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.
DGT Shop, which is an acronym for digital game technology, is an online chess store that’s based in the Netherlands which was founded by Albert Vasse and Ben Bulsink in 1985. DGT Shop specialises in designing, developing, manufacturing, and distributing a wide range of chess products such as digital chess clocks, game timers, electronic chess boards, chess computers, and chess accessories. DGT Shop were the first to introduce digital chess clocks to the world and sparked the transition from analogue chess clocks to digital chess clocks. DGT has been the official supplier of digital chess clocks for FIDE for over 30 years and are the manufacturers of the official FIDE chess clock which is endorsed by the world chess federation. DGT clocks are the world’s best selling chess clocks which are available in almost every country around the world and in almost every chess store that supplies chess clocks. DGT are also the manufacturers of the DGT electronic chess boards which are among the most popular electronic chess boards in the world and which are also available in almost every chess store around the world. The DGT electronic chess board allows chess players to play online chess without a computer, just using their physical electronic DGT chess board. DGT has consistently introduced innovative chess products to the chess community that merges the traditional game of chess with 21st century technology and are recognised globally as one of the most innovative market leaders of the chess industry.
Store history
DGT Shop was founded in 1985 by Ben Bulsink and Albert Vasse and were the first to introduce digital chess clocks to the market during a time when every other chess store was supplying analogue chess clocks. The first DGT chess clock was developed by Ben Bulsink in the mid 1980’s who was a student at the technical university twente enschede in the Netherlands at the time. The DGT chess clock was reviewed by the magazine of the Dutch Chess Federation who hailed it as the perfect chess clock. Ben Bulsink was only able to make 60 DGT chess clocks during the mid 1980’s as they were handmade and quite expensive to produce which made it difficult to commercialise and which caused Ben Bulsink to return to work at the University. After five years had past Albert Vasse, a chess trainer and organiser, read that the annual Melody Amber Chess Tournament was planning to introduce Fischer timing in their tournaments which sparked an idea in his mind. Albert Vasse then reached out to Ben Bulsink and together they contacted Joop Van Oosterom, the sponsor of the Melody Amber Chess Tournament, and offered to build the chess clocks for the event. Joop Van Oosterom accepted their offer and they proceeded to develop and produce the first affordable digital chess clocks. In 1993 at FIDE’s general assembly in Curibita, Brazil, FIDE awarded a three year contract to DGT Projects to produce the official FIDE chess clock. The DGT FIDE chess clock was created in partnership with the international chess federation (FIDE) adhering in full to the FIDE laws of chess and since their partnership came into effect in 1994 countless DGT FIDE chess clocks have been sold around the world which paved the way for the introduction of the DGT electronic chess board in 1998 for the 1998 Chess Olympiad in Elista.
Product selection and quality
DGT Shop has an extensive catalogue of high-quality chess products that caters to the tastes and budgets of chess players of all ages and levels of experience. The products that are available at DGT Shop include chess clocks, tournament e-boards, home use e-boards, electronic chess pieces, chess computers, non-electronic chess boards and chess pieces, and chess bags and cases.
Chess clocks available at DGT Shop:
DGT2500 official FIDE chess clocks, DGT3000 FIDE approved chess clocks, DGT3000 LE FIDE approved chess clocks, DGT2010 official FIDE chess clocks, DGT echo talking chess clocks, DGT North American chess clocks, DGT1001 black chess clocks, DGT1001 white chess clocks, DGT1002 bonus chess timers, DGT1005 Byo-Yomi timers, DGT1006 backgammon timers, DGT easy plus timers, DGT easy black beyond chess clocks, DGT easy crimson Cruz chess clocks, DGT travel timer chess clocks, DGT easy Judit Polgar chess clocks, DGT pocket timer chess clocks, DGT2010 limited edition chess clocks, DGT pyramid-4 player game timer chess clocks, DGT cube-6 player game timer chess clocks, DGT XL red chess clocks, and DGT XL beige chess clocks.
Tournament e-boards available at DGT Shop:
DGT tournament e-boards in walnut, DGT tournament e-boards in wenge, DGT tournament e-boards in rosewood, smart boards with indices, smart boards without indices, tournament connection materials, and additional tournament connection materials.
Home use e-boards available at DGT Shop:
DGT Pegasus electronic chess boards, USB e-boards in walnut, USB e-boards in rosewood, USB e-boards in wenge, Bluetooth e-boards in walnut, Bluetooth e-boards in rosewood, limited edition Bluetooth e-boards, smart boards with indices, smart boards without indices, and smart board cable sets with Fritz 19.
Electronic chess pieces available at DGT Shop:
Electronic plastic chess pieces, DGT timeless chess pieces, DGT timeless weighted chess pieces, DGT royal chess pieces, DGT royal weighted chess pieces, DGT classic chess pieces, DGT classic weighted chess pieces, DGT ebony chess pieces, DGT ebony weighted chess pieces, official weighted FIDE sets, modern Staunton weighted sets.
chess computers available at DGT Shop:
DGT centaur crystal edition chess computers, DGT centaur chess computers, DGT PI chess computers, and revelation anniversary edition chess computers.
Non electronic chess boards available at DGT Shop:
DGT walnut chess boards, Judit Polgar deluxe wooden chess boards, DGT starter chess boxes in grey, DGT starter chess boxes in brown, and DGT club packs.
Non electronic chess pieces available at DGT Shop:
DGT timeless wooden chess pieces, Judit Polgar deluxe wooden chess pieces in box, DGT 86mm plastic chess pieces, DGT 95mm plastic chess pieces in bag, DGT 95mm plastic chess pieces in box, and DGT plastic expansion packs.
chess bags available at DGT Shop:
Pegasus travel bags, centaur travel bags, black carrying bags, DGT e-board storage bags, and drawstring bags for chess pieces.
Chess cases available at DGT Shop:
Aluminium storage cases.
DGT Shop customer service and customer experience
The DGT Shop customer service can be reached via phone, mail, email, and by leaving a message on their contact form which is on their contact us page. The DGT Shop’s customer service are happy to help customers with any issues or queries they may have such as product related questions, assisting with returns and exchanges, assisting with website navigation issues or any other issues that customers may have. The DGT Shop does not have a dedicated customer reviews page on online review sites such as trustpilot.com, sitejabber.com, yelp.com, shopperapproved.com, or tenereteam.com however customers that have purchased their products for either personal or commercial purposes have expressed their opinions on both the various areas of the DGT Shops customer service as well as the quality of their products on sites such as reddit.com and on the reviews pages of other online chess stores for retail customers and on the product pages of other online chess stores for business customers. Customers that have left positive reviews are purchasing DGT Shop products have expressed their satisfaction with their fast-shipping times, their secure packaging, their extensive catalogue of high-quality chess products, the craftsmanship of their products, the condition of their products upon arrival, and the functionality of their products. On the other hand, the customers that have left negative/neutral reviews after purchasing DGT Shop products have mostly expressed their disappointment with the pricing of their products. Whilst there are very few reviews online that describe the DGT Shops standard of customer service their contact us page does highlight their willingness to assist customers with any issues they may have and makes it easy for customers to find answers to any questions that may have been asked frequently by other customers.
Trustworthiness and reputation
DGT Shop ranks highly on the scale of trustworthiness which can be verified by observing their high ratio of positive to negative customer reviews as well as other factors such as their long history of serving the chess community around the world, their relationship with many of the most reputable online stores such as Chess and Bridge, the Regency Chess Company, Chess House, World Chess Shop, Hoyle’s of Oxford, House of Staunton as well as many others, their transparency as their terms and conditions page outlines exactly what customers can expect when shopping in their store and their support page which provides additional information on the various stages of the transaction process, and their easily accessible and helpful customer service team. DGT Shop has developed a reputation during their time in business for being one of the most innovative leaders of the chess industry that has revolutionised the way chess is played and for supplying high quality chess products. DGT Shops admirable reputation has opened the door to countless partnerships with some of the most reputable institutions in the chess industry such as FIDE, the World Chess Championships, the Chess Olympiads, the Melody Amber Chess Tournament, as well as countless reputable online chess stores.
Pricing and affordability
The DGT Shop has an extensive catalogue of high-quality chess products that cater to the tastes and budgets of chess players of all ages and experience levels however the chess products at DGT Shop are ideal for professional chess players as well as chess players with ambitions to play at the professional level, chess set collectors, and chess enthusiasts in search of high end chess products. The chess clocks that are available at DGT Shop are priced as low as 25 Euros on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 255 Euros on the higher end of the spectrum. The tournament e-boards are priced as low as 290 Euros on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 1,750 Euros on the higher end of the spectrum. The home use e-boards are priced as low as 290 Euros on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 1,750 Euros on the higher end of the spectrum. The electronic chess pieces are priced as low as 135 Euros on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 690 Euros on the higher end of the spectrum. The chess computers are priced as low as 280 Euros on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 3,620 Euros on the higher end of the spectrum. The non electronic chess boards are priced as low as 20 Euros on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 180 Euros on the higher end of the spectrum. The non electronic chess pieces are priced as low as 11 Euros on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 110 Euros on the higher end of the spectrum. The chess bags are priced as low as 5 Euros on the lower end of the spectrum and as high as 65 Euros on the higher end of the spectrum. Lastly, the chess cases are priced as low as 65 Euros.
Available Payment methods
DGT Shop accepts numerous payment methods which includes iDeal, Credit and Debit Cards, PayPal, and Bank Transfers.
Shipping, cancellations, returns, exchanges, and delivery performance
DGT Shops ships both nationally and internationally to over 200 countries around the world using trackable shipping methods with couriers such as UPS. After placing an order with DGT Shop the customer’s order will be processed and dispatched within two working days however the processing and dispatch time may vary depending on the availability of the products. Orders within the E.U will be subject to VAT whereas international orders will not be subject to VAT however international orders will be subject to additional shipping fees that are the responsibility of the customer due to fees such as custom duties and taxes that are required to facilitate international deliveries. Customers will be given a tracking number from UPS as soon as orders are ready for shipment however in the event that customers do not receive a tracking number once their orders are ready to be shipped customers are advised to contact DGT Shop with their order number so that a tracking number can be provided. Customers are able to change their shipping address after placing an order in cases where an incorrect shipping address is used at checkout by emailing DGT Shop as soon as possible with their order number and their correct shipping address. Customers can cancel their orders if they are unhappy with their purchase and have 14 days from the date their items are delivered to request a return for any reason and an additional 14 days to return their unwanted items. Customers are responsible for the return shipping costs and returned items must be in their original condition and in their original packaging. Once returned items are received by DGT Shop in an acceptable condition a full refund will be issued to the customers bank account.
Website navigation and mobile friendliness
The DGT Shop website is easy to navigate, intuitively designed and mobile friendly with easy to identify product categories, and a footer menu that’s located at the bottom of the website which customers can use to find additional information such as the our story page, the newsletter, the frequently asked questions page, the DGT news page, the DGT product registration page, the DGT product support page, the about us page, the payment methods page, the returns page, the contact us page, the terms and conditions page, the privacy policy page, the cookie policy page, as well as links to their social media pages. On mobile and tablet devices, clicking on the hamburger menu that’s located at the top right corner of the screen will display the different product categories as well as links to the sign in and sign-up pages. On desktop devices hovering over the product category with the cursor will display the different types of products that are available in the DGT Shop. The DGT Shop website is as easy to navigate on mobile and tablet devices as it is on desktop devices and features clear and vivid product photos and comprehensive product descriptions so that customers can access all the information that’s needed to make well informed purchasing decisions. The DGT Shop website is also secured with TSL/SS encryption which protects customers sensitive information such as passwords and credit card numbers that are used on the site from malicious entities online. Overall, the DGT Shop website is easy to navigate, intuitively designed with the customers convenience in mind, mobile friendly, secure, and well stocked with a variety of high quality and competitively priced chess products.
DGT Shop strengths and weaknesses
DGT Shops main strengths are their easy to navigate website, their extensive catalogue of high-quality chess products, their worldwide shipping capabilities, their fast-shipping times, their secure packaging, their transparency, their helpful customer service team, their relationship with reputable chess institutions and other reputable online chess stores, their DGT dealer program which enables other online retailers to partner with the DGT Shop and offer DGT Shop products to their customers, and their ability to accept numerous payment methods. Whilst DGT Shop has many strengths it also has some weaknesses which if addressed would greatly improve the shopping experience for both existing and future customers. DGT Shops main weaknesses are their lack of online reviews which may make it difficult for potential customers to see what other customers have experienced whilst shopping in their store and determine their trustworthiness, the absence of a search bar which prevents customers from being able to search for specific products, the absence of live chat which prevents customers from communicating with their customer service team in real time, their lack of accepted payment methods which may prevent some customers from being able to shop in their store. Overall, DGT Shop is a reputable online chess store and one of the pioneers of the online chess industry with a long history of introducing innovative chess products to the global chess community.
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.
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