Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I received this set described as "new", but it is suffering from extreme age...I will deal with the seller elsewhere. However, for the rest of you, this is a preview of how the set will age: the glue on the inside of the fake velvet "felt bottoms" of the chess pieces will age and yellow, giving the pieces a lovely nicotine-stained color (they are clear glass, remember). But, this won't be too much of a problem, as the felt bottoms will fall right off shortly thereafter, revealing the chess pieces' hollow insides. (I guess that's part of how they can sell it so cheap.) The set does include 6 extra felt bottoms...but there are 32 chess pieces.
If you can deal with somehow replacing the felt bottoms, the rest of the set isn't too bad, considering the price. The glass chessboard is nice (thus the reason for my giving it 2 stars). It's 11.75" square, and has a nice bevel around the edge. Perhaps the perfect size for 8-year-old fingers (the recommended minimum age). It's heavy, and has 4 round cushion-pads on the corners. Of course they're white, not clear, so they show through rather tackily. And be prepared to break out the nail polish remover or naphtha to get the "made in china" sticker off. One final note: I accidentally dropped one of the chess pieces on it, and it didn't scratch or show any marks.
The checker/backgammon pieces seem nice also. No padding, but it doesn't seem that they will scratch the glass board. A bit small at 0.75". They seem heavy for their size. There are 15 of each included.
Now for the backgammon board (the "wood" part of this set): It's not wood. It's masonite, or something else, but not wood. The frame it sits in is wood, but it's not square or level wood. The chessboard fits on top, but only two corners touch, so it's like a wobbly table. The backgammon board is also yellow, red, and black, not like the picture on the box. Somehow this bugs me, as it seems to not quite match the rest of the set. I don't know why, because the rest of the set is completely clear (not green as it appears in the picture)...still, it's not what I expected.
The set comes with instructions for all 3 games, and 5 backgammon dice (2 white, 2 dark red, and one large one with numbers, not dots, on it).
One last note: When I tried to scrape the "made in china" sticker off the outside of the wood frame, the stain flaked off in one spot underneath. Perhaps when I take the naphtha to it to remove the sticky residue, the stain/paint will redissolve and cover the white patch that was left behind. You'd think with the age of the set I got that the plywood would have some kind of patina...but it's white. Maybe it's primer or something.
So, after writing this review, I realize that I don't hate it as much as I did when I first opened it and saw the ugly yellow chess pieces. When the seller emails me back and tells me that they won't make an exception on the "no shipping refunds" policy, even though the set has been sitting in some warehouse for a decade or so, I think I will be ok with keeping it. I won't buy from them again, but I'll keep this set.
Hope this helps you make an informed purchase.
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As an update, the seller refunded half the price, and I think I like the set at least 50% better now. Actually, I'd probably give it 3.5 stars. But I still have to replace the felt bottoms...
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The Wood and Glass 3 game set from Cardinal® features an elegant smoked glass board atop a wood case. The game allows you to play chess and checkers on the top or backgammon in the interior.
Click here for more information about Glass & Wood 3 Game Set
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