while others describe it as flimsy.
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A quick rundown of this product’s key features:
Chess is a two-player strategy game played on a checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an 8×8 grid
Pressman Chess edition is perfect for both beginner and experienced players
Features heavy-duty folding chess board for easy storage and years of play
32 black and ivory plastic Staunton chess pieces, with 2. 5″ tall King
Manufacturer recommends this game is suitable for ages 8 to adult, and for 2 players
Our Top Reviews
Reviewer: Gregorio
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: For the price it is good.
Review: I bought this as a second/spare set to give my 35 year old E.S. Lowe set a break. I doubt this set is going to last 35 years but for the very low price it is fine. The board is large and I prefer the folding cardboard type of board that is included in this set to the vinyl ones. Squares are red and black as Pressman uses this same board for their checkers set. The pieces are large enough to move around comfortably and have slightly oversized bases. The king looks to be around 3 inches (I didn’t measure it) and the pieces are hollow but the plastic is fairly heavy and I’ve played 7 games with the set without tipping over any pieces. The pieces come in plastic bags with strip off tops and can be stored in those inside the box after playing. A basic instruction sheet is also included. All in all this is of a typical “board game” quality like “Monopoly” or “Sorry” and is fine as a spare set, first set for a beginner, family game shelf, school set etc. It isn’t anything impressive but I don’t know of a better deal for a complete full size chess set. Pressman Toys donates large quantities of this particular set to schools who are starting chess clubs. It isn’t fancy but its fine and you can play chess with it!
Reviewer: jat
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Most Commonly Abused Game
Review: I see a lot of negative reviews of this chess set, but that is because most people abuse it. If you use this chess set correctly, you are going to have more fun than you can ever imagine having with a chess set. Please read to the end of this review to maximize your fun from this one of a kind classic chess set. You will soon discover this particular chess become of your favorite games.First, let me say the wrong way to use this chess set begins as early as the opening, when players take turns developing their pieces to achieve a positional advantage going into a tactical middle game. Although this is what is known as “proper chess”, it is more suitable for a double-weighted tournament chess set, or one of those fancy wooden sets from House of Staunton.The correct way to use this particular chess set is to play what is known as “Flick Chess”. First, set the pieces up in classical fashion. Remember “white is on right” and “Queen on her color”. Then, players take turns flicking one and only one chess piece at the opponents pieces. The goal, of course is to knock all of your opponent’s pieces over before your opponent does the same to you. Pieces that have been knocked over or otherwise must be removed from the board are termed “fallen”. Any piece that has been knocked off the board is also considered fallen. A draw or “stalemate” happens when a player knocks over the last of his or her opponent’s pieces with his or her last piece.Between turns, players have a chance to “clear the battlefield”, removing fallen pieces from the board. During this time any “blunders”, where a player knocks over his or her own pieces, are forgiven, and the pieces may be restored. In war, the medics never kill healthy soldiers, why would it be any different in flick chess?That said, it is possible to blunder during your move, by knocking over your own pieces unintentionally. Blundered pieces are considered fallen and must be removed.Additionally, hitting the board with your hand, causing your opponent’s pieces to fall over loses a turn, removes any of your own pieces that were flicked, and restores any of your opponents pieces that were disrupted.It is possible that a piece will “rebound” into a shooter’s own pieces and knock them over. These pieces are “lost”, a synonym for “considered fallen”.One literal boundary case is when a piece slides to the edge of the board, but is still standing. If it is a genuine “leaner”, it is lost. That is, if it is not perfectly vertical when sitting on the board, then it must be removed. A test for leaners on surfaces like carpet is to ever so gently lift the board and see if the piece goes up with the board. If it does not, then the piece is lost.Before a player moves, the player may arrange his or her own pieces and the opponent’s pieces. His or her own pieces must be fully contained within the squares of their starting positions. Opponent’s pieces can only be arranged such that they are placed in the absolute middle of their starting squares. If a player accidentally knocks over any piece while arranging, the player loses his or her turn. If the player knocks over his or her own pieces, those pieces are lost. If a player knocks over the opponent’s pieces, those pieces are restored. House rules may vary on arrangement, but the original inception of Flick Chess allows arrangement as described.Terminology. A “hop” is when a piece flies over all of the opponent’s pieces. A “duff” is when a piece completely misses all pieces, especially outside the A and H files. A “split” is when a player shoots between the opponents pieces, especially if they are on adjoining squares. “Sharp shooting” is the removal of the opponent’s pieces by precise aim. “Royalty” is the Queen and King, especially both. “Majors” are back rank pieces.
Reviewer: Katherine S.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Basic Chess Set, but a value for the price
Review: The board is actually about 15 x 15″ and the pieces are a good proportional size for the board (both board and pieces are smaller than tournament regulations, but not tiny compared to other inexpensive sets I saw on Amazon) – all of which makes for a good beginner learning experience. The pieces are hollow molded plastic, very lightweight and easy to knock over, however they are Staunton in style, which is known around the world. The price of the set is reasonable to quality. All of these features make a good buy for a starter set. Mine arrived with all the correct pieces. I would have liked to have two additional Queens for Pawn promotions. I found a couple of errors in the instruction sheet; notified Pressman and got a response back they are having their team look at it!I gave only 4 stars because a better educational set would have numbering and letters on the edge for learning square identification/documentation and no errors in instructions. As others have mentioned, the board could easily be made of heavier card board that is more scratch resistant as well.
Reviewer: Soultravel
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Starter Chess Set
Review: I bought several of these to donate to a daily library book sale and even to small privately owned thrift stores in a rough area of my city. The idea is to get people and especially children interested in the wonderful game of Chess. Of course this set is not really appropriate to be used in a tournament. I usually enclosed printed material in the box that gives further instructions how to really play Chess.Update: Bought two sets. Upon opening the contents of the container found both boxes and boards severely damaged. Upon contacting them I was told to keep what been sent, two days later I received two new undamaged sets at no cost. Five Stars for their customer service.
Reviewer: denpick
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Cheap, light, skinny, functional
Review: This is technically a chess set. However, the pieces are pretty small and skinny and nearly too light weight to play with. I can see knocking over nearby men during a move as a real annoyance. I also got the “Best Value Tournament Chess Set” here on Amazon. Very nice and well worth the extra few bucks. But for cheap, nearly disposable, this is functional. Comes with brief chess rules sheet.
Reviewer: Mom of Shark Bait
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good size and sturdiness for trying out the game
Review: This is a nice starter board if you want to try your hand at chess. Like many, my daughter wanted to try chess after watching “The Queen’s Gambit.“ I did not want to invest a lot of money in something she may not pursue. This board is a decent size and is very affordable.
Reviewer: Jake
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Worth the price
Review: I’m giving this 5 stars because it is such a fantastic ‘value-for-you-money’ type of purchase.The box it comes in is honestly the worst part and I’m not even mad about it because the board and pieces are in good condition
Reviewer: Samantha
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Me gustó mucho porque es excelente si estas aprendiendo a jugar, ya que no gastas mucho y las piezas son de bastante calidad por lo que durará mucho tiempo.
Reviewer: Will
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Cheap af but you get what you pay for. Anyone that recognizes the box will know the low quality but ultra low cost of this product. If I played regularly I’d pick up something nicer but any full sized chess set is a good addition to board games. A 70c 4k tv is nice but when playing atari almost anything would work. Same here
Reviewer: Myriah Kinna
Rating: 2.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This chess board is so cheaply made. I’m going to keep it because I am using it for my classroom but I wouldn’t recommend it. It is not worth the price at all.
Reviewer: Denise
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Bought it for my husband. He’s happy with it. It’s exactly as described.
Reviewer: FrankE
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Plastic pieces were ok but board is thin and flimsy. Good for teaching kids how to play but don’t expect long life out of this set.
Price effective as of Apr 08, 2025 02:00:05 UTC
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