Large 2-in-1 Travel Magnetic Chess & Checkers Board Game Set - 14 Inches - Folding, Portable, Multi-Game Set

I've purchased this set as a gift once before, in 2011, and the quality is just as great now as it was then. The set is small enough that it can fit in some jacket pockets (depth permitting), purses, glove boxes, etc., making it highly portable to and from coffee shops and restaurants and any other place one might want to play a game with a like-minded date. The magnets on the pieces are surprisingly strong; the board can be up-turned and moderately shaken and the pieces won't fall off. I recall from the set I purchased in 2011 that eventually the magnets dropped out of some of the pieces, but that's easily rectified with a drop of super glue. I'm expecting this to happen again with this set, but, again, there's an easy fix. The board itself is nice to look at, even though it's plastic, and it looks and feels higher quality than for what one would pay less than $10. Very happy to have this set again!

I just got this in the other day. It is the perfect size for traveling and it is quite heavy and seems very sturdy and well-made for the price. One of the little rubber pegs underneath was broken off, but it doesn't have an effect on the stability when it is open. When it is closed, it feels very secure. I will be taking it on a trip soon and will report back if I have the issue with the magnets falling out. So far I am very happy with my purchase. *Update* 12 January 2015 I am still loving this product! The magnets have still not fallen out like others have reported. I actually have benefited from being prepared for that as the super glue I carry with the set has come in handy on several occasions! I have moved overseas since I first posted and have had the set with me in my backpack this whole time. The cardboard box it comes in is thick and has held up well being tossed around in a backpack for 7 months while traveling. It is still well worth much more than the price I paid!

I bought this set thinking I might take it along to a tournament March 19-22 in Honolulu (part of the Hawaii Chess Festival 2015). They are supplying sets, boards, and clocks at the tuornament. I would use this set in my hotel room as an analysis set to go over my games, and to study openings etc, in my room between rounds etc. Looks like a decent set to me. I like that the pieces are pretty large and magnetic. When I got the set, one magnet and the round piece of tape that holds it in (the tape also acts like the felt would on a non magnetic set) had come out of a Queen. I put it back in. Please note, these magnets have a stronger attraction on one side than the other, and you want the strong side facing the board. This way, you can tilt the board straight up, and the pieces won't fall oof or slide down. One could use a little bit of glue, or maybe a hot glue gun with a dab of glue to hold the magnets in, should this problem reoccur. This set and board combo would not be legal in a USCF chess tournament, as I think the board isn't big enough. It also is not made for speed chess (or blitz, bullet, whatever you want to call it), as speed players tend to slam the pieces down (not to mention slamming the chess clock!), and I would be worried about the board seperating under this type of use. Though, actually, the strong magnets give a similiar effect that a heavily weighted standard tournament set does. I think the metal board itself may be attached with a sticky back tape to the plastic framework that holds it. This unit would be fine for home use, chess club use, and, our club is not USCF sanctined, and could certainly be used in our unsanctioned tournaments. The board has the rank and file letters and numbers. These assist one in that is learning algeraic chess notation. This chess notation lets you write down the moves in your games, and, once learned, allows you to read, use, and understand chess books for learning more about this great game. Set up your board and set, and go through the games of the great players. Learn chess openings, etc. The set is pretty reasonably priced. I have nicer sets, 3-4 made of wood. But they are going to cost you more. I would have liked a more secure fastening of the magnets. Glued in place from the factory would have been nice. I'll see how the tape holds up over time. The board positively shuts and latches with a click when you close it firmly. The pieces stroe inside the board, just be sure all pieces are laying down. Leave one pawn standing, and it won't close. The pieces are good looking.

It’s so handy to have this to work out chess problems on the run by with a good instructional book. It serves as a great bookmark as well.

When traveling or on camping trips, I need to clear my mind, other than by reading. This product is very great, easy to carry and store, and doesn't require much space.

The magnets are strong and hold the pieces

It's so little and cute!! I can take it with me anywhere. All of the components are of a nice quality; the board is sturdy; it folds out nice and flat, and closes up securely; and I appreciate that the game pieces are in reusable zip-lock bags, and not just rolling around inside the storage compartment. I suppose you could even mark coordinates with a Sharpie for the light squares, and get creative with marking the dark ones.☺ Maybe not everyone would like a chess set this small, and I would specifically recommend it for children who are at least 7 years old, without any younger siblings, or pets who have an affinity for chewing on small objects, because the pieces are REALLY tiny!! The King and the Queen are the length of an adult's pinky first-joint; the pawns are the length of an adult's thumbnail. One other caveat: the little magnets tend to fall out (factory glue gone dry) . . . the set that I received had two pieces which were missing their magnets. There was one loose magnet in one of the little zip-lock bags that the pieces came in; the other magnet was AWOL; it must have fallen out somewhere at the factory, before that piece was put in the baggie. I was able to "super glue" the loose magnet back in place for one piece, and I contacted Amazon to enquire about receiving a seller-issued replacement magnet for the other, but their only option was to return the entire game, and wait for a new set to be sent to me. It's such a minor issue that I chose to "McGyver" that other one, so that it would stay in place during use while traveling, etc. Overall, I'm happy!!😊

I wanted a cheap, 15" + board, chess and checkers set, with free shipping with amazon ($35+). This was the only thing that I found that fit the bill. Review: Pros/Cons +Was cheap +was 15" which was nice for the price +has checkers +magnetic for travel, magnets add weight to pieces so feels solid +the bottom of the chess pieces were nice, I was able to move each piece smoothly across each square +you can fold, which will act as a storage & it closes & locks in place so you can carry it around without worry of pieces falling out +looks a little fancy, but preety much everything made of plastic: the board, pieces - a small part of the side of the board (small hinge) came broken - some of the magnets were loose, but were restickable - no magnetic checker pieces (its noted, but makes sense to add magnets to the checkers: helps add weight to it and helps on travel) - the letters for black were facing towards white (backwards) so they are useless, to me at least - you can somewhat tell that there a small film/sheet laid on top (which make up the layout of the squares), its not too noticeable when playing * Overall this was a great buy and you get what you paid for, it was cheap. This was the only set that i found on amazon that had all I needed. You can easily fix broken pieces and falling magnets with SUPERGLUE, it does the trick. Its for travel but I just bought it cause it had chess/checkers, nice sized, & cheap so I wasn't concerned with the magnets. In the end I am happy. C+