Why Championship Chess Sets Are So Expensive | So Expensive

An inexpensive chess set can sell for $20, but a handcrafted wooden set certified for the World Chess Championship costs $500. Much of the set's value lies in just one piece: the knight. Each knight must be carved by hand to look exactly the same. Making this one piece takes two hours, and there are fewer than 10 people trained to carve knights for the championship chess sets. So, how are these chessmen made? And why are they so expensive?
For more such videos, subscribe to our channel
/ @businessinsiderindia9294
Visit us at: www.businessinsider.in/
BI on Facebook: / businessinsiderindia
BI on Twitter: / biindia
BI on Instagram: businessinsider...

[@chancemosley9811]

This man spent years perfecting a piece just for me to blunder it❤️

[@zilodianz]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@HenryGillette]

And he handcrafted.... THE ROOK!!!

[@redblade8160]

Modern, wooden chess sets today are carved by computers on a mass scale without the need of a master craftsman. And you can pick a quality chess set for under $12.00 (just as good as a $500.00 chess set).

[@mawindahood]

They cost $500 but the workers get only ¥3

[@ssachdeva31]

Man this channel is literally so underrated

[@a2motivationvcs497]

This channel is copied this is not original channel

[@mikmop]

Sounds like marketing hype to me. I can't see why there would ever be a shortage of chess piece carvers in the future. There are all sorts of carvers being trained that are coming through the ranks all the time. Stone masons, bone carvers, diamond carvers, sculptors, etc. If you take a dozen people and train them, chances are that at the very least, a handful of them will end up being experts by the end of their training.

[@bigmencomen4283]

Bellas piezas de madera

[@gilbertrios5283]

1950 Dubrovnik chess set, there is no substitute! 🙏

[@The_Skyfish]

what chess set is this? I tried searching but can't find one that looks the same

[@gearhead3990]

Watch the video

[@jameerlawrencebondoc8162]

well here in the PH, these sets might cause more than 5k (5,000 pesos)

[@wmanthonyphotography]

1:52 Note to copy editor... "fewer" than ten people. Not "less." 💫 The More You Know.

[@athunderfan]

You and my father would be best friends

[@cango5679]

I don't think these amazing craftsmen get 500 per set.

[@griheettandra5417]

why you remove comments

[@josefbake9492]

And then the knights starts walking in L shpaes🙂

[@redblade8160]

There is no justifiable reason why these chess sets cost $500 (it's a con). My uncle has been making wooden chess pieces for most of his life and the quality of his skill is unparalleled by any so-called special chess-making company. My uncle sells a full chess set for just $10.00 and he is more than happy with that price tag.

[@THOTHvii]

lol comments like these always crack me up... If his skills are so-called "unparalleled" He could definitely sell for even 15 dollars and still be half of what a decent set of chessmen would cost. If your comment is true then your uncle is a huge reason that true craftsmen, the ones that want to make a living through craftsmanship, can't compete in an open market because folks like your uncle don't value their time and spend their retired years woodworking then selling those items well below market value and changing the price points of these items. They couldn't care less about anyone other than themselves and being able to just sell what they've made. But personally, I don't believe you because I have searched all over and you CAN NOT find a decent chessmen set for less than, at least 20 dollars anywhere in the U.S.. So, either your uncle is inconsiderate or you're a liar. I am gonna guess since this is a youtube comment, it's the latter.

[@redblade8160]

@@THOTHvii Not everyone advertises their wares online, you fool. My Uncle is retired, and he enjoys crafting luxury chess sets as much as he enjoys people appreciating his work. And he is not into ripping people off that buy his chess sets.

[@samt7676]

@@THOTHvii20 dollars idk seems like you can’t find a good one until u reach 100 dollars tbh.

[@THOTHvii]

@@samt7676 Truth!

[@gearhead3990]

If you had made hundreds of them and had a leave duplicator setup and jigs for all your secondary operations, I could maybe see making a set in an hour or two, The raw materials and manufacturing costs for a full chess set would be at least $50, probably closer to 100. If you're a master craftsman you're charging at least $35 an hour. So even if you're not trying to run a business and turn a profit, If you're only trying to get paid for your time as a craftsman, The absolute minimum you could ever sell one for would be $140. You clearly can't do math.

[@rheijm9201]

But mostly expensive...

[@GH0ST_RIDERR]

hi

[@TheGeezzer]

I believe that the artisans making and crafting the chessmen should receive at least half the retail value of the chess set $250.00 per $500.00 set sold. Why is it that the artisans only receive a pittance? I know capitalism has its faults of human avarice but concessions should be put in place. If only a handful of people can make and craft the chessmen maybe they should organize industrial action to negotiate a living wage.

[@ceuser3555]

$500? It’s now over $700. I could hardly convince myself to buy it at $500, anything above $500, forget it. They can sell this for $1000 for all I care. I am not supporting this overpriced madness. Tournament organizers can foot the bill for high end players, after all, they collect a lot of money from membership, tournament fees, etc. Good for those individuals that have money to burn, but even if I did have the money to buy, a single cent above $500 breaks the deal for me. It’s a clear highway robbery in broad daylight so no thank you.

[@athunderfan]

Maybe with chess sets you may see it as highway robbery, but in other artisanal crafts we are talking about months of work on one piece. The time and effort required to make the piece (not including the time and dedication to hone the skill) justifies the price. For instance Kyle Royer is a bladesmith (who has a youtube channel) who made a custom sword for a buyer and filmed the whole process. He made the sword over 10 months and, if I remember correctley, sold it for 60k usd. The piece itself is extremely detailed, every inch has intention behind it. Not to mention the luxury materials that were used to make the sword. Artisans work their whole lives to attain high level skills and have every right to demand luxury prices for their work. If you want to criticize someone, criticize the person who hired someone else to spend 10 months of their time to make him a 60k usd sword. He could have donated that 60k some place else and helped people eat. However, that is just my opinion

[@dousson42]

Prout

[@jacoboliver5580]

.

[@-30h-work-week]

I doubt the knight can't be carved automatically, fast, and perfectly symetrical having any feature by using the right machine. Too much room for errors here for every piece -- not just for the knight. But... sure!, you might value the idea of hand-made pieces. I do too, but it's costly.

[@saran.sanjrani]

Person who read my comment will buy me a set of these chess boards

[@ykari]

Fuck