David
14 maart 2025
I looked at other reviews for this and so I bought it. On the pieces there is not so much as one little scratch of a mistake, the wooden pieces have a nice weight in the hand. The board is magnetic and folds in half but I wouldn't call it a travel chess set. Packing away the pieces sit into a solid foam backing. The board itself is not exactly black and white, it is the same wood but stained differently for the different colours. I dunno, but I really like this. There are cheaper chess sets available of course but I think I chose the right one here.
Kirill Penteshin
26 december 2024
I believe there are a few companies selling reasonable quality, affordable chess sets and other wooden gaming products, manufactured in India. One of these is SouvNear, another is Stonkraft. They appear to have similar products with similar ratings and reviews: overall, you're getting a pretty nice wooden set at a lower price point, but buyers report occasional inconsistencies in quality and manufacturing. I purchased SouvNear's small 7"x7" magnetic set, and was quite pleased with it, though it really is very tiny and bought for portability. I decided I wanted to get a slightly larger set, and this time opted for the 12"x12" Stonkraft set.When the set arrived I was immediately impressed by the evident quality of the board, the fastenings and hinges, and the pieces initially looked very good as well. However, once I got them out of their cozy slots in the foam underside of the board, I noticed some of the problems described by a few other reviewers. Specifically, one of the black bishops was pretty lopsided due to an unevenness of the magnet at the bottom, and the two black rooks were noticeably smaller than their white counterparts, with slightly splintered crenellations around their castle tops. Overall, this detracted from the appearance of the set.I immediately contacted the seller in India and reported the issue. Honestly, given the distance over which we were communicating and my somewhat nit-picky complaints, I was not optimistic that my issue would be resolved. However, I got a very prompt response requesting that I send photos of the substandard pieces, which I did. The seller then informed me he would have his colleague in the US send me replacement pieces. As promised, I received a tracking number confirming the pieces were on their way. I was expecting just to get two replacement rooks and one bishop, but instead received a complete set of replacement black and white rooks AND bishops, for no charge, not even shipping. The pieces were all uniformly high-quality, and I now have a very attractive, uniform chess set.On the whole, I have to recommend this set because for the price, even with the potential for slight manufacturing issues, you're getting a very nice set. But more importantly, if you do have complaints, the seller is fantastically responsive, and in my case addressed my problem promptly and efficiently. For those on here who have experienced issues with the set, I would encourage you to reach out, because there is a good chance you can get replacement pieces.
James O.
15 december 2024
Nothing to dislike, in fact the craftsmanship for this price point is great, where the two halves meet. I am very happy with my choice after spending far too long weighing up pro’s n cons of various items. I wanted wooden, small, not expensive, as I will encourage my kids to learn. Motivated by queen’s gambit to enjoy chess again. Great product.