Chessmate - Ultima Deluxe Pocket Chess Set

I've had my eye on this set for a while now, until HoS started carrying it you could only get it from the Chessmate site. After having finally acquired it, I can say that I'm not disappointed. The short review: great quality set, but too expensive.

The longer version: First off, it isn't made of leather, it's imitation leather. This is acceptable (and likely practical), but know its price isn't attributed to "highest quality" materials. The pieces, which you must assemble yourself, are thin plastic chips you adhere to circular magnets. Thankfully, the chips are slightly bigger than the magnets, so they have a bit of a lip that helps with picking them up easily. Everything folds up nice and stays in place, as long as you're not rough with it. The HoS version includes the case, which is a separate purchase on the official site, so you save a little (don't forget to use a coupon code, also). As for longevity, I hear from others that it does pretty well, but I've had bad experiences with imitation leather and longevity, but time will tell.

It comes with extra pieces, one of each except the king and pawns. I would've preferred 4 queens rather than the other pieces, since promotion a non-queen piece is pretty rare, and when it does happen there's usually a captured piece to use. But I suppose they could be replacements for any lost pieces, at least.

If you really don't want to be fancy, you could easily get by with the regular "US Chess Standard Checkbook" set, which you can score for under $10 at this size. Me, I'm a bit of a snob at times, and wanted a more aesthetic set, and the Chessmate Ultima certainly qualifies. Sure, phones and tablets could also suffice, but sometimes you want to take a break from all the digital stuff, you know? Anyway, the set is very nice, but too expensive. Apparently it was once sold for $60, and that seems much more reasonable. However, if the price doesn't deter you, it's an easy recommend.