Chess House
The Chess House is one of the few large companies that care about more than just profit margins. The Chess House’s dedication is to provide all customers with quality in the products and to treat you like you are family.
The entire vibe of the store is one of shopping in a mom and pop shop because of how much attention to detail and care goes into fulfilling all the order that you make.
The store has a personalized feel that has been the driving force behind the success that Chess House has enjoyed. All this goes to show just how many customers want to personalized treatment instead of being nothing but faceless customers.
From the buyers’ reviews, you notice that almost everyone is happy with how they are treated and with the products they get from the store. To learn even more about this store, we will need to delve into a lot more than just what we can find on the buyer’s reviews.
The History of Chess House
The Chess House has been in business for quite some time now. They established the store back in 1972. The original owner was a man named Jack B. Winters. He opened a brick and mortar store because there was no internet back then.
They located the shop at the intersection of 39th and Main on 74th and Broadway in New York.
We will get into details on this later in the review but, the shop was sold and resold a few times before it was acquired by two brothers who took the Chess House brand to the next level when the internet took off.
It grew from that into a successful international business.
The Reputation of the Chess House
The whole store has built its reputation on being one of the most trusted places on the internet where you can buy quality chess products. They have done everything that they can over the years to make sure that this reputation stays that way.
By offering customers great quality through a thorough vetting of the products that they have, they managed to make sure that customer satisfaction is always something that they can knock out of the park easily.
They have a 100% money-back guarantee to any customer who gets their products and does not feel satisfied. This is a policy that makes the Chess House risk-free in shopping.
The return policy is not the only thing that they can offer you when you shop with them. The store is generous in so many other ways. If you are interested in learning chess, you will find on their website, material that will help you learn all you need to know to get into the game and how to be good at it.
In these resources, they will explain to you the rules of the game, the tips to use and the tricks to use once you get past the basics part. The site will also offer more direction on which resources you can use to really go pro on this game.
In addition to all this, you will find they have a great way for any customer to go through the many chess sets they have on the website and find something that they like. They will help you choose the chess set that is right for you.
They do all this without trying to upsell you on anything. You get what you want based on expert advice.
The Chess House Products and Brands
The collection that you will find at the Chess House is spectacular. They have everything including chess sets, boards, and pieces. They also have chess computers, electronic chess boards, clocks, scorebooks, cases, bags, tables, learning resources and boxes among other items.
They also provide people with meds and awards that can be gifted out in chess competitions and tournaments.
If you need a chess-related product, you can be sure that you will find it on their website because they have stocked up on everything.
They also stock up on other brands that are not in-house, including:
- Millennium
- House of Staunton
- DGT
- JLP
- Hetman
- Master Quartz
- VTEK
- Database
- Chronos
- BHB
- Chessbase
- Play
These are all brands that have all sorts of products that are used in chess including clocks and even sets made by other companies.
Besides all this, they have stocked up on products made by artists like;
- Sydney Gruber
- Man Ray
- House of Hauteville
- Grace Bauhaus
All these are chess artists who make handmade chess equipment that is just astonishing when it comes to detail and the kind of quality and value that you get.
An Extensive Collection
No chess store, online or offline has the selection that you will find when you visit the Chess House. They have a wide variety and we can count them to have just about anything that you will need.
This is not just a store for the person who wants to buy chessboard and pieces. If you want to find educational material, teaching material, electronic equipment and anything else that can aid you to become a chess master in your own right, you can just check it out on this store.
The store is proud to be there for you whenever you need anything that they can offer. Remember, it is all risk-free.
Before they stock anything in the shop, they take every single item through a very thorough process of vetting. After that, if it passes the high-quality standards set by this shop, they offer it for sale to you.
Considering that they do all this and that they have a reputation for being reliable, it is easy to see why their prices are some of the fairest you will find anywhere.
It is very hard to find them providing products on the low end of the quality spectrum. However, this is a good thing because they are very adamant when it comes to the quality of the goods they sell. They refuse to sell anything that is junky or low quality.
This is a mark of their great product selection. Never worry when shopping at the Chess House. Customers are always getting a good deal. They have a return policy that is so open and clear
because they are sure of what they are selling to you.
You will find anything here including:
- Designer chess sets
- Cheap but strong sets for kids
- Sets for amateurs
There is everything for everyone. If you want it, they have it. It is easy to see why we think that they are affordable and fair. You get exactly what you pay for.
It is not common to find items on sale at the Chess House. They use sales to sell products that are remaining in stock when they want to restock. These are the sets that have not sold very well. They provide a discount in cases like that.
There is a section to buy discounted goods whose boxes have been opened, ones with scratches and others that may have been dented somehow. It is usually minor damage. You might find a great and expensive chess set with a very good discount because of minor damage here.
If small flaws do not bother you, you will have an easy time finding discounted items. The discounts are usually at 30% for each item. This section of the website is worth looking at, if you want to save money.
When you go on the site, you will get an option to subscribe. If you are an ardent fan of chess who wants to know when something new has been released and you want to own it, you should consider subscribing. You will get notified of the best deals that they have.
Occasionally, the Chess House will send out an email to the subscribers with an exclusive discount. With it, you can get great pieces for a good price.
There is only one word to describe the customer service…exceptional! Few businesses go to great lengths the way that the Chess House does. Here is how we know that they are very good at treating you well;
- They treat customers with great respect when you call in or ask for assistance with anything.
- They never ever sell something unless it has been taken through their rigorous tests and passed their high-standards of the quality vetting process.
- The customer service team is very accommodating and reasonable. If you do not feel satisfied with anything that you bought, they will fix that problem for you.
- They can track down replacement parts, for older chess sets you may have purchased from years earlier.
- They are very friendly
Frankly, the fact that they are so adamant about keeping low-quality items out of the store is a testament to the fact that they do know how to do their job very well.
At the time of writing this, the Chess House offers free shipping on orders of any size to any place in the Continental USA. The international shipping rates are reasonable and well listed for you to look at. They charge a flat rate of $7 to $9 for shipping to anywhere in the world, even if it costs more for some places.
They pack the products very well to make sure that they reach you in mint condition.
You can pay for what you want using:
- PayPal
- Amazon
- Purchase Orders
- Personal Checks
- Money Orders
As for the return policy, they really impress. They give you a 6-month window to evaluate the item you bought and see if it is a good fit for you. Within this window, you can return the item, for a refund, an exchange or store credit.
If the item is returned in the condition that it was sent in, they will not charge any restocking fees and your return will be executed without any problems.
The 100% satisfaction guarantee is unparalleled. It is unheard of, for customers of the Chess House to return anything. They are confident of the product’s quality because that make sure that they check everything before they sell it to anyone.
It is kind of obvious, isn’t it? Look at their work ethic, their standardization of quality, their fair prices, their guarantee and great customer service. The website is easy to browse through and you can find anything using the search bar.
You will be able to find everything you need without worrying that it might be a long or hard process. It is easy to locate any of the items that you need and if you cannot find something, you can always talk to the customer service attendants to help you.
As we mentioned, they are friendly. Whatever you need, they have and it is of the best quality because that is the Chess House’s guarantee. Shop without any fear today by visiting the website and witnessing the greatness of a full catalogue.
The experience is easy and fun.
The verdict is this…Chess House is a perfect place to shop.
The Chess House has been in business for almost 4 decades now When Jack Winters sold the business to Don Oswald, the new owner took it to the next level. He expanded the subscriber list from 1000 people to 8000 over 15 years.
It turned from a store to a big mail-order business. The Neff brothers who were big fans of the Chess House took over the brand and made it into what it is today. Elliot Neff, one of the brothers, founded the organization called Chess4Life, dedicated to advancing chess through lessons, classes, camps, and clubs.
This is a great cause spearheaded by the Chess store with the greatest quality record that you will not find anywhere on the internet.
Chess House is a sure bet for any player or fan out there who wants to get something.
EDITOR'S PICKS
Our favorite chess sets and gear that we fully recommend
IN THIS REVIEW
