Introduction
Online chess stores play an important role in sustaining the global chess community as they enable chess players to access essential chess equipment and learning resources so that both chess players and chess enthusiasts can improve their skills and enjoy the game wherever they reside. Online chess stores also play a key role in promoting chess and providing support for the global chess community which is essential for the future growth and development of the chess community and the chess industry. In this article i will highlight some of the best online chess stores and provide information on the history of their stores, their available products and services, their customers experience, their trustworthiness and reputation and much more. I will also explore their main strengths and weaknesses.
Studio Anne Carlton is a British based online chess store that was founded in 1969 by Anne Finestein. Studio Anne Carlton specialises in supplying handmade chess sets, chess boards, chess pieces, and backgammon sets. The first chess set that was made by Anne Finestein was for her husband, David, an avid chess player and architect, which first caught the attention of David’s friends and later her chess set designs caught the attention of thousands of chess enthusiasts around the country. Anne Finestein’s first chess set was a massive success which inspired her to make many more creative products and originate even more ideas. Studio Anne Carlton has been acquired by numerous organisations over the years and has become one of the leading online chess stores in the UK by pivoting into different markets and outsourcing all of their factory work to China in order to focus on the design, development and distribution of their chess products. In 2014 Studio Anne Carlton was acquired again by another UK based organisation which resulted in the production moving back to the UK where it remains to this day. Studio Anne Carlton have searched the world for the best wood artists to partner with which resulted in their partnership with a Europe based family business which has enabled them to produce some of the most unique handmade chess and backgammon sets in the world.
Store history
Studio Anne Carlton was founded in 1969 by Anne Finestein initially as a hobby, the first chess set that was made by Anne Finestein was a gift for her husband David who is an avid chess player and architect. Anne Finestein’s first chess set design caught the attention of David’s friends and later caught the attention of thousands of chess enthusiasts across the UK. The massive success of Anne Finestein’s chess designs inspired her to move her factory from her small garden shed and set up a production facility in Hull by converting a building into a workshop which had previously been an old fish smoking house. Anne Finestein continued to produce beautifully handcrafted chess sets from her factory in Hull and by 1979 Studio Anne Carlton became one of the most popular game stores in the industry. The success of Anne’s first chess set designs, paired with access to better resources and a greater ability to produce new chess sets within her new workshop inspired her to origninate new ideas and create even more innovative products. A few years later during the early 1980’s Studio Anne Carlton was acquired by Clayhithe plc who had plans to grow the business even further and expand into the gift and leisure sectors. The acquisition also led to the expansion of the Hull workshop which resulted in a 22,000 square foot factory being built on top of the original workshop Anne Finestein had previously built. A few decades later in 2003 Studio Anne Carlton was acquired again, this time by Traditional Games which led to much of the manufacturing processes moving from the UK to China aside from the design and development of their chess sets. Although relocating the manufacturing to China was much more efficient it ulitmately didn’t work well for the company as a whole and in 2014 Ancestors’ Group acquired the rights to manufacture and distribute the Studio Anne Carlton collection of decorative sets and classic games along with the design rights and the original designs of older models. Ancestors’ Group moved the manufacturing process of Studio Anne Carltons products back to the UK to their factory in Folkstone which is where all of the Studio Anne Carlton themed chess sets are made today. Ancestors’ Group specialises in the production of heritage products in the UK and casters in pewter enabled the Studio Anne Carlton brand to enter into new areas of distribution. Over time Ancestors’ Group introduced new pewter based products into the Studio Anne Carlton collection such as the English pewter themed chess sets. Overseeing the production process from the UK has enabled Studio Anne Carlton to place more effort and attention into their products and produce even greater quality chess set pieces.
Product selection and quality
Studio Anne Carlton has a large catalogue of high-quality handcrafted chess products that caters to the tastes of chess players of all experience levels however most of their products are high-end and are tailored to customers with an interest in luxury chess products. The products that are available at Studio Anne Carlton includes chess sets, chess boards, chess pieces, backgammon sets, and gift vouchers.
Chess sets available at Studio Anne Carlton:
Alice in wonderland chess sets, American civil war chess sets, American revolutionary war chess sets, art deco chess sets, battle of Bannockburn chess sets, battle of Culloden chess sets, battle of hastings chess sets, battle of Trafalgar chess sets, battle of waterloo chess sets, Celtic and Viking chess sets, Celtic chess sets, crusades chess sets, Egyptian chess sets, her majesty the Queen’s diamond jubilee commemorative chess sets, Isle of Lewis chess sets, King Arthur and Camelot chess sets, magnetic travel chess sets, medieval cathedral chess sets, medieval masked chess sets, mini Isle of Lewis chess sets, mini medieval chess sets, mini Roman chess sets, nautical chess sets, Richard the Lionheart chess sets, Robin Hood chess sets, Roman chess sets, Shakespeare and the globe chess sets, Sherlock Holmes chess sets, special edition diamond jubilee Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth figurines, tower of London chess sets, Viking chess sets, Westminster abbey chess sets, and wizard of Oz chess sets.
Chess boards available at Studio Anne Carlton:
American walnut and sycamore chess boards, black and eco mother of pearl chess boards with built in case, walnut and eco mother of pearl chess boards with built in case, black and eco mother of pearl chess boards with marquetry and legs, walnut and eco mother of pearl chess boards with marquetry and legs, chess/backgammon marquetry boards with built in sliding drawer case, black and eco mother of pearl mini chess boards with built in case, walnut and eco mother of pearl mini chess boards with built in case, black and eco mother of pearl mini chess boards with marquetry and legs, walnut and eco mother of pearl mini chess boards with marquetry and legs, and wengue and maple chess boards.
Chess pieces available at Studio Anne Carlton:
Replacement chess pieces.
Backgammon sets available at Studio Anne Carlton:
Classic large backgammon sets, classic medium size backgammon sets, and backgammon/chess marquetry boards with built in sliding drawer case.
Gift vouchers available at Studio Anne Carlton:
£100 gift vouchers.
Studio Anne Carlton customer service and customer experience
The Studio Anne Carlton customer service team can be contacted via mail and email 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and their contact information can be found within their returns policy page. Studio Anne Carlton does not have a dedicated customer service page on desktop devices or any customer reviews online which can make it difficult to locate the contact information for their customer service team without a mobile or tablet device and it also makes it difficult to determine what experience customers have had whilst shopping with Studio Anne Carlton in the past. However, whilst determining the quality of Studio Anne Carlton’s customer service is challenging, determining how customers of Studio Anne Carlton feel about the quality of their chess products is much easier. Studio Anne Carlton products have received both positive and negative reviews on sites such as Chesshouse.com, Houseofstaunton.com, and Amazon.com. Customers that have left positive reviews after purchasing Studio Anne Carlton products on Chesshouse.com, Houseofstaunton.com, and Amazon.com have expressed their satisfaction with the quality, and the detailed craftsmanship of Studio Anne Carlton chess sets. On the other hand the customers that have left negative reviews on Chesshouse.com and Amazon.com have expressed their dissatisfaction with the quality of the felt padding on the bottom of Studio Anne Carlton chess pieces stating that they are thin and are prone to shedding, the poor quality of some of their chess boards, and the poor quality of their product packaging. Although Studio Anne Carlton have very few customer reviews the majority of their customers that have left reviews after purchasing their products were generally pleased with their chess sets.
Trustworthiness and reputation
Studio Anne Carlton has served the chess community in the UK and around the world for over 50 years and is a pioneer of the UK online chess industry. Studio Anne Carlton ranks relatively high on the scale of trustworthiness even though they have a small number of customer reviews that can be used to verify their trustworthiness. Some of the factors that contribute to their trustworthiness include their high percentage of positive reviews compared to negative reviews, their long history of serving and supplying the chess community with high quality and expertly crafted handmade chess sets, and their association with other reputable online chess stores such as Chesshouse.com. Studio Anne Carlton’s chess products are currently made in the UK which enables them to place a greater amount of effort into ensuring their products are of the highest quality as they are also based in the UK, and which was much harder to do when their manufacturing was based in China. Another factor that contributes to Studio Anne Carlton’s trustworthiness is their transparency as they have a clear and comprehensive terms of service policy which outlines exactly what customers can expect when shopping with them. Studio Anne Carlton is one of the most popular online chess stores in the UK and around the world and they have built a reputation over their many years in business for creating and supplying high-quality and expertly crafted handmade chess products.
Pricing and affordability
Studio Anne Carlton has a large catalogue of high-quality chess products that are crafted by highly skilled artists, and which caters to the tastes and budgets of chess enthusiasts with an interest in luxury chess products. The chess sets that are available at Studio Anne Carlton are priced as low as 19.97 pounds on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 545 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The chess boards are priced as low as 145 pounds on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 1,195 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. The chess pieces are priced as low as 40 pounds. The backgammon sets are priced as low as 595 pounds on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 795 pounds on the higher end of the spectrum. Lastly, the gift vouchers are priced as low as 100 pounds.
Available Payment methods
Studio Anne Carlton accepts numerous payment methods which includes American Express, Mastercard, PayPal, PayPal Pay Later, Maestro, and Visa.
Shipping, cancellations, returns, exchanges, and delivery performance
Studio Anne Carlton ships both nationally and internationally to over 200 countries around the world. Studio Anne Carlton provides free standard shipping on orders that are priced at over 50 pounds and customers can also choose a tracked courier shipping service which costs 10 pounds. Deliveries to Northern Ireland, Ireland, The Scottish Highlands, The Isle of Wight, The Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey will be subject to a surcharge on standard UK shipping prices. Customers are advised to inspect their orders as soon as they have received them and make any damaged goods claims with 24 hours of receiving their orders as any damaged goods claims that are raised by customers after 24 hours of receiving their orders will not be accepted by Studio Anne Carlton. With respect to European law customers that live within the European Union have the right to withdraw from the purchase of items within seven working days from the date their items are delivered however this law only applies to items that have not been opened are still in their original sealed packaging. Customers that wish to return unwanted items must do so at their own cost and using a signed for courier service. Studio Anne Carlton are not able to exchange items that are not damaged, defective, or incorrect after seven working days from the date items have been delivered or if items have been used or removed from their original packaging. Items that are returned will be inspected by Studio Anne Carlton and if approved customers will receive a credit minus the initial cost of shipping. In order to return an item customers must email Studio Anne Carlton, provide their order number, the item they wish to return and then wait for confirmation to return the item. Customer should email Studio Anne Carlton if they have purchased faulty goods after a period of 14 days for advice on how to proceed and customers should notify Studio Anne Carlton within 48 hours of receiving goods in the event that goods are damaged in transit, after which time Studio Anne Carlton will not be able to accept any damaged goods claims.
Website navigation and mobile friendliness
The Studio Anne Carlton website is intuitively designed, easy to navigate and mobile friendly with easily identifiable product categories and a search bar that’s located at the top right corner of the website which customers can use to search for specific items. On mobile and tablet devices clicking on the hamburger menu that’s located at the top of the website will display the different categories such as the shop page, the about us page, the replacement chess pieces page, the terms and conditions page, the contact us page, the log in/ sign in page, the shopping cart, and links to their social media pages. On desktop devices the product categories are located at the top of the website and hovering over the about us category and the terms and conditions category will display the different subcategories within each category. The Studio Anne Carlton website is as easy to navigate on mobile and tablet devices as it is on desktop devices, and it has clear and vivid product images and comprehensive product descriptions which enables customers to gain all the information that’s needed to make well informed purchasing decisions. The Studio Anne Carlton website is also secured with TSL/SSL encryption which protects customers sensitive information such as any passwords or credit card numbers thats used on the site from malicious entities whilst interacting with the site. Overall, the Studio Anne Carlton website is easy to navigate, mobile friendly, intuitively designed with the customers convenience in mind, and well stocked with a wide range of high quality and skilfully crafted products.
Studio Anne Carlton strengths and weaknesses
Studio Anne Carlton’s main strengths are their wide range of high quality and expertly crafted products, their ability to accept a wide variety of payment methods, their competitive pricing, their worldwide shipping capabilities, and their association with numerous reputable online chess stores. Studio Anne Carlton also has some weaknesses which if addressed will significantly improve their store as well as the shopping experience for existing and future customers. Studio Anne Carlton’s main weaknesses are the absence of a footer menu which can make it difficult for customers to navigate their website, the absence of live chat and a contact us page on desktop devices which makes it difficult for customers to communicate with the Studio Anne Carlton customer service team, their lack of customer reviews which makes it challenging for customers to assess the standard of customer service they can expect to receive from the Studio Anne Carlton customer service team, and the poor quality of their chess products and product packaging according to customer reviews. Overall, Studio Anne Carlton is a reputable online chess store which has a long history of serving the chess community with high quality handmade chess products both in the UK and around the world.
Conclusion
Online chess stores are an essential part of the chess industry, and they play a crucial role in sustaining the global chess community as they enable chess players to access essential equipment and resources that will enable them to improve their skills in chess however not all online chess stores are made the same as some are clearly better than others. In this article i have highlighted 25 of the most prominent online chess stores, each having defining characteristics. Some online chess stores specialise in supplying high end chess products, some specialise in supplying chess products for professional chess players, and some specialise in supplying chess products for chess players for all ages, tastes, budgets, and experience levels. Whether you’re a professional chess player in search of a chess set that’s suitable for practice sessions, a chess set collector in search of unique chess products, or a chess enthusiast in search of a high-quality chess set, this catalogue of online chess stores will enable you to find the perfect online chess store.
