Yellow Mountain Imports Travel Magnetic Chess Mini-Set (6.3 Inches) - Compact, Folding, Educational Board Game

I bought this board about two weeks ago, and it was a very nice choice. This board is small enough to be used in travels, but big enough to be comfortable when you play. All the chess pieces have very strong magnets covered with nice felt-type coverings. The magnets are so strong they actually hold the pieces in place when the board is upside down and shaken. No, the checker pieces are not magnetic which was a slight bummer, but I really just wanted the chess set anyway. The board itself seems durable, however, I noticed the hinges on the underside of the board APPEAR to be a little week. It MIGHT an issue later on, but for now it feels secure. The board also has numbers and letters on the sides of the board which make it nice for anyone who wants to learn chess notation. Small complaint, if you are the black player, the letters and numbers on your side are upside down, not a big issue, but just something to note. The board also locks very securely in place when it is shut. The pieces fit fairly nicely in the board when not in use, however, it takes me a little bit of time (5-30 seconds)to organize the pieces in order to close the board properly.Overall, a very nice board for a great price. I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a good and cheap chess board.Summary,ProsLarge board, but small enough to be used travelStrong magnets for chess piecesNotations on the sideStrong locking when the board is not in useComes with a small paper on the basics of chess piece movementGreat Price!Cons (I am just nitpicking)Checkers are not magnetic (not a big deal to me)The pieces may take some finagling to make them fit when the board is closed (again not a big deal to me)The notation for one side appears upside down.To some people, the king and the queen look a little to similar. I can tell the difference clearly, but might be a slight annoyance to some.The hinges on the underside of the board MIGHT weaken. However, as long as you don't bend them the wrong way I think it will be fine.Overall very pleased with my purchase and would highly recommend it.

I almost didn't purchase this product, due to many of the negative comments I read here on amazon, regarding the quality of the pieces (which is very important to me).Fortunately, I decided to take a chance and place my order anyway, primarily due to the incredibly low price, and also because I simply loved the look of the Tournament style, Staunton chess pieces that come with this set. (Look closely at some of the other travel sets you'll find online...the pieces just do not look right)I honestly don't know what some of these negative reviewers were expecting for only $11! (at least, that's what I paid)For the quality of the board/pieces that you get, it is an incredible buy! Not to mention the added bonus of getting a highly portable, magnetic travel set! (And one that's not too small either, as many of the other sets I've seen out there are!)Which brings me to the next thing I love about this product: the pieces you get are not only solid & very nice looking, but they are nice-sized too! The main reason for my purchase, was to have a set to take to work with me, and challenge my friends - if the pieces were too small, no one would want to play a serious game with me (or even take me seriously!)Back to the price... $11 people! Again, I don't know what some of these negative reviewers were expecting to get for that price! Think about it; even if you could find something similar to this at some retail outlet (which I was unable to do), believe me, you would pay far more!The quality of both the board and the pieces is outstanding! Very solid looking and feeling. It does not look cheap!Also, the pieces are not "too light" as I've read in some reviews... not at all!! Their weight is proportional, and quite appropriate for their size and portability, and they definitely feel solid in your hand.As I mentioned before, the pieces themselves are Tournament Style (Staunton) in appearance, unlike many of the other travel sets I've seen online. Nice looking pieces like this, are typically what you pay a quite a bit more for. The board is also quite solid, and snaps to a close nicely; fitting all the pieces inside comfortably.I'm going to great lengths here, describing the reality of what you get when your package arrives, in order to help someone out there, who is on the fence just as I was, to avoid missing out on this great chess set!I love chess, and I love nice chess sets. In my lifetime, I have purchased somewhere on the order of 30-40 different chess sets, ranging in size & quality, and this one ranks right up there with my favorites! Please do not be hesitant to order this product based on some of these erroneous and misleading reviews that have been posted. Believe me, you will not be disappointed. The ONLY thing that I would say might improve this product, is if they included 2 extra queens for pawn promotion. But again, since I only paid $11, I would not expect something like that. If I really needed to carry an extra queen in the box, I would simply order another set! At this price, it's worth it! (Let me say it again: It's only $11, people!)