The complete guide
How to Choose a 3-in-1 Wooden Chess Set
The cupboard problem
Open the games cupboard in most homes and you will find the same sad collection. A chess set with a cracked box lid. A draughts board missing four counters. Maybe a backgammon case bought on holiday that nobody has touched since. Each one takes up space, each one is incomplete, and none of them get played because setting up feels like more effort than it is worth.
A wooden chess set 3 in 1 fixes that in a fairly blunt way. One board, three games, and all the pieces stored inside it. You pull one thing off the shelf and you have your evening sorted. That is less about clever design and more about removing the small obstacles that stop people playing board games in the first place.
This guide walks through what to look at when you are choosing a folding chess board, who this kind of set actually suits, and how to look after wood so it lasts more than a couple of years.
What a three-in-one set actually gives you
The format is simple. The outer faces of the folded board carry the 64-square grid used for both chess and draughts. Open the board flat and you have your chess game. Open it the other way and the inner surfaces give you the long triangular points used for backgammon. Two dice come with the set for backgammon rolls, and 62 playing pieces cover chess and draughts between them.
That is the whole system. No batteries, no app, no instructions to decode before you start. The operation mode is listed as manual, which is a formal way of saying it is a board and some pieces, like board games have always been.
The practical win is storage. Because the pieces live inside the folded board, nothing sits loose in a drawer. If you have ever hunted for a missing bishop under a sofa cushion at eleven at night, you will understand the value. A board game set with internal storage keeps itself complete, and a complete set is one that actually gets used.
Size matters more than people expect
This board is 39 x 39 cm when open. That is large for a home set, and it changes how the game feels.
On a small board, pieces crowd each other. Your fingers knock over neighbours when you reach across. Beginners struggle to read the position because everything is bunched together. On a bigger board there is space between pieces, you can see the shape of the position at a glance, and moving a rook across the board does not become a careful surgical operation.
For anyone searching for the best large chess set for a dining table or coffee table, board size is the first spec to check, ahead of almost everything else. Pretty wood grain means nothing if the squares are too small to play on comfortably.
The flip side is that a large board needs somewhere to live. Folded, this one takes up roughly half its open footprint, which fits a standard shelf or a bag. Measure the shelf before you order if space is tight.
Wood, hinges and the bits that wear out
Material type for this set is listed as stainless steel and wood. The wood makes up the board and the pieces. The stainless steel is in the hinges that let the board fold and close.
Hinges are where folding boards usually fail. They are the only moving part, and they take the strain every time the board opens or shuts. Stainless steel is the sensible choice because it does not rust and it holds its shape under repeated use. Still, the way you handle the board matters. Open and close it with two hands rather than flipping it shut, and the hardware will stay aligned for years.
The pieces are wooden with a sanded finish, so the surfaces are smooth rather than rough or splintery. That matters for comfort over a long game and it matters for safety if children are playing. Wooden pieces also have a bit of heft that plastic ones never manage, which is a big part of why people hunting for the best solid wood chess board skip the plastic alternatives entirely.
One honest note. The maker does not specify the wood species, whether the pieces are weighted, or the total weight of the set. If any of those are dealbreakers for you, treat them as unconfirmed rather than assuming.
Who this suits
Families with mixed ages. The manufacturer recommended age is 6 years and up. In practice, younger children start with draughts because the rules are short, then graduate to chess when they are ready. Backgammon sits somewhere in between, driven by dice rolls so luck keeps younger players in the game. Having all three in one box means nobody is stuck watching.
Beginners. A large board, standard pieces and two simpler games to fall back on is a good combination for someone learning chess. Progress in chess is slow at first, and having draughts available stops a frustrating evening from killing the whole idea.
Travellers and people with small homes. The folding design with internal storage makes this one of the better portable board game options. It goes in a holdall, survives being moved around, and arrives complete at the other end.
Gift buyers. It arrives boxed, needs no assembly and covers games almost everyone recognises. That is a low-risk present for a birthday, a retirement or a housewarming. A wooden board game gift also looks like you thought about it, which plastic rarely does.
Who it suits less well: serious tournament players who need specific piece dimensions and coordinate markings, and anyone who already owns a good folding three-in-one set. There is no point duplicating.
How to compare sets before you buy
A few things worth checking on any folding chess board, including this one.
Board size when open, which here is 39 cm square. Piece count, which is 62 plus 2 dice. Hinge material, stainless steel in this case. Whether the pieces store inside the board rather than in a separate bag that will go missing. Age guidance, listed here as 6 and up. And whether anything needs assembly or power, which is a no on both counts.
Those six points tell you almost everything about how a set will perform in real use. Photos tell you how it looks. The specs tell you whether you will still be playing on it in five years.
Looking after wood
Wood is forgiving but not invincible. A few habits keep a set looking right.
Clean with a dry cloth, or a barely damp one if something has been spilled, then dry it immediately. Skip the sprays, polishes and anything abrasive. Never soak the board and never put any part of it in a dishwasher.
Storage does more damage than cleaning ever will. Direct sunlight fades the contrast between light and dark squares over time. Radiators and heating vents dry wood out and can cause splitting. Damp rooms do the opposite and encourage warping. A normal living room shelf, stored flat rather than balanced on its edge, is all it takes.
Put the pieces back inside after each game. It takes thirty seconds and it is the single habit that keeps a set complete.
The short version
This is a wooden chess set 3 in 1 with a 39 cm folding chess board, stainless steel hinges, 62 playing pieces and 2 dice. It plays chess, draughts and backgammon, needs no batteries or assembly, and stores its own pieces inside the board.
It suits families, beginners, travellers and gift buyers who want one object instead of three half-complete boxes. It is less suited to tournament players with specific equipment requirements.
Look after it with a dry cloth and a sensible shelf, and it will outlast most of what else is in the games cupboard.