3 1/2" Silicone Club Chess Pieces

I bought this set primarily because locally the chess clubs tend to meet in Starbucks and Burger Kings. The silicon pieces are perfect since they're easy to clean, bounce if dropped and tend to frustrate those guys who like to slam down pieces to make you think they're about to win the game. While the 14" board doesn't really meet the 75-78% base diameter/square size for the 3.5" piece size it's a good size for cafe tables where a tournament size board would be impractical and works pretty well with these pieces.

They are proper tournament pieces, have a lovely feel to them, and are ideal for chess clubs and competitions. They are quiet in use and we are spared the distracting rattling back into boxes by players whose games have ended before our own. At some chess clubs we visit, we find ourselves playing with the old plastic pieces, where rooks have lost their turrets, kings their crosses and the queens' crowns are all chipped, but these silicone sets should always look new. We find only a couple of minor drawbacks: firstly, players who like to move their pieces by sliding them aren't finding that so satisfying (on our silicone boards/"mats"). Secondly, if pieces are accidentally dropped on the floor, especially on carpet, we don't so easily hear them drop, or where they have bounced. They do tend to show the dirt more than plastic or wooden pieces, but are easily washed, either by hand or in a mesh bag in the washing machine, so are more hygienic, inspiring confidence during these infection-aware times.

These are the only fully washable chess pieces, some in our club like that they are washed frequently.

The silicone chess tokens are brilliant.
They are more substantial than I expected. As one reviewer put it, they are "lighter weight but not light weight." The finish exceeded my expectations: yes, there are visible seams and some minor flash from the molding process but nothing of any consequence. The king and queen stand shoulder to shoulder (a nice egalitarian touch), he is taller than her by the cross on his crown, she is matronly while he is gaunt (king and queen Sprat), and they are easily distinguished on the board. Unlike a nice set of triple-weighted plastics i have, he doesn't tower over her like a church steeple over a gravedigger, and sleeve cuffs aren't always pulling his majesty off the board.

In use is where these tokens really shine.
I'm an old man with arthritis and neurological issues. These are easy to hold on to, and I don't have to freak when an involuntary tremor sends them tumbling. The absence of a felt bottom makes them easy to clean after the inevitable coffee spills, and the silicone is warm - almost flesh-like - in the hand. On the tile squares on the park tables, they'll stand up to more wind than i will. They are too proud and determined for the tentative slide.

Ordering was easy, shipping fast, and the staff's conduct exemplary.

With the cost of shipping, they were too expensive, but i say that about everything. They were worth every penny, and i don't say that very often.

I enjoy and now prefer studying chess with the soft bendable pieces over the plastic ones. The soft rubber pieces creates me a more intimate experience.