Harry Potter Wizard Chess Set Review

Last year for Christmas, Samantha gave me a really awesome gift:  Harry Potter Wizard Chess with a coupon for lessons from Noelle until I became an expert.  Nearly a year later and I finally started cashing in on that coupon!

I've never played chess other than on the computer, where it tells you how to move.  I would just randomly move the pieces around without any knowledge of what I was supposed to actually be doing.  I guess I always knew you had to get to the king, but other than that, I had no clue.

To me, there is absolutely no better chess set to learn to play on than the Harry Potter Wizard Chess set!  The set is designed after the one that the trio plays on while trying to find Quirrell Snape through the trap door.  It would have been extra awesome if they would crush each other, but I guess that probably is a little ways off, huh?  And I guess it would probably be a one-time game since they're pretty violent!

The pieces are made of plastic and are quite heavy duty.  The white pieces are made to look like marble and the black pieces are just solid black.  The board itself folds out and is pretty basic, which is fine since I think the actual chess pieces should be the star of the show.  John was collecting the Marvel and DC monthly chess pieces himself and the board you could get was along the same lines.  Unless you pay for a couple-hundred-dollar set, the board probably won't be all that special.

I am definitely not an expert yet, but I'm having fun learning!  It's a lot to keep in mind, as far as how the pieces go and to not leave your king exposed.  It's honestly a lot more challenging than I thought it would be, which gives me a whole new respect for Ron (of which I already have lots).

I think this is a really cool piece to add to your collection, even if you aren't a chess player.  It's just a cool-looking set!  I'm in the market to add the checkers set to my collection as well, since the checker pieces look like Gringotts coins!

Have you picked up this set?  Are you a chess player?  Give me some tips if you are.  I can use all the help I can get!