In the past I’ve reviewed various items from ChessMate (www.chessmate.com), but the holidays are upon us so I will mention/and or recommend two goodies from David Weinstock’s company.
First up: The CHESSMATE ULTRA-WALLET
This is a full, all in one, built-to-last, highly attractive wallet and magnetic chess set. I’ve found the CHESSMATE ULTRA-WALLET to be a great travel item for chess players of all strengths – it’s well made, very classy, durable, has a see-through place for your driver’s license, several easy to access compartments for credit cards, and a couple places for copious amounts of cash, papers, or whatever else you carry around in your normal wallet.
What makes this wallet so unique is that it also opens up to a very nice magnetic chess set. And when I say magnetic, I mean that if you shake the board the pieces remain firmly in place. If some accident or earthquake occurs, you might go flying about, but the position on the board will remain pristine. That’s something real chess players will appreciate!
At $99.99, this is a true luxury item, but if you are into the idea of chess wallets as much as I am, it’s well worth the price.
If you love taking a chess set with you wherever you go, but want something larger than the magnetic set found in the Chess Wallet, then this new travel set might very well be for you. Here’s what they say about the pieces (which, for a magnetic set, are in a class by themselves) on the site:
“Ahhh, the pieces! These elegant handmade (lathe-turned, hand-carved and hand-finished) magnetic, Dark Indian Rosewood and Boxwood Staunton-style figures (with a 1.75" King height, and a 3/4" base-diameter for all of the pieces), are unrivalled by any magnetic pieces on the market today. For such small pieces to be as detailed and suggestive of large tournament Staunton designs is nothing short of remarkable. And not only are they pleasing to the eye, they are uncommonly functional as well. They grip the board like ‘nobody’s business’ (due to the powerful neodymium magnet that is inside each piece’s base), yet they are a genuine pleasure to move around the board. Why, if you wanted to you might even play a game upside-down while hanging from a tree, and the little devils would stay on the board as though they were born that way! And the TravelMate-Ultra comes with a full set (KIT) of our CM-116 magnetic disk pieces as well, for storing ongoing game positions when you put the set away. Now, that's functionality!”
In the past I used to take a full sized chess set and roll up board with me on trips. Then I simply took the CHESSMATE TRAVELMATE DELUXE ($99.99). But now I have to make a decision: The DELUXE fits on an airline tray, while the ULTRA is a bit too large for that purpose. On the other hand, the ULTRA’S pieces are superior those in the deluxe, and once I’m in my hotel, I prefer the more spacious ULTRA. Basically it comes down to how you want to use it – if it’s all about sitting comfortably on a train or jet tray-table, then you have to go with the DELUXE. If you want a slightly larger travel set with superior pieces, then the ULTRA is the proper choice.
The pieces on both sets are held firmly on their squares by magnets, which is important for tray-tables and hotels, since you won’t find that a Knight has somehow gone AWOL after it gets a shake or two. The ULTRA is big enough so you feel you have a real chess set in front of you, but small enough to be used in places a normal sized set can’t be used. Finally, both are easy to pack.
The ULTRA isn’t cheap at $149.99, but if you love travel sets and want something that will last and that looks great, then this is an excellent buy, and a great Christmas gift for a husband or wife that always has a chess set by their side!
If you would like to talk to someone at ChessMate, call Mr. Weinstock at 425-697-4513 and ask any questions that come to mind. You can get more information about both sets at the ChessMate site:
