Woodronic 16" Chess Board, Cassia Siamea and Maple Wooden Tournament Chessboard with 1.6" Squares, Ideal Gifts for Professional Chess Players

Picture doesn't do it justice. This is a beautifully crafted jaw dropping board! The lettering is more centered on board than pictures listed.

I have gone through several different chess sets in my lifetime but this may be the highest quality wooden chessboard I have ever seen. The professional quality is evident from the moment I opened the box and saw it encased in a velvet carrying bag, the workmanship and care for detail is evident and with the exception of a marble inlaid board which costs hundreds of dollars this is the next best one I have ever seen and to get it for less than $100 is amazing and the felt corner pieces keep from scratching your table or the board. This is an easy 5 Star rating for QUALITY + VALUE

This item is a very beautifully and carefully packaged 19” Woodronic chess board. As you can see by the included picture, it came with a very nice bag made of soft, velour-like material (I left the corner pieces attached in the picture to show the quality and care of packaging.At first, I thought the price was a little on the high end; however, once I opened the bag, I could see why the price was justified. I can also why they sent this board in its own bag. You’ll want to keep it from any damage, as this is a very attractive board. I was immediately impressed with this board. The wood is beautiful. It has a sleek and exquisite appearance. The cassia siamea (AKA Siamese cassia, kassod tree, cassod tree, and Cassia tree) wood used for the dark squares is native to South and Southeast Asia. It is a hardwood. In China, it is used for furniture, among many other things. The light squares are made of maple, which is also a hardwood. The finish is a nice satin finish, and the sides and back portion are stained black, but are unmistakably wood. The orientation of the wood grain for all of the squares are running in the same direction. There is no doubt that some thought to quality was put into the design and manufacturing of this board.The rubber feet (four in all) are nothing special, but this also makes them easily replaceable as standard rubber feet can be easily found online or at local retailers.After a gander of the chessboard itself, I decided to do a side-by-side comparison with a chess board I had purchased from Amazon in February of last year. That board (pictured on the left), I paid $38.38 (now listed for $59.95). The board originally purchased was a 21” walnut board. The item description says it has an unscratchable polish; however, it does not appear to have much if any polish at all. The finish was dull. I would have rather purchased the Woodronic board (on the right) to begin with.To provide you with a reference, the queen pieces in the picture are 3” high. They fit perfectly on the 19” Woodronic chess board.In short, this Woodronic board is a very good buy. I have seen similar boards on an online chess retailer website that are about $50 higher. Most certainly, cheaper boards can be found, but if you want cheap, just draw a chess board out on a piece of paper. However, I would assume that if you are looking at this item, you are not looking for that kind of cheap. You want something nice and something that has a quality befitting such a noble game, but also something that won’t break the bank. Well, here's a spot of good news – you just found it.

I bought an Isle of Lewis Chess set and needed big board for it. This one is great. It also has the chess notation numbers and letters on the border so helps recording a game. Came in a nice slip cover to help protect it when moving it around.

The chess board was delivered today but found a corner was broken, have to return it for replacement immediately.Was disappointed by the delivery packing, the chess board with the flannel dust bag (also broken) was enclosed only with a thin plastic bag and put directly inside an oversized delivery box without any foam protection. And not like other purchasers here, my chess board didn’t come with the vintage packaging box as stated in product description above.See photo I put the original packing back to back with the delivery box, which is almost triple size bigger that enough for housing a 40” LED TV I think, so it’s not surprised that the board will be broken as the packing inside shall hit around all the time during delivery. And I think the courier have already done great as only got one corner broken under this adverse packing.The board look exactly same as the seller's product photo showed, even though knowing it’s wooden veneer but I like a lot the wood texture and the color contrast, it’s very good for practicing chess. Other then the broken corner, I’m satisfied with its build quality at this price range.Hope my replacement will come soon with proper packaging for sufficient protection!

This came shipped in a nice little cloth bag and the corners and edges were very well protected with foam on them. It arrived in great shape.It is obvious that this isn't made out of solid hard wood but is instead some sort of pressed wood with wood veneers on top. That's ok though - it still looks great, feels substantial, and the craftsmanship is top notch. There are no notches or grooves or areas that do not line up properly. The top is perfectly smooth and the corners join together tightly. The craftsmanship really is top notch. Having the numbers and letters on the board is a bonus that some boards don't have but is extra helpful if you're trying to really master chess and learn.I'm sure there are higher end boards out there for more money made out of solid hardwood, but this makes for a very fine mid range chess board that looks and feels great. Would make a very nice decoration in the home as well with some nice chess pieces on it too.

Based on previous reviews I was confident of the quality. But I am now waiting for a replacement because the board arrived damaged. Woodtronics needs to make a better effort at protecting their products. ONE STAR.UPDATE: I just received my replacement board and again, one corner was dinged. Why is it that I can order a chess board from India, on the other side of this planet, and receive it in perfect condition. But Woodtronics cant figure out how to send me an undamaged product from California?