Update: a replacement set was sent within a week, and all the correct pieces were included. The board and pieces also don’t have any major flaws. Previous review: This set has some quality assurance issues. I got as a gift for someone, and the white queen and the spare were both missing.

This has been a good board so far. My eldest and I play frequently in the evenings, and usually stow the pieces after our games. Everything is holding up better than I expected. Our board opens and closes well, and lines up evenly. The pieces look a little roughly cut, but they do sit well on the board. Overall, it's been a great change from the flimsy paper board.

The set itself is very nice. Unfortunately it arrived missing a chess piece-a pawn. Upon contacting the seller, a replacement pawn was sent. Actually 4 of them. Unfortunately all 4 were the wrong size for our set. They are smaller than the other pawns. We now have to reach out and request the proper replacement piece. It is becoming inconvenient. UPDATE: Still waiting to hear back from seller. Has not responded to our latest email. We still need the correct size Pawn to go with our set.

This set certainly works. The board opens well and hides the seam. The board is solid. The pieces are all neatly stored inside the board when it folds up. As a travel set this is very good. As a beginner set also adequate. I down graded it to 4 stars because the pieces are very light and unstable. My cat found them to be good for playing hockey. I brought out an older plastic set that are weighted at the bottom and have wide bases to play with at home using this board. Were the pieces on the set being reviewed similarly weighted I would have given it 5 stars.

The board is foldable and looks better than in the picture. The hinges came a bit loose, but that can be fixed (it would be nice that the pieces of cloth that cover the hinges could be easily removable in order to tighten the hinges, but for the price I cannot ask for more). The pieces are not great, but again for the price they are acceptable. My only disappointment came from the size of the squares: they are announced to be of 2 inches (5.08 cm), and they are a bit smaller than that (between 1.8 and 1.9 inches). Although this is a minor disparity, it makes a difference when you use pieces designed for boards with 2-inches squares.

This board is solid but, pieces, even though made of wood, are very light. Two pieces came chipped slightly and the felt on bottom of one fell off upon opening. Overall, I would say this chess board is a great first choice. Its beautiful to look at, you can carry pieces inside the folding board which is nice. While the felt fell off one piece and having a few slightly chipped pieces I will not mark star rating too much since these may always be present in manufacturing. Honestly, if pieces are broken or board is defective in any way one can always make a return so I cannot be a jerk and reduce star rating for something that can easily be replaced. Again, this is a great starter board and it promises to be a board I will always have.

It is a Christmas gift. I let you know if my son likes it.