The Best Chess Set & Clock For Club Players

Finding the right set for competitive chess is an important move for club players. For practice, you need a board and pieces that prepare you for tournament conditions and are useful for regular club play. Your set will often need to travel with you to tournaments. A functional and durable tournament clock is also crucial for a club player. 

Here, we will look at exactly what you need from a chess set and clock, and review the best option available for each. 

The Requirements

To pick the right chess equipment, it helps to think about what you actually need from it. The following are some of the key requirements, official and otherwise, for club-standard chess sets and clocks. 

Chess Sets

For a chess set to be right for a chess player, it will usually have some standard characteristics. This includes:

Tournament dimensions

Aside from the fact that club players often compete, these dimensions are also the ones most commonly used at chess clubs themselves. There is a slight variation, but the usual requirement is that the squares on the board should be between 2 and 2.5 inches (2.25 being the most common). As for the piece sizes, the king is usually used to indicate how big these should be. Specifically, regulations usually require a 3.75-inch-tall king with a base 1.75 inches wide.

Board material 

At big chess tournaments, high-quality wooden boards and pieces are often used. However, it is more common to use affordable, durable, and storable materials like vinyl and silicone. As such, this is a good choice for club players who might attend open and casual tournaments. An added bonus is that these boards are very easy to travel with and usually fit into standard chess bags.

Piece weighting, design, and material

Staunton design chessmen have been standard in chess tournaments since they began. Naturally, it would not be advisable to train or show up to a tournament with an eccentric or historical set of pieces. 

Weighted plastic pieces are the most common for tournaments and clubs. Club players often prefer double- or triple-weighted plastic pieces because of their greater stability. This is especially true when it comes to speed chess. For similar reasons, nonslip felted piece bases are common. 

Chess Clocks

Picking a chess clock often seems trickier than a set. There are many different kinds with significantly different functions and prices. Here are a few things to consider before you look at our picks.

Digital over mechanical

Mechanical, wind-up chess clocks are fully functional and look great, but they are much less common than their digital counterparts. This is because of issues with accuracy, inability to set increments, and the less clear analog chess clock flag.

In chess clubs and tournaments, you often have to bring your own chess clock. Many tournaments have specific rules about the kind of clock you can use. This will almost always be a digital chess clock. Overall, they are more programmable, reliable, and easy to use. 

Functions

As a club player, you will need your chess clock for certain tasks. This includes the ability to set increments and delays, a large display, and a clear flag signal. The Fischer delay time-control system is extremely common in clubs and tournaments, so a clock needs to be prepared for it. This involves adding a set amount of time to a player's overall time after every move.

Less common is the Bronstein delay, in which the clock pauses for a given amount of time before your main time starts decreasing. Nevertheless, having a Bronstein increment setting is a useful addition for club players. 

Quality 

Chess clocks for clubs and tournaments need to be reliable, sturdy, and long-lasting. For one thing, they need to withstand some battering from heavy-handed players on low time. Malfunctions during a game can also be frustrating and problematic in a tournament setting. 

Overall, for a club player, a chess clock needs to be of good quality. While an antique mechanical clock from a second-hand store is a great novelty for the home, it's not likely to stand up to the rigors of regular club and tournament chess.

The Best Chess Set

Now, for the specifics! My pick is the Superior Chess Set Combination. It has triple-weighted regulation pieces, a durable vinyl board, and a large vinyl bag.

The pieces are the Staunton pattern. The king is 3.75 inches with a 1.5-inch base diameter, perfectly conforming to the most common tournament regulation. Similarly, the board has 2.25-inch squares. It is made of high-quality vinyl, and has rank and file labels.

The chess bag is designed to hold all the pieces, features a special sleeve for the rolled-up board, and provides plenty of space for clocks and other items. The vinyl material is durable and easy to clean.

It has an affordable price tag, only slightly greater than the standard vinyl set (also a good option). You can also get a lower price if you bundle multiple sets.

Essentially, it is a superior version of the most common sets you will find at clubs and tournaments. It is the perfect option to practice and compete with. It is also brilliantly compact for a tournament-sized bag. As such, the set is extremely easy to travel with for a short walk to the chess club or to another country for a tournament. 

Runner-Up

As a club player, you will very likely want a good-sized wood chess set as well. As such, here is one recommendation for a quality wood board with tournament dimensions. 

An excellent pick is the Folding Wooden Tournament Chess Board and triple-weighted Staunton Series Chess Pieces. The board has maple for the white squares, which can be combined with walnut, palisander, ebony, and mahogany. It is a quality-made board with tournament dimensions and rank and file labels. The ability to fold neatly on hinges means it can be more easily stored in a chess bag for travel. For pieces, you can easily pair them with Staunton pattern wood options that fit the tournament requirements.

The Best Chess Clock

To go with your chess set, you need a tournament-ready chess clock. Fortunately, we have the recommendation of FIDE: DGT 2500. 

As you can see, it has an attractive design, a large display, and double-sided buttons. It is in the sweet spot in the price range, providing functionality, durability, and tournament readiness. Its simple yet effective design means it also has low energy consumption for up to 4000 hours of gameplay use before a battery change. 

Its functions include:

• 36 pre-programmed and manual settings
• Clear indicator for the flag bar 
• Lever to show whose turn it is
• Time penalty setting
• Option for automatic period change (useful for classical games, when the increment changes after a number of moves)

The FIDE stamp of approval means you can use this chess clock in tournaments anywhere in the world. For anyone moving beyond casual chess, hoping to compete or play at clubs and events, this is an excellent choice.

Runner-Up

The runner-up is a simpler, more affordable option, still perfectly suitable for club and tournament play. The FIDE Approved Chess Clock has numerous preset options for common time controls and an option to save your own preset. It can be easily set and offers penalty options. Overall, it has slightly less functionality than the DGT option, but it is tournament-ready and has everything you need to play various time controls. 

Conclusion: Pick Your Chess Equipment 

These recommendations are great for a club player looking for essential chess equipment. Nevertheless, when it comes to picking your chess set and clock, the world is your oyster. Even within tournament regulations, plenty of sets and clocks fit. Just make sure to double-check the dimensions and more specifics!

Overall, kitting yourself out as a club player is part of the joy. Keep browsing to find the right equipment for you.

Further reading: The Art of Chess Set Collecting: Tips to Get You Started