YMI Magnetic Travel Chess Wallet Set, 7.9 in

I've purchased this set as a gift once before, in 2011, and the quality is just as great now as it was then. The set is small enough that it can fit in some jacket pockets (depth permitting), purses, glove boxes, etc., making it highly portable to and from coffee shops and restaurants and any other place one might want to play a game with a like-minded date. The magnets on the pieces are surprisingly strong; the board can be up-turned and moderately shaken and the pieces won't fall off. I recall from the set I purchased in 2011 that eventually the magnets dropped out of some of the pieces, but that's easily rectified with a drop of super glue. I'm expecting this to happen again with this set, but, again, there's an easy fix. The board itself is nice to look at, even though it's plastic, and it looks and feels higher quality than for what one would pay less than $10. Very happy to have this set again!

The case is sturdy and flat. Fits in my purse similar to a checkbook. Convenient design and quality magnetic pieces. I love that mid game you can store it away and your game remains intact until you can play again. My son and I love it! When we find ourself waiting around, we pull it out and play. My only complaint - no place to magnetically store the pieces not in action on the field. I would love the designers to add to long sideline areas to place pieces won in battle. This would ensure they don't get lost when the boards is folded up and put in my purse. If the makers add this feature....I'll definitely buy it again. Great investment.

Bought a couple of these as stocking stuffers for my boys, aged 10 and 5. The sets are both inexpensive and cheap. But don't get turned off by "cheap", that's not a totally bad thing. First off, they are of sufficient quality, NOT total garbage. I imagine the set would last a good long time if taken care of. The game board folds in half to form the case, and the pieces fit conveniently within that case. There is a latch of sorts that holds it closed. The pieces stick magnetically to the game board, could be used in a moving vehicle on a road trip perhaps. But the magnets are not particularly strong, so you would still need to be careful not to jostle it too much, or the pieces will still fall off. I would say the magnets are more useful just to add stability to the pieces on the game board itself, as the pieces are quite small. They also are a bit lacking in definition. It's not impossible to tell the pieces apart, but there is very little height difference between some of the pieces, and in my opinion, the rook just doesn't look like a rook. Alas, they are "good enough". For the price, it's hard to complain. The pieces are gold and silver, not the traditional black and white, and the board squares are black and silver/gray. These are great for children because if something breaks or gets lost, you're not out much money, and it's inexpensive to replace. I think it was a good purchase and a decent value.

My son and daughter found an old chess set we had lying around the house, and became interested in the game. The set was missing some pieces so I looked on Amazon for another set. I wanted to get a good one for my son (he is 10) and a cheaper one for my daughter (she is 6). So I gave her this set and she loved it. That's the best part about it, it draws the attention of children. My 3 year old even became interested so I showed her what the pieces were called. We played and had a good time. A larger set I think would not have made the same connection as this smaller set. Love the price and its really portable, not to mention it was easier to play than the older large set we had. (it's a cheap Walmart set) The magnets helped the pieces stay on the board apposed to our older one which was a bit frustrating because the pieces would easily get knocked over or moved. OH! AND ALSO THE MAGNETS AND SIZE HELP WHEN YOU HAVE TO PANICKLY GRAB THE SET AND PICK IT UP WHEN THE 1 YEAR OLD RUNS OVER TO DESTROY!!! 1. Affordable 2. Fun for children 3. Portable 4. Decent Magnets Size: The board is a bit wider than an individual DVD case but around the same length. (DVD=Rectangle/Board=Square) the Pawns are smaller than a penny and the bishops are about the size of a quarter both compared in length (how tall) Queen and King a bit larger. so very small pieces. Material: All plastic except for magnets of coarse. Storage: Pieces come in small bags inside set when board is folded in half. comes inside cardboard box (shown in picture)

It's so little and cute!! I can take it with me anywhere. All of the components are of a nice quality; the board is sturdy; it folds out nice and flat, and closes up securely; and I appreciate that the game pieces are in reusable zip-lock bags, and not just rolling around inside the storage compartment. I suppose you could even mark coordinates with a Sharpie for the light squares, and get creative with marking the dark ones.☺ Maybe not everyone would like a chess set this small, and I would specifically recommend it for children who are at least 7 years old, without any younger siblings, or pets who have an affinity for chewing on small objects, because the pieces are REALLY tiny!! The King and the Queen are the length of an adult's pinky first-joint; the pawns are the length of an adult's thumbnail. One other caveat: the little magnets tend to fall out (factory glue gone dry) . . . the set that I received had two pieces which were missing their magnets. There was one loose magnet in one of the little zip-lock bags that the pieces came in; the other magnet was AWOL; it must have fallen out somewhere at the factory, before that piece was put in the baggie. I was able to "super glue" the loose magnet back in place for one piece, and I contacted Amazon to enquire about receiving a seller-issued replacement magnet for the other, but their only option was to return the entire game, and wait for a new set to be sent to me. It's such a minor issue that I chose to "McGyver" that other one, so that it would stay in place during use while traveling, etc. Overall, I'm happy!!😊

Pleased with the strong magnets. The metal is molded right into the surface of the plastic so pieces hold even when upside down -- and yet is light.-weight. The plastic box snaps tightly shut and stays shut (with heavy usage plastic may give out eventually, a big hair rubber will hold it then). Plenty of room for the pieces which actually bang around a bit -- I may place a cloth or score pads in there. The "hinges" are simply extensions of the plastic so may eventually give out but this is not a problem to me (a little duck tape after many years of use). The 14" board and almost full-sized pieces for $16 seems to be an excellent value. I hope to make this a life-long set for study at night in bed or for easy transport to other locations in my house, and for sporadic trips. It is light-weight but I would get the 12" size or smaller size if you want to carry it around all the time. The plastic squares, though not exactly painted, probably would become scratched up with a lot of tossing around in a car trunk. I would keep the plastic bag with it as a cover. The chess pieces are beautifully crafted standard Stanton-esque with aesthetically pleasing color tone (muted white and muted black, ebony and ivory look). I actually like the feel of plastic pieces much more than lacquered wood. Playing chess on the silver and black squares is easy on the eyes. Only one magnet required a little glue. I threw out the checkers. Very pleased with the product.

I’ve tried a few travel chess sets, and this one is easily my favorite. Unlike many other magnetic sets, it’s sleek, secure, and snaps shut firmly. The exterior is smooth, so it slides easily in and out of a personal bag or jacket pocket. One of the best features is being able to “pause” a game by simply closing the board—without disturbing any of the pieces. I’d honestly pay twice what I did for it because I appreciate the design and practicality that much.

For the purchaser looking to buy a travel set for a few quick and dirty games while on the road, this is fine... For a more serious chess player looking for an analysis set, not so much. When I received this product, it did seem to be reasonably well made, but when playing with it, I began to notice that while moving a single piece, it was hard to avoid moving other pieces and having to reset them in place for a more aesthetic look to the game I was playing or reviewing. This in part, is due to the magnetic pieces being almost as big as the squares themselves.This is not because of workmanship or poor quality, it is just a design choice that flows from the need to have the pieces be large and visible. I ended up purchasing a nicer magnetic wood set that had it's own issues, but that is for another review. In the end, I would suggest that any serious chess players looking for a travel analysis set, simply get an app that supports this, and get a tablet with a 10.1 inch screen. Games will be much easier to analyze, and it can also be used to play against another person. This product is decent for what it is, but realistically, we have progressed technologically beyond the point of needing a product like this. For a nice travel set to play with someone else, there are better alternatives in the $20.00-$30.00 range. Chess is a game of the ages that deserves better than the overall clunkiness of playing on this format.

Very nice board!

I got this imported And this is in one piece. It reduces screen time as I can analyse and I just close it -next day it is in the same position and I can analyse it without needing to set the board.it's quality is outstanding,it has magnetic strength it is value for money product and came faster that expected.

Excelente compra, es de buena calidad, el tablero tiene buena estructura, el compartimiento donde se guardan las piezas es resistente u no se abre con facilidad, asi que no hay riesgo de que se salgan las piezas y se pierdan, las piezas tienen imán y super bien, porque no se mueven de lugar, lo volvería a comprar.

I would have given it 5 stars if the box it’s placed in is in good condition. It looks like it has been opened up and is torn in some places. The inside is fortunately, unopened.

Excellent little flat chess set for your handbag!