Checkers Reviews

I currently got a (...)greek chess set for my birthday and it is just increadible and has a lifetime warranty so I play a lot but you can't play speesd. I still would prefer it over this though just cause it's special. My teacher though has this exact chess set and he's a ok player (even though I am better than him). THis is something that will last a long time it even has a case wich is great so you can take it with youyou don't even have to adjust to different types of pieces.it's the best for normal use and this is like what pros use and trust me I know. I think the pieces weigh more but that does'nt matter at all. Perfect for begginers and great for the excperienced. The price is great and this is an investment if you want a two dollar thing. One or two of those cheep ones will last a while but only a couple. If you want one like that it's best when tyhere magnetic. But by chess means this set is cheep cause it's not one like mine but it's still a top of the line thing. (...) That was the only one more exspensive then mine.

I have known how to play chess since childhood. Well, I knew how to move the pieces and I knew the basic rules of the game.
I purchased an Excalibur set which is "triple" weighted. I know that this set is weighted but I'm not sure if it is only "single" weighted. Any way, my set is identical to this one if only different by weight.
I also purchased "the complete idiot's guide to chess.
The set is outstanding. The board is durable and lays flat after being stored rolled up. The board is large and has the ranks and files lettered and numbered which is a must have if you are learning. The pieces are a large comfortable size. They are nicely weighted and rugged. I would recommend this set (and book) to anyone who is learning how to play the game.

Before I bought this set and book, chess to me was a 13" black and white tv.
After I read the book and used the set along side, chess to me is 48" hdtv with surround sound.

Chess is a strategic game in which two armies of equal number of soldiers do battle. You must strategically place your men in sectors of the board. In this case, the leader is the king. The object is to make it impossible for the king to flee anywhere so that your army can destroy him. This is called checkmate.

This is my favorite game of all time. You have to think for yourself and know what the other player is going to do next in order to plan ahead for your next move. Therefore, deliciously having to think about more than one thing at a time. Each piece can move certain ways. Pawns move forward and take other paws diagonally forward. Queens have the most fun and kings are always getting cornered.

Now, the only time I always lost at this game was when playing with my ex boyfriend. You cannot play this game while in love, because you can't think and be in love at the same time. Just kidding, but it is a bit distracting to be looking into someone's eyes and trying to think about what your next move is going to be. Needless to say, it was inevitable that suddenly my queen had disappeared off the board! I hated that because that is such a versatile piece.

Well, if you are learning to play chess, this is a great set. You can then move on to bigger sets and perhaps even find a marble collectable set. A chess set looks so nice on a coffee table. That way it is always ready for a spontaneous match. Has anyone seen one made from "cat" images. If you see one let me know.

If you love chess, you might also like the book Alice in Wonderland which has all sorts of references and pictures of animated chess pieces. That is where I first learned about chess.

"Where do you come from? said the Red Queen. "And where are you going?" --page 174, Alice and Wonderland.

That about sums up the game! You are moving pieces and being aware of where you are moving them from. To not do so can be fatal. It can also be fatal if you move a piece and then back again and someone says, "no, you touched the chess piece so now you have to move it!" You might want to decide not to follow that rule when you first start playing and sometimes it is hard to see what will happen to a piece before moving it. In that case, if the person takes their hand off the piece, they just finished their turn.

There is quite a bit to learn. The most important things to start with are how the pieces move on the board, can they move forward only, take diagonally, etc. Once you learn how each piece moves and what the piece can do, you will enjoy the game so much more. The best way to learn this game is to play it and learn as you go. The second best way is to have a computer next to you to look up sites which talk about chess, so you can learn as you go.

Even though I bought this as a Christmas gift for my 8 year old, the entire family gets to enjoy it. Not only are the games mentally stimulating, they're a great tool for pulling everyone together for a little fun.

The entire family had a lot of fun playing with this game,but after 2 weeks of use few of the buttons stop working.I don't recommend to pay $50 for a toy that is going to last for just 2 weeks.

Those cross country drives are no longer tedious when time can be whiled away with this portable Chinese checkers set. A hundred years ago there was a lot to look at when we drove, but now with expressways there's not much country to see but a great deal of concrete.

Not only does this game help to pass the time but it's an excellent learning tool as older youngsters or teenagers try to outsmart each other.

We've even to put it to good use while stuck in an airport!

This is a great product - my chess players DS(9); DD(13); and DH(40) are thrilled with it! We started with a real cheapie set and "graduated" to this one . . . for [this price] you cannot go wrong! Believe me . . . you get waaaaaaay more than you pay for!

Twenty bucks for a wooden folding chess board and chessmen is not a bad deal. However, the old adage "you get what you paid for" holds true here. Craftsman quality is missing in this product. The folding chess board has a magnetic strip to keep it folded. However, the chess board when unfolded for play is a bit lopsided. The wooden chessmen are standard Staunton pieces. However, they're not crafted quality pieces but are adequate enough for play. If you wanted a similar product but of higher quality then be prepared to fork over an additional $30-40 if not more. However, if you wanted a traveling chess set but don't want to pay alot of $$$ for one and don't mind the inferior quality found in this set then this is good buy.

Although I would have loved to have gotten my fiancee a more articulate chess set, this gem really fit my budget. When he opened it on Xmas day, he was blown away. He really enjoyed it, especially the size. The set comes with a fairly large chessboard and the pieces are nicely sized as well.

He has enjoyed many a chess game with me and our best friends. With all the use so far it has remained in excellent condition. The magnetic closure helps to secure the pieces in the inside of the fold up board. Thus, your floor will not be littered with pieces when you pick the board up.

For a beginner to Dominoes, this is a nice a little game. Unfortunately for those hard-core players, they will find this game a bit too basic. One is unable to play off the initial spinner and points are not accumulated during the game. Again, a good game for the basic player - boring to the advance player.

The Excaliber Double Six Dominoes handheld game - what more could you expect from dominoes? Surely a fine crafted instrument such as this may fill all your hours of interests with domino games! As a recent author on dominoes game books (the best selections of games and most up to date variations is my forte) I highly recommend a decent electronic handheld such as this one for your down time between participating compatriots rounds of playing dominoes and for your own pursuit of honing your skills further. I know what I say - the plays the thing!

The Saitek Travel Chess Computer has many of the virtues of its more powerful cousins at a fraction of the cost. It has a multi-move "take back" feature, 64 playing levels, teaching modes, and a rudimentary stock of openings. It can be slow and, like just about all computers, will make the same tactical blunders repeatedly. Its playing strength is strictly for beginners but at the highest level it can be challenging to the beginner who will soon move into the intermediate ranks. The Saitek is a useful, entertaining teaching tool for the child who knows the moves to the game. It can be a boon companion on a long car trip or flight (it can beat the woeful on-board chess programs) without all the beep-beep and toot-toot of those mindless hand-held computer video games. The manufacturer's suggested age range of eight years and up is too cautious; this game can be both entertaining and beneficial to the child of four who knows how the pieces move. It is not overly daunting. It will build confidence.

I'm not an excessively strong chess player (at my best I'm in the 1500s). If you're around 1200 or 1300 and patient this will be a fine game to carry when you travel; but it's too slow and even on the highest level surprisingly beatable even by me.

However, if you're even worse than that, if you just need practice avoiding blunders, the levels are fine. You can move up as you improve; at the highest level you'll need a little positional understanding as well as tactical discipline to beat it consistently. So it's a decent trainer for beginners.

Past that, it needs to be faster and smarter; I suspect there are cell phones that can beat it. I'm not an expert though. Shop around before you buy this one, at any rate.

One final note: the pieces are very small, they are not magnetic and they do not settle very securely into their places on the board. That is, they fall out and get lost too easily.

The following are a list of the games. This game pack is just all right, and the game is very dated, though.

Blackjack, Totem Slots, Monster Madness Slots, Pearly Deep Slots, Neon Luau Slots, Sun Catcher Slots, Double Down Video Poker, Jacks or Better Video Poker, Joker's Wild Video Poker, 10's or Better Video Poker, Deuces Wild Video Poker, Reversi, Chess, Backgammon, Checkers, Dominoes, Klondike Solitaire, Auld Lang Syne Solitaire, Calculation Solitaire, Scorpion Solitaire, Flower Garden Solitaire, Spades, Go Fish, Hearts, Old Maid, Crazy Eights

My dad and his wife are retired, and they LOVE to play the games on this Playstation CD. This game has probably gotten more use than the television. It has a variety of old-time games, (pre-video age), card games, checkers, chess, backgammon, etc., that are made easier to quickly setup and play over and over again, which they do VERY often, literally everyday! My dad is 68 years old, and he sits for hours, everyday, playing the solotaire card game called Klondike.

This PS disc is so addictive that my dad bought a second Playstation and TV, sitting side-by-side, so that two people can play their own games while still be hanging out with another couch potato. So my dad and his wife each bought a copy of this FAMILY GAME PACK, and they spend many hours everyday, playing. It's better than having them just watch TV, at least they have to think about the card games and interact, and there is a feeling of suspense and tension that is felt while playing each hand of the card games, so the "excitement" is constant.

I enjoy playing the Hearts card game, and the Spades card game. These two are played with/against 3 other computer players. Each computer player has a name, and a different skill level (it seems) with different card games. "Molly" and "Toni" are quite skilled and ruthless Hearts players, but if they play the Spades card game then Molly gets sloppy with her bidding. Hearts is fun because it shuffles the card quickly, and the computer players are pretty good, quite a challenge. Spades is almost as fun, but I see that the computer program has some predictable styles of play (they usually refuse to toss an Ace on an opponents King, I don't know why). This different style of playing is equally irritating as it is interesting. Maybe the computer knows something about Spades that I never considered?

Compared to most video games full of fast action excitement, this game offers a large variety of Playstation versions of NON-video gaming.

If there are retired folks in your life, you probably know that they love to play calm, old-fashioned games, and this Playstation disc makes it easy for them to play solotaire card games WAY too much. You will find that you are trying to get your senior family members to stop playing with the Playstation so much!

I have only one son age 9 who need to be kept occupied. Being a single working mother with homework to check and dinner to cook. It's more rewarding for me to buy a games that he can play with the computer as a playmate he thinks his real start when he's able to beat the computer, plus it has a varity of many games . It's affordable and fun that the whole family can enjoy. My son loves checker, chest and dominos. I love backgamman. When I do get a chance to play with my son it's a game I can handle.

It's too bad that we can't find a Chinese Checkers game with Marbles anymore. The moves are faster, and they don't have to be as exact. During a speed-round, the pegs are much too slow. THX!

Chinese checkers is a great game for teaching strategic thinking. I ordered this one for our family thinking that solid wood would be a pleasant tactile experience. I don't really like plastic. Imagine my disappointment when I find, yes, a solid wood playing board, but a jumble of cheap little plastic checkers. Brightly colored, yes. Wood, no. Ick. I had a version that used marbles when I was a kid and I may try to find some marbles to use with this board. As for durability, the board will last forever, but the pieces didn't come with a bag (bring your own Ziploc) and the box is very cheap and will fall apart after a few uses, making it necessary to figure out a way to keep the pieces with the board. I thought we were getting a good value when I read the description, but I recommend looking a little further for a higher quality product.

I am not sure why they call it Chinese checkers but I do know that this game is tons of fun. Unlike checkers you don't remove your pieces from the board but simply have to get your pieces to the other side. Another thing that makes this better than checkers is that the board is bigger so you have more room to move and you can play with up to eight players. Lots of fun for everybody.

There is a lot to like about this handheld chess game. But, do not waste your money unless you plan on using it only in well lit places. The LCD is almost impossible to read (so much do that I've had to look for a different handheld chess unit). In this day and age, I don't think its asking too much to expect a better display. My recommendation is to wait for a better product. But its your decision.

This is not a bad little chess computer, it is just the interface that is its downfall. Everytime I wanted to quit a game a start a new one the game would cut off. The start and off areas are above each other. In addition, the manual is almost non-existant. The Saitek cosmic, even though a little more expensive is much better, although both models suffer from lack of a back light. The Saitek model uses a touch screen, but also uses menu keys and a message area at the bottom of the screen to make a much better package. It also uses standard chess notation when giving hints etc. The excalibur model just flashes pieces.

This is a great little chess toy. It is exactly what it says, and the screen is bigger than looks in the picture. I would highly recommend this. it has 73 levels of play, you can watch famous games, play against a human also, and you can easily recognize the pieces. If your just starting out in chess, thats alright because Touch Chess will teach you just fine. The contrast button is very helpful also. This was definitely worth my $40 bucks. I strongly recommend this to anyone who wants to play chess immediately or is on the go. It works perefectly. You can also make it so the noise level is "off" if someone doesnt want to hear it. It's an awesome toy with great stuff. Definetely worth my $40 bucks. I'm actually surprised it isnt worth more:) But, you must be very careful if you touch the screen. (even comes with a case) Whoever doesnt like this must be very picky! and im serious!! Its P-E-R-F-E-C-T