StonKraft 21" X 21" Collectible Wooden Chess Game Board Without Pieces For Professional Chess Players

This is a sturdy chess board. At Rs 3695 this is a great deal. The grain of the sheesham wood is clearly visible. It is slightly buffed but not polished... If required one can get it lacquered or waxed but not needed. The playing surface is smooth and weighted pieces slide on it easily.It weighs 3.7kg and comes very well packed in a box. Stonkraft is offering a very good board at decent price. If one were to buy Spanish boards they are lighter and better finished but they are not as durable as this solid wood chess board. Almost all tournament boards are DGT boards that are just veneers. This on the other hand is an old school solid wood board. Difficult to carry around but amazing to play on.The squares are 55mm. The lighter squares seem to be made of a not so solid wood... The darker squares are sheesham wood and the grain is beautifully visible.The edges are rounded so even if the board is dropped, any dents and Dinges will not be visible as much on this board as on a square edged board.The only fear is that the wood must not crack or expand and warp. Otherwise it would ruin the entire board. I hope the wood is properly seasoned and dried before it was set into the board.The bottom is felted and protects the board well.Overall this is a better value for money than the Spanish veneer boards such as the ones from Rechapados Ferrer (who do make amazing veneer boards that are completely flawless).On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate this board as following1. Build quality: 92. Finish: 73. Durability: 104. Design: 85. Portability: 2 (however we're not buying this for portability)6. Aesthetic appeal: 77. Contrast between squares: 8Update: Used with 3 of my chessmen. 4.0 Inch King set, 4.1 Inch King set and 4.4 inch Club size staunton Set. All 3 sets do seem to fit well in the 55mm square. The 4.4inch Club set seems a little crowded but it still looks good. Images attached.Update:I've been using this board mostly with my 4.4 inch king 1849 Jaques reproduction set and it's amazing. The boxwood and ebony wood pieces are clearly visible against the well finished sheesham. We can clearly see the wood grain. I'd probably have liked it more if it was lacquered or at least sanded down more... But this is me nitpicking. Overall I use it as a study set for setting up games and studying positions. The large size of the board helps visualize the positions better. It's even good for learning chess notation via coordinates as we can clearly imagine the pieces on the large squares.Update 2:Because the wood isn't covered by lacquer or PE coat, the wood is succeptible to scratches. I made the mistake of placing a wooden box on the board and it moved causing it to scratch some lines on the board. Make sure when storing the board, place something soft between the board and whatever you want to stack on too of it (usually it's the chess pieces box)

Excellent quality Stonkraft products, Very good packing and polishing on Board. Recommended.

Looks good but not a single wood piece. It is a frame construction and not rosewood as claimed. Looks like acacia/babool.Inlay work need more finesse. Gaps are visible in inlays.Overall okaish but not a collectors item as claimed.

I think it's better than DGT Electronic chess board.it's polish is awesome,wander fully,Marvellous and good looking .Thanks stonkraft. When I opened the parcel i was just speechless.This chess board is really good. Play like Magnus carlsen Thank you very much...

worth money

The Board is amazing, the finish the polish.The packaging is also great.I got a wooden foldable stand made for it....that too turned out good.

Dont think go for it. Best value for money.

Good chess board

if you are a tournament player don't think just buy

The board is quite heavy. Good finish . Delivered early .

I received the board ahead of time which I appreciated. It was packed well, as all the other reviews stated, but mine was not the flawless board I expected. There are gaps in the joinery in several places, 2 scuffs on the side, and corner of the frame, the white squares have grain running in different directions, and a blob of glue on the frame. I will have to spend some time with some ultra fine sandpaper, and rubbing compound, just to get it to look decent. This could have been a really nice board if a little more attention was paid to detail.

To begin with I felt that the price for this board was very reasonable considering the woods it is constructed with (solid, not veneer), it's size, beauty, and being hand crafted. After placing the order I received it in a very timely manor. The board was well packaged and properly wrapped with plenty of foam for excellent protection during shipping. It arrived without any blemishes. The board itself is beautiful with no imperfections. The bottom of the board is green felted. I am very happy with this product and would purchase it again without hesitation. I recommend this product to others.

I purchased this board in 2016. Since the smooth finish seemed a bit delicate, I cared for the board by cleaning every month or two with Howard Orange Oil and polished it 3-4 times a year with Howard Feed-n-Wax wood polish. Nevertheless, toward the end of 2018 the d1/e8 square began to split in the center along the grain. Since then the split has continued entirely through the d1/e8 square and most of the way through the d2/e7 square. By contrast, an inexpensive oil-finished Anri Italian wood board that I purchased as a teenager in 1974 has had fairly harsh treatment and has never developed such a flaw as this in 45 years. The StonKraft board is still an OK board, of course, but has become a bit of a disappointment.

This board is extremely well made and very attractive. I liked being able to pair it with a nice set of chess pieces. It’s heavy and came well packaged. I’d buy it again in a heartbeat! Two photos attached. One with the phone’s flash on, one without. I think the photo without the flash is a better representation of the colors but it was a little dark in the room. Rosewood and boxwood pieces go very well with it! If you enjoy chess, you really like this board. I bought some checkers to go with it as well. The kids and Dad love it. Any guests who come over comment favorably as well.

Nice piece ... nicely built ... there is a small imperfection on the side ... would have gone 5 stars across the board except it looks like the wood was sanded down to much which exposed the epoxy ... noticeable... but nothing a brown sharpie couldn't somewhat kinda sorta fix.