Yellow Mountain Imports Rosewood 1-Inch Folding Go Game Set Board with Double Convex Melamine Stones - Classic Strategy Board Game (Baduk/Weiqi)

I recently became interested in the game of Go, and played it on the computer for a while. I wanted to upgrade to a real board, but all of the fancy boards are incredible expensive, and initially all of the sets in my price range (under $50 - let's remember it's a board game) were small and of cheap materials. I found this one through a recommendation by the above user, and it lived up to its good review. The board is big: it's not one of those cramped sets that look big online but disappoint in person. This one is the real regulation size, and is visually appealing. It is relatively lightweight and allows a good amount of wiggle room to place the pieces. It has a nice gold striping on the surface that is very slightly raised. The pieces are of a good weight and are very tough. They have a texture similar to that of smooth stone, and feel good to hold while you're thinking about the next move. They store in the convenient felt boxes that then fit inside the board for travel. If you're like me and looking for a low-cost solution that won't disappoint, then this is a wise choice. Everything you need to play immediately, including a good rulebook in a quiz-style learning format, is included, and the price is great. The board arrived on the fifth day after my order, with free shipping, actually sooner than I expected. It was undamaged save for a few marks in the gold striping which are hardly noticeable. I deducted one star for durability because the stripes seem exposed and might accidentally be damaged when carrying the board, since they are silk-screened paint on the smooth surface, but this is nothing a soft towel or case won't prevent. Overall, the set was better than I expected and a buy that left me satisfied.

My coworker and I decided that we wanted to start playing Go over lunch. Neither of us had ever played before, so we needed some equipment. Since I would be bringing it to work I needed something portable and fairly inexpensive; but since one of the reasons we wanted to start playing go was because of its aesthetic qualities, I didn't want to just use a cheap roll-up mat or something. I hunted around on Amazon and found this. The reviews were positive and it was eligible for Amazon Prime so I ordered it. When it arrived, I emailed my girlfriend: this is an astoundingly high quality board for the price! It's made of solid, good looking wood. The bottom of the board and the trays are lined with nice velvet or felt (I'm not smart enough to know which). The playing surface is glossy black with a golden grid painted on it. The stones feel good in the hand (though I wish they were just a bit heavier). And it even smells good: like nice wooden furniture. The next day, while actually playing, my enthusiasm waned only a little when I discovered that the grid is not painted on perfectly straight. It's slightly crooked so that the center line starts on one side of the folding-edge and ends up on the other side. This doesn't distract from play at all, but it does explain why the board is so affordable. Playing a stone with normal force doesn't produce a satisfy click, but it doesn't detract from the game too much. This is an excellent portable set and, at the price, is also a good beater. If it gets damaged or stolen, you probably won't care like you would for one of the more expensive sets. I think this set hits the sweet spot on the price/quality curve. I'd definitely recommend it.

fantastic quality. worth every penny. 3 miniscule things i wish were a little better. wish the magnets were a bit stronger just enough to keep it closed if i store it upright as opposed to laying flat. the magnets work but they are very weak. i do sorta wish the stones were a little heavier but that's just me being picky. and lastly i wish it came with a cloth bag for the stones. i don't like the idea that they are slamming into the wood during transport with no padding or protection. little felt pads on the frame would be good too both for when being placed for a game and for when closing it to prevent damage if one is not as gentle as intended. would really like if there were a leather sleeve/bag available for me to buy to store the board in rather than having the playing surface exposed to the elements.

The game set is of good quality. The stones are not very lightweight so they will provide some resistance to accidental movement of the board (but of course do not expect too much, this set do not have any magnet support). They feel nice (it is not a cheap plastic). My set came with a booklet a few pages long and I was able to get a quick overview of the game rules and basic strategy. The board is nice, and it is a full size board (in terms of the number of fields, 19x19). The reason why I give only four stars is primarily because of my personal preferences. The board color is dark (Dark Cherry Veneer and Rosewood) with golden, painted grid, and for some reason I found it very irritating for my eyes. It might be because when you look at the dark board with black stones (and white), they become harder to notice because the board is so dark. And for me it was more and more irritating as the game lasted longer as my eyes became tired of trying to analyze the position by looking at the black stones on a dark game board. So, at least from my experience, I would recommend the more contrasting sets in terms of colors. I would buy light-color board with a dark, carved grid, and black and white stones. The other minor disadvantage of the board is that the grid is painted and not carved. This might be a concern for heavy users of the board as the paint might get away. Lastly, I have never played Go before, although I have played chess. I found 19x19 (full grid) was too advanced for me. So if I buy it again I will probably go with 13x13. Well, one can say that you can play 13x13 on 19x19; however, I tried that and it was not that easy, because the rules are different at the border of a grid and if you play 13x13 on 19x19 then you need to keep in mind that border to plan your moves accordingly. I found it as a distracting factor so at least for beginners I would not recommend playing 13x13 on 19x19. Well, overall this is a great set apart from those minor, mostly personal, preference-based disadvantages, i.e., - dark board with black stones (eye tiredness) - painted grid (might go off, if heavy use is considered) - I found 19x19 too complex for a beginner (I found that it is not that easy to play 13x13 on 19x19; I believe 13x13 should be fine for a beginner)

This set combines convenience with quality. It's a solidly built folding go board that I can carry around in my backpack. The darker wood color of the rosewood makes it stand out design-wise, and while I was a little bit worried that the lines on the board wouldn't be visible, it turns out my worries were in vain. It remains to be seen how long the board will last, but as of right now, I'm very happy with it.

Absolutely awesome set, I have no fear of paint on the lines coming off soon and the pieces are all nice stone/glass. They are held in removable bins and the whole thing closes with a comfortable tight fit. You practically will never slam the pieces closes because of the fit and air flow out when closing. The board stays pretty dang flat when unfolded and the lock although small and flimsy looking actually holds together well. Only complaints is that the black slightly blends in when not in lighted areas, and the grid is slightly offset to avoid the line being in the fold between boards. I really am not bothered by these at all though. Would have been cool to have a gray colored stone in place of black though since the board is different than the originals as well.

This is an outstanding go set for the money. The board had a great weight to it, it's not at all flimsy or cheap feeling. The cherry veneer that is showcased on this board is absolutely gorgeous. The stones really surprised me. They are made out of a hard plastic, however they feel as if they were made of glass or stone. This set comes with an excellent little game rules pamphlet that have made learning the game much easier than I imagined. Overall, I am thoroughly impressed with this set. After a few games on this set, I ordered two more to give to family members as gifts. All three sets were In equally amazing condition and were all very impressive in quality.

The go stones are large and easy to handle. They feel very satisfying to play with and have a pleasant feel to them. The board is beautiful and offers a nice contrast for both colors of stones, although the white does pop out much more. It really is satisfying to play on. The only downside is that if you are looking for a compact, portable board, this is not it. Even folded in half it is still quite large and it does not come with any kind of protective container to transport it in. If you are not looking for portable, this is a most excellent board!

jeu tés complet, notice en anglais

It may be a bit pricey but it's definitely worth it. The board is beautiful and easy to play on. The package arrived on time and the board was wrapped very safely so it didn't have a single scratch. The board is big and heavy, so it might be unsuited as a travel game but its perfect for playing at home. Oh, and it even came with a broschure "The way to Go" which eyplains the game so that even beginners can understand it.

Ottimo Goban. Le pedine sono in plastica ma ben fatte. I legni utilizzati sono buoni, i dettagli anche. Sicuramente consigliato come Goban entry-level.

This is a good quality, well designed and elegant Go set at a reasonable price. It is folds up compactly when not in use.

Brought as a gift but it looks absolutely lovely. The wood colouring really pops.