The board opened at a diagonal, and the seam wasn't flat, so the pieces didn't sit right on some of the squares. The chessmen and board are quite small. The chessmen are hand painted clay. They chip easily. I bought the set for my 11 year old son for Christmas. A couple of pieces chipped just from being put away into the tight-fitting board/box, the first time we used it. The board/box is very thin wood. I returned the item.

i gave this to my husband for our anniversary and we both really have enjoyed looking through the pieces...the workmanship is very good. although the set is smaller than i had thought it would be it fits the small game table in the living room perfectly and is a conversation piece for our guests.