Finding The Right Chessboard Size For Your Specific Chess Needs and Circumstances

I decided to put together a video about comparing different chessboard sizes as a direct response to a request I received from several of my good viewers. In this video I not only look at different chessboard sizes but also talk specifically at what additional aspects of chessboard configuration I find important when considering purchasing a chessboard. I also specifically take time to answer a question someone asked me about my opinion with regards to ideal chessboard size for analysis purposes. Hopefully you will find this video interesting and informative. Please be sure to leave a like and comment below.
Also, in case you are considering purchasing the Chessnut Air, be sure to visit the link below and don't forget to use promo code ALSUCHESS upon checkout as it will save you some money:
www.chessnutech.com/ALSUCHESS
Also, as I mentioned in this video, I have purchased this travel sized chess set recently, and once I receive it, I'll be doing a review of this set for you guys so be sure to subscribe and turn on those notifications:
shop.worldchess.com/products/...

[@cmcasadoiro]

Thank you, very useful!

[@dimi1042]

Wow, thank you! I am about to order a chessboard and wasn’t sure about the size. Searched yesterday on KZbin about this topic and now you released exactly what I need ❤ nice

[@AlSuChess]

I am glad to be helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@AsitdyaDsr]

What size did you ordered and suitable for home playing purpose ? 😊

[@cubano100pct]

I bought on a 23" x 31" Art Portfolio bag on Amazon for $18.99 to store and transport my 2.25" square chess board. It works great.

[@carlix20]

One board that i really like, both for playing and analyzing/ studying chess games is the 1.75 inches squares Drueke chess board, I think is the perfect size, you can use it in most coffee tables and computer desks, a regular tournament chess board with 2.1/4 " squares is HUGE for the average casual player and beginners.

[@AlSuChess]

Very interesting! You don't find 1.75 too cramped, maybe compared to a 2?

[@higgledypiggledycubledy8899]

One of the small joys throughout my life has been to find a nice old set on a flea market, either with a mismatched board or none, then later to find the perfect board for it on a different flea market, sometimes many years later. Or the other way around. Finding a board that has the right size, colors, materials, amount of wear, to match a given set is a great pleasure. My very first set that I received as a child in the eighties was a Lardy size 3 with an older size 5 board. I have found the right board for these pieces a couple of years ago (for 2€ as well), and just recently found the perfect pieces that will match the old board. Deeply satisfying.

[@gandarafromda951]

Thank you, very helpful

[@planetdee3587]

For a beginner with one set i would say 12-15 inches is best and of course a foldable type.

[@chrisclark9512]

Great review of multiple board types with honest analysis and opinion. Of course there are soooo many alternatives out there, but you can't review them all. Good job.

[@higgledypiggledycubledy8899]

My thoughts on which piece size and board size: - ideally you should be able to fit 4 pawns on a square and the kind should be a little over 1.5 squares tall. That will be comfortable regardless, and look classy. - if you have unstable pieces (too light, too tall, too cheap...) then you will greatly benefit from a slightly too large board. - if you have good stable pieces and you're not playing fast, a slightly smaller board can be more visually pleasing and more practical (as long as 2 pawns fit diagonally in a square, or almost, it will be fine). The stability vs size aspect I think is important and often ignored. If you have a travel set with good magnets, your square size can be absurdly small without being a problem. On the other hand if you get one of those artistic souvenir travel sets with unweighted pieces and tiny squares, or a toy store 15$ set, everything will constantly topple over. I have a couple of old regency style sets, and they need much larger squares than a Staunton of the same size would, because the pieces don't have wide bases.

[@ragnorak56]

I have a borderless board I got from etsy that's 2.25" squares but is only 18" and is great for some of my smaller tables around my house. I do have a dedicated table where I usually keep my 2.25" Drueke. Even when I use my DGT Smartboard I just put a vinyl board on top of the Drueke and place the Smartboard on top. I think the DGT Smartboard is not that bad to travel with because of its light weight and thinness.

[@AlSuChess]

The borderless boards are definitely nice with respect to saving space and at 18 inches that's small. I agree about the dgt board, it's pretty light for the size.

[@DerrickHikes]

Great video! Have been considering getting a chess board lately and this video helps decide.

[@AlSuChess]

I hope this video was helpful!

[@mrca2004]

I now have 2 23" wooden chess boards including the one you have and just ordered the chestnut pro board. My question is if I store a wooden board, is it best to store it in the original box horizontally not vertically? Or does it need to be perfectly flat and exposed to the air? That orangish board is my competiton board with Reykjavek pieces and would wonder how to store the pieces as well. The chessnut pro with premium pieces will become my primary practice board used for practice games and puzzles and other study.

[@billcook4768]

Random trivia: Bobby Fischer had a tiny cloth travel set he took everywhere for analysis. Looked cool, but I can’t imagine using it myself.

[@AlSuChess]

That's really fascinating! I saw a couple of analysis sets that were made on some kind of leather roller board. I think the idea is kind of cool but from a practical standpoint I'm not sure

[@user-po2dp7ru2t]

For a set with Kh:11.6cm you need a 6.4cm square,60x60cm.I have chessboards 5.8-5.5( tournament size)-5-4.5-4cm.

[@AlSuChess]

Yeah I agree! Getting a proportiately size chess set for the chess board is important.

[@user-id5zt1jw4d]

Hello Al, I was looking at a previous video of yours - "Using Chessnut Evo To Analyze Chess Games" and noticed at 23.03 minutes into your video, you downloaded the Chessis app and I see files in downloads. I can't figure out how you got these files here. Could you please tell us how you got the PGN files to the downloads section of the EVO? I apologize for posting this here but I'm hoping you will see this and make a video or comment on this. Thank you!!

[@AlSuChess]

Thanks for commenting. I think at the time of making that video Chessnut was still in the process of being fully develop and at the time I remember I could not use the Evo to directly download any apps off of the android Google play store. I then googled for ways to use alternative websites to download android files (APK) I think I found a website at some point called apkcombo, but the versions of those apps are older and you can't download paid versions from there. Up until they develop fully a way to download from Google play store, the apps I got were from APKcombo website. As far as getting the phone files, that depends a lot on where you are getting them, I think on chess.com and lichess you can download them at the analysis page of each game. I also think you can send them to your own email address I did that a couple of times you can actually log into your own Gmail from the chestnut Evo and download the files that way as well. I hope this helps a little bit.

[@user-id5zt1jw4d]

Thank you so much Al. I really appreciate it!!! And your videos have been so helpful and very informative!! Thanks again!! @@AlSuChess

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

I wish you had included more discussion on the relationship between square size and the size of the piece's base.

[@AlSuChess]

Thank you Mike for the suggestion! I think that making a separate video focusing on the size relationship would be helpful to some people! Thank you for watching! I love your channel too, some of the woodworking you do is very beautiful!

[@MikePeaceWoodturning]

@@AlSuChess I have published an article on turning chess sets and have a complete playlist of chess set turning videos. kzbin.info/aero/PLG3S-gdoXeXW77ZjnXJwBPjvdJqD_Xdzz

[@outdoorswithunclesergey6293]

👍😊

[@TradingProGlobal]

where did you buy the small board and how much it cost?

[@AlSuChess]

Which small board?

[@TradingProGlobal]

i haven't got to the end of the video when i comment on this... it was actually the chess nut air

[@samuecchi]

Thank you, but please add metric system so the rest of the world can understand.

[@c_h_r_i_s_t_c_o_r_e]

WHAT THE FUCK IS A KILOMETER 🇺🇸🦅

[@rubenbernal7890]

Yeaaaaah! This is exactly what I needed, thank you so much for your answer, really appreciate it! Keep up this great videos! ♟️

[@AlSuChess]

You are welcome! I am glad I've been able to help!