News & Updates
The Fritz series of chess software has always been one of the most popular chess playing pieces of software ever sold. Fritz is known as the most premier software for playing chess because of it’s easy-to-understand interface, it’s ability to play at any level and its ability to help players learn the art of playing chess. Chessbase, the maker of Fritz, has announced it will be releasing Fritz 13 sometime during mid October. You can preorder your own copy of Fritz 13 right here at Wholesale Chess. The moment we receive Fritz 13 in stock, we will send your pre-ordered copy to you so you can get into the program as soon as possible. Here are some of the features of Fritz 13 that may get you excited about the upcoming release:
- Improved and enhanced database management.
- Improved user interface.
- A new chess engine for Fritz 13.
- High level of tuning for deep chess analysis.
You will still have access to your favorite parts of Fritz including:
- All-inclusive chess studying tools.
- Professional chess graphics.
- Chess engine management.
- Adjustable playing strength.
- Coaching tools.
- Move explanations.
- Automatic game analysis and commentary.
- Training modules for chess openings, middle game and endgames.
- Database of more than 1.5 million chess games.
- Ten hours of private instructional videos from chess grandmasters.
Don’t miss out on your chance to get Fritz 13 at the earliest possible time! Pre-order today!
They’ve been here for a little while now, but we thought we’d take the time to introduce you to our newest color of basic plastic chess pieces. That’s right, we now have Gold & Silver offered as colors for our colored chess pieces.
Our colored plastic chess pieces have been very popular. We offer our basic pieces now in ten different colors, available as half sets. They are standard sized chess pieces without weights, making them perfect for chess clubs and chess players on a tight budget. Our basic pieces also come in black, white, red, blue, yellow, purple, green and pink.
These chess pieces pair great in chess sets with our vinyl chess boards or mousepad chess boards. They are great for chess clubs, schools and homes.
Buy Basic Colored Chess Pieces
Buy All Ten Colored Sets
The chess pieces are the most important part of your chess set. Without the pieces, there is no game. There are also a wide variety, look, weight and textures available in your chess pieces. When selecting your own set of chess pieces, there are a lot of factors to consider.
House of Staunton Marshall Chess Pieces
Selecting The Right Size of Chess Pieces
Your chess pieces need to match your chess board. You can first select your chess board and then find pieces to match, or you can select your chess pieces and then find a matching board. Either way works, but make sure you match them up by size. To match by size, you need to use the size of your King piece only. You king piece should take up roughly 75% of your width of a single square to fit comfortably. Select pieces that fit this description. For example, if you have a board with 2 inch squares, you would want to choose pieces that have a King base of 1 1/2″.
The 75% rule doesn’t always apply. Some sets, especially sets that have non-traditional pieces, may not use the 75% rule. If you are choosing themed chess pieces, you may want to consider the right board more carefully. Luckily, many themed chess sets come with boards that fit the pieces and theme already, saving you the trouble.
Plastic Chess Pieces
Plastic Chess Pieces are the most popular and common pieces to buy. Because they are made of plastic, the are usually much more durable than other pieces. Plastic pieces come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes and themes. Plastic chess pieces work well for children, tournaments and students because of their durability, weight and portability. They are also usually the least expensive pieces to purchase and can be replaced quite easily if they are damaged.
Buy Basic Plastic Chess Pieces at Wholesale Chess
Buy Weighted Tournament Chess Pieces at Wholesale Chess
Shop All Plastic Chess Pieces at Wholesale Chess
Wood Chess Pieces
Wood chess pieces are very popular because of their beauty. Many wood pieces, especially high-end pieces, are hand carved and in some cases available in rare or expensive woods. Pieces can come in many sizes, shapes and styles. When browsing through wood chess pieces, pay special attention to the Knight pieces, because those pieces are where most chess pieces have their unique looks. Wood chess pieces should also be carefully selected to match the board on which they are used. Make sure you select a color of chess piece that looks good on the board you have selected. This is especially important if your chess set is more for display than it is for playing.
Shop All Wood Chess Pieces at Wholesale Chess
Themed Chess Pieces
Once you are comfortable with the game of chess, you can spice up your play at home or with friends by purchasing themed chess pieces or themed chess sets. Themed pieces come in hundreds of varieties. Some sets are themed from movies, eras in time, or even video games. Pieces may be incredibly detailed and feature beautiful pieces. Most theme sets do not use the standard look for each piece. Pieces may be selected from characters from a movie or people from an era of time. Themed chess sets and themed chess pieces can be a beautiful, fun addition to your home collection or coffee table.
Shop All Themed Chess Pieces at Wholesale Chess
If you visited our site this morning, you probably noticed that the Thursday Deal section wasn’t working properly and no deal was showing. We’ve fixed the error and the Thursday Deal can now be ordered! Visit our site to save on Wooden Chess Pieces or save on our Analysis board. If you’re really adventurous, you could save on both! They make a great set!
You Can Visit Our Thursday Chess Deals Section Here
That’s right! We’ve received some new Chronos clocks here at Wholesale Chess. We now have the Chronos GX Digital Button Clock in Beige and the Chronos GX Digital Touch Clock in Beige. You can get your own here at Wholesale Chess! Supplies are limited and there’s no telling when Chronos will be sending us more.
Boy, did we goof big time on this week’s Thursday Deal! Thanks to all of you who called or emailed to let us know.
We had 5 Basic Magnetic Travel Sets priced as over $57 when they are actually only $11.95 for 5–today only. And 10 Perfect Fit Bags were listed on that same sale for another ridiculously high price. Today you can get 10 of them for just $11.90.
Sorry about the mistake—but we were glad to know so many of you were paying attention to the sale! Thanks again.
Review by Guest Author Greg Delaney
England’s Andrew Martin, International Master and Senior FIDE Trainer, is in my mind, one of the foremost teachers of chess in the world at this time. I have watched numerous DVD’s featuring IM Martin, and have had the occasion to witness in person his edifying and entertaining presentations. Martin’s personality, presentation style, and material are engaging and always interesting. So when I saw this three volume series of DVD’s produced by ChessDVDs.com, I knew I would get Volume Two (which targets players of about my strength) and possibly Volume Three. I asked Andrew if the first volume would be of value to me, and all he would say is that there are some new ideas and new games presented. So, thus intrigued, I obtained all three.
Logic suggested that I begin with Volume 1, which I was able to watch in two sittings, as it contains a little less than two hours’ worth of material. The content of the DVD seems to be suited for someone who is beyond the basics of chess (how pieces move, how checkmate is administered, etc.), but who is still learning fundamentals of strategy, tactics, and principles. The DVD has a brief introduction by IM Martin, and then quickly moves into his ten suggestions for improvement, each presented with an illustrative game. Martin selects as examples games ranging from players at Grandmaster level to those of his students, and goes through them each in some depth, highlighting the application of his suggestion. Andrew Martin repeatedly demonstrates his ability to keep ideas simple and concrete – a necessity for the improving player.
Some of IM Martin’s “suggestions” for improvement are to be found in any chess improvement book, while others are a bit unique – but valuable nonetheless. Personally, I could have used ideas like “not being afraid to lose” and “not ignoring the endgame” while I was learning chess in my early teens. It is in the presentations of the games where Andrew really shines. While much of the material was review, I could not help but get energized and enthusiastic about playing chess while watching this DVD. Clarity, simplicity, and a smattering of humor make this DVD a good buy from the standpoint of content.
Unfortunately, the production quality of the DVD falls quite short of the standard achieved by its presenter. At the beginning one finds the familiar fire + chess pieces + orchestral music of the “Foxy” series of DVD’s, a clip that appears to have been copied numerous times. The level of audio between “suggestions” varies quite a bit, and I found myself often needing to use the “volume” control of my remote from section to section. Some of the sections begin abruptly following the end of the previous clip, as though careful editing was not done. Nearly the entire DVD is only a full-screen chess board with the audio of IM Martin playing, so if the viewer is interested in “getting acquainted” with the presenter, s/he will be disappointed.
I know that chess players can be quite fastidious and critical, so some may be unhappy with the DVD’s production problems, but if one can look beyond this and focus on what Andrew Martin is sharing, 10 Easy Ways to get Better at Chess Volume 1 is a useful and edifying bit of work.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent the views of Wholesale Chess. We welcome open discussion on all aspects of chess on the Wholesale Chess Blog. If you would like to be a guest author on our blog, please contact us at marketing@wholesalechess.com.
The always popular Thursday Chess Deals from Wholesale Chess will begin again today, January 6. (The deals have been on hold through the holiday season.)
We know you have been anxious for us to start these up again. Although you will never know ahead what the deals will be, you will always get a true bargain.
Some of the items offered at huge savings last year included Fritz 12, several types of chess clocks, tournament chess sets, wood chess sets, chess pieces and chess boards, chess software and chess books, and chess tournament supplies. These same types of great chess items will be available this year. Although Chess Deals will change from week to week, the savings will always be significant.
These deals are available only for orders placed online on that Thursday. (12:00 am to 11:59 pm Pacific Time). Each customer may only buy one of each deal, but can buy both deals for that day. In order to only send notification to those who want it, you must sign up for the emails of the Thursday Chess Deals. You can do that in our free membership. You can also find the deals on our homepage each Thursday at www.wholesalechess.com
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