Chess Sets: Weighted Tournament Sets With a Roll-Up Board

Weighted Staunton pieces and a silicone board that rolls up, packed into one box that fits in a backpack.

Both chess sets

Best Chess Set Ever 3X set: box, two drawstring bags, strategy guide and triple weighted pieces on a green roll-up board
-8%
Best Chess Set Ever 3X Tournament
$54.99 USD
$59.99 USD
Best Chess Set Ever 4X set: box, two drawstring bags, strategy guide and quadruple weighted pieces on a green board
-7%
Best Chess Set Ever 4X Tournament Modern
$64.99 USD
$69.99 USD

Why these two sets feel different

Pick up a piece and you know straight away. Iron inserts and a felt base mean it lands where you put it and slides without scraping. The 3X set of pieces weighs about 2.4 lb. The 4X is around 4 lb, the heaviest set we make.

The board is silicone rather than vinyl, and that is the part people write to us about. It relaxes flat after rolling instead of holding the curl from the box, it rolls up for travel, and a spilled drink wipes straight off. Full 20 by 20 inches with 2.25 inch squares, so the pieces have room to breathe in a crowded middlegame.

What is in the box

34 pieces, including two extra queens, so a promotion never means turning a rook upside down. Two drawstring bags that keep the colors apart. And a 32 page illustrated strategy guide that goes from how the pieces move through to attacking play, which is the part most sets leave you to figure out alone.

If anything goes wrong

Free shipping to the contiguous US and Canada. Free replacement pieces if one arrives damaged, and a 12 month replacement on anything that fails. Questions get an answer from a real person within 24 hours, not a bot.

Choose the 3X if you want tournament proportions at the lighter end. Choose the 4X if you want the biggest, heaviest pieces we make.

Frequently asked

Which set should I choose, the 3X or the 4X?

Same board, same contents, different weight. The 3X is triple weighted with a 4.0 inch king and about 2.4 lb of pieces, the weight most club sets use. The 4X is quadruple weighted with a 4.4 inch king and around 4 lb. Take the 4X if the set will live on one table and you want the most substantial pieces. Take the 3X if it gets carried around.

What comes in the box?

The 20 by 20 inch double-sided silicone board, 34 pieces including two extra queens, two drawstring bags to keep the colors apart, and a 32 page illustrated strategy guide covering openings through to attacking play.

Does the board lie flat, or does it curl at the corners?

It relaxes flat after rolling. That lasting curl is a vinyl problem: vinyl keeps the shape of the tube it shipped in and the corners lift for weeks. This board is silicone, so it rolls for travel and relaxes flat again within minutes, and it wipes clean when something spills.

How big is the board and how tall are the pieces?

The board is 20 by 20 inches with 2.25 inch squares, which is full tournament size. The 3X king is 4.0 inches tall and the 4X king is 4.4 inches. Pawns are 2.0 and 2.25 inches.

Why are there 34 pieces instead of 32?

Two extra queens, one per side, for pawn promotion. A standard 32 piece set gives you one queen each, so the usual improvisation is to turn a captured rook upside down and agree it is a queen. With 34 you never have to.

What if a piece is lost or arrives damaged?

We send replacement pieces free. Every set has a 12 month guarantee for anything wrong with it, you can return an unused set within 30 days of delivery if you change your mind, and a real person answers within 24 hours.