Best Budget Chess Set: What You Get Under $50 and Under $100

Under $100 buys a set built to the same specification as the ones used in rated tournaments. Nothing about a $300 set makes it play better. What separates a good budget set from a bad one is three things: weighted pieces, 2.25 inch squares, and a board that lies flat. Check those and the rest is taste.

What changes as the price goes up

The honest summary is that the useful ceiling is around $70. Above it you are paying for how the set looks in a room, which is a real reason to spend money, just not a performance one.

The three things to check under $50

Are the pieces weighted, and by how much in ounces. Not the multiplier on the box, the actual weight. Multipliers like triple weighted are set by each maker against their own unweighted piece, so they are not comparable between brands. A tournament king should be somewhere between 1.5 and 3.5 ounces. If a listing does not state the weight, assume it is light. There is a fuller breakdown in weighted chess pieces explained.

Are the squares 2.25 inches. This is the one people get wrong. Cheap sets pair tournament size pieces with a board that has 1.75 or 2 inch squares, and the position looks crowded from the first move, because the bases of adjacent pieces touch. The square size is usually buried in the listing. Find it.

Does the board lie flat. A folding cardboard board holds its fold forever. A thin vinyl board holds the crease it was packed with. Look for a roll-up board rather than a folding one, and read what people say about it in the reviews rather than what the listing says.

What does not matter at this price

Wood. A wooden board under $100 is veneer over MDF, and it will not lie any flatter than a good roll-up. Plastic pieces of the right weight and size are what almost every tournament in the world is played with.

A clock. Buy one later, separately, when you actually want it. Sets that bundle a clock at this price are usually making up the money on the pieces.

A themed or novelty design. It is a lovely gift and a bad board to learn on, because the pieces look nothing like the diagrams in books and apps.

Under $50 or under $100?

Under $50 you can have two of the three: usually weighted pieces and the right square size, with a board that creases, or a good board with lighter pieces. Under $100 you can have all three with room to spare, which is why the $50 to $70 band is where most people should be looking.

If the set is a gift and the budget is firm at $50, prioritise the square size over the weighting. Light pieces are annoying. A crowded board is unplayable.

What we make

Both of our sets sit in that $50 to $70 band, which is deliberate. The 3X Tournament has triple weighted pieces with a 4.0 inch king. The 4X Tournament Modern has quadruple weighted pieces with a 4.4 inch king, and a set of pieces that weighs a little over 4 lb. Both come with 34 pieces including two extra queens, two drawstring bags, a 32 page illustrated strategy guide, and the same 20 by 20 inch reversible silicone board with 2.25 inch squares and notation printed on both faces.

They carry a 12 month guarantee: if anything is wrong with the set inside a year we replace it, the whole set or a single piece, and we pay the return shipping.

See both sets and the current prices.

Common questions

Is a cheap chess set worth buying?

For a school, a club or a park, yes: buy several cheap vinyl sets and treat them as consumables. For a set you will use yourself for years, the $20 tier is a false economy, because the pieces tip and the board never lies flat.

What is the best chess set under $50?

Look for the cheapest set that states a king weight over 1.5 ounces and a 2.25 inch square size in the listing. Very few under $50 state both. The ones that do are the shortlist.

Are plastic chess pieces good?

Weighted plastic is what nearly all rated tournament chess is played with. It is more durable than wood, cheaper to replace, and unaffected by damp. Wood is a looks decision.

How much should a first chess set cost?

Between $40 and $70. Below that you are buying something you will replace, above it you are buying furniture. What a beginner actually needs covers the rest.