Official FIDE Chess Set

Thanks for the input, Horace. I’ve been thinking about buying one of these sets. I’ve only held off because I really have plenty of nice chess sets already. It can become an addiction. Lol The thing that appeals to me most about the FIDE set is that it’s pretty different from most other Staunton designs. And I understand what you mean. Some pieces just feel right to you. One of the favorites in my collection is a Chavet set from the 90’s. I love handling those pieces, whether in a game or in analysis. 

Horace, I like a lot of things about this set, including the knight in full face (pic #1), but unfortunately, in silhouette, it looks like his chest cavity has been gutted with a cannonball. The designer may have 'borrowed' this motif from the Shefield knight from House of Staunton (pic #2), both look rather anemic and unhealthy, with necks so narrow they wouldn't have enough strength to hold their heads up, like the gallant knight from the Camaratta Signature set (pic #3), also from HoS.

Now if they filled in the chest cavity and offered the set in another color besides black, it would make it into my 10 Most Wanted List.

                     FIDE Knight (full face)

FIDE & Sheffield Knights (a pair of anemics)

      The Camaratta Knight, the prince of steeds

Actually, they look like the Thestral from Harry Potter:

You know, these are the flying "horses" that only people that have seen someone die can see.

They are pretty skeletal.

Each to his own, quite clearly.

Oh, just realize that this Stauntonmaster is making all this up.  He does not own these sets or even been able to handle them to know anything like he claims.

This guy is a known troll to these forums.  And there is a high likelihood that he is an agent for some company trying to falsely fool people that don't know any better.

And don't wait for an answer from him.  He is a true troll and only posts provocative things to bait people.  He has continually shown himself to not be real or serious for any kind of true discussion.

Maybe if we ignore him he'll go away. Hey, what a good idea!

Let me be the first to take the pledge: I will not respond to, comment on, or mention the name Stauntonmaster, or anything he says or references in his posts. In fact, I will no longer read them either. So, for all intents and purposes, Stauntonmaster is now, and forever more, inconsequential. A non-entity, a vapor, a phantasm. . . a wisp of nothingness.

If you'd like to take the pledge, please chime in. Thanks!

Unfortunately, I am not sure ignoring the troll is the best strategy. To new users, it is not always evident that he is a troll, and it is easy to believe that what he's worth listening to (at least until you have read a dozen or so of his posts). I think the occasional "don't listen to Stauntonmaster, he's a known troll and making all of this up" message in the threads where he posts has some value.

I watched the documentary “Magnus” yesterday. (Nice little feature, by the way, available on Netflix.) The FIDE set is prominently featured. Watching close-ups of Anand and Carlsen moving the pieces around gave me a much better idea of what to expect. The profile of the knight, which I too felt iffy about, seemed to be a non-issue. I’ll be buying this set in the near future. I understand the reservations some have about the design. Tastes are tastes. But I own many nice sets, including a Chavet with 3 3/4” king, and I’ll be happy to add this modern work to my collection. 

That statement just makes me take him more seriously.

Best to completely ignore the trolls and naysayers who have nothing useful or positive to contribute. They are looking to evoke responses in order to garner attention, which fuels encouragement for them to continue defecating their nonsense and negativity. Without the attention of others to feed on, like weeds deprived of water they will eventually dry up and blow away....

... and we don't want that to happen, do we?

The above is so wrong that buyers also disagree which is the correct thing to do.

OF course no Chess sellers have posted on here recently.  So this Stauntonmaster is making that statement and making up these "chess sellers" that want to sham and fake real things.

Once again, this fake and false issue of the Knight's jaws being fragile and breaking is completely made up by Stauntonmaster.  I point this out so that people do not fall for this fraud and his completely wrong statements.

The above statement is completely wrong and fake information.  Please only read this as fiction and certainly the opposite of reality.

Stauntonmaster, are you a bot? You certainly sound like one.

He is right though.

100% agree !

That's odd, most of what Stauntonmaster says matches my experience. I have a 20 or so sets, and it is also my experience that Knight's jaws tend to break off - and in some cases the whole of the front of the face breaks off. I frequently see rooks turrets damaged  on antique sets on eBay, and Queen's crowns are also frequently damaged. The thing I'd add to the list is that Bishops often lose their tops.

Note that I'm talking about old sets, not modern ones. I don't know anything about modern sets, but I'd be surprised if they didn't share the same structural weaknesses as the old sets.

After having the opportunity to actually play with the Official 2013 FIDE chess set on a DGT board, I can now say that it they are gorgeous and wonderful to play with IMHO. Pictures do not do these pieces justice. When the pieces are paired with the correct wooden DGT e-board and the play area is lit properly, the whole chess set becomes "eye candy" which makes study or play even more enjoyable at extended periods of time. The longer I stared at them, the more that my  subjective brain appreciated the new design.

Since I handled them myself, I could confirm that the weighted pieces add to the satisfaction of handling quality wooden pieces whether you slide the pieces across the board or lift-and-place them on their squares. It makes a tactile difference when comparing them to the stock classic and unweighted wood pieces that come with every DGT board since the mid-2000s.

Finally, there is no way to mistake pieces from another. This is a non-issue for masters who play blindfold, but visual enthusiasts like myself need to enjoy what is seen with the naked eye. These pieces do not disappoint.