The complete guide
How to Choose a 3-in-1 Wooden Chess Set
The problem with most game cupboards
Open the cupboard where your household keeps board games and there is usually a sad story in there. A chess box with a cracked lid. Draughts counters rolling loose in a drawer. Backgammon dice that vanished sometime around 2019. By the time you have hunted down a full set, the person who suggested a game has lost interest and gone back to their phone.
A wooden chess set 3 in 1 fixes that by refusing to spread out. Chess, draughts and backgammon share one board and one box. The pieces live inside. When you want to play, you lift the box down, open it, and you are already halfway to a game.
This guide walks through what matters when you are choosing one, what the specs on this particular set actually mean in practice, and how to keep it in good shape.
What a 3-in-1 board actually gives you
The three games on a set like this are not interchangeable. They fill different gaps.
Chess is the long game. It rewards patience, planning and the slow habit of asking what your opponent is really trying to do. It is also the one that intimidates people, which is why so many chess sets sit unopened.
Draughts takes about ninety seconds to explain. That makes it the game you actually reach for when you have twenty minutes and someone new at the table. It is also the best way I know to get a child interested, because a beginner can beat an adult on a good day.
Backgammon brings dice into it. That changes the mood entirely. A weaker player can win a backgammon game through luck, which keeps the match honest between a confident player and a nervous one. If you have ever watched a one-sided chess game drain all the fun out of a room, you will understand why that matters.
Having all three in one box means you can match the game to the evening rather than the other way around.
How the folding design works
The board is a folding chess board, which means it hinges in the middle and closes in on itself. The inside becomes the playing surface and the outside becomes the case. The material type on this set is listed as stainless steel and wood, and on a design like this the steel is the hinge hardware, which is the part that takes the strain every time the board opens and shuts.
The practical benefit is that the set does not need a separate bag or storage box. It stores flat on a shelf, slides upright between books, or goes in a suitcase without rattling. If you have ever tried to travel with a one-piece board and a drawstring pouch of pieces, you already know why that matters.
Before folding, it is worth taking two seconds to check the pieces are sitting properly inside. A piece caught under the hinge line is the one thing that will mark a board over time.
Board size, and why it is worth caring about
This board opens to 39 x 39 cm, listed as large. That is a real dining-table board rather than a travel novelty.
Size affects play more than people expect. On a cramped board, tall pieces crowd each other, your hand knocks over three things while moving one, and you cannot read the shape of a position at a glance. On a larger board you see the files and diagonals clearly, which genuinely helps a beginner learn faster.
It also affects who can use it. Anyone with slightly shaky hands or less sharp eyesight will find a large board far more comfortable. If you are buying one of the best chess set for adults options as a gift for an older relative, board size is usually the single most important spec.
The thickness is listed at 0.1 cm for the board panel, with the fold adding depth when closed.
Who this set suits
Families with children from about six upward get the most out of it. The manufacturer recommends 6 years and up, and that lines up with when most children can hold the rules of draughts in their head. Chess usually follows a year or two later.
Couples and housemates who want something to do that is not a screen. Two players is the format for all three games, so it works for exactly the situation where there are two of you and a free hour.
People buying a gift. It arrives complete, with 62 pieces, 2 dice and the box. Nothing else needs buying. No batteries, no assembly, no app. That makes it one of the more reliable best wooden board games to give to someone whose tastes you do not know perfectly.
Learners. If you are picking up chess as an adult, a decent set changes how often you actually practise. A nice board on the coffee table invites a game. A tatty one in a cupboard does not.
What to check before you buy any wooden set
A few things are worth thinking about regardless of which set you choose.
Check the board size against your table and your eyesight. Bigger is usually better unless you specifically need something pocketable.
Check the piece count and what is included, because "3 in 1" sets vary. This one lists 62 pieces and 2 dice, which covers all three games.
Check whether assembly or batteries are needed. Here, neither is. That sounds obvious until you unwrap a gift on a birthday morning and find it needs four AAs nobody has.
Check the age guidance if children are involved. Six and up is the stated recommendation here.
And think about where it will live. A set that folds shut and stacks flat gets used. A set that needs its own shelf and a separate pouch tends to get forgotten.
Looking after it
Wood is forgiving if you treat it sensibly. Wipe the board and the pieces with a soft dry cloth after a session, especially if snacks were involved. If something spills, a barely damp cloth is fine, but dry the surface straight away rather than letting moisture sit in the grain.
Keep it out of direct sunlight and away from radiators. Strong sun fades the contrast between the light and dark squares over a few years, and dry heat is what causes wood to move.
Store it closed and flat. Standing a folding board on its edge for years can put uneven pressure on the hinge. Lying flat, or upright with support on both sides, is better.
The set is listed for indoor use. A shaded patio table on a dry day is fine. Wet grass and beach sand are not.
A note on learning the games
None of these games need printed instructions to get going, and rules are not listed among the included components. Chess, draughts and backgammon all use standard rules that are easy to find online or in any general games book.
If you are teaching someone, start with draughts. Then move to backgammon, which introduces dice and the idea of playing the odds. Save chess for when they are already enjoying sitting at the board. Teaching chess first to a reluctant player is how most chess sets end up in cupboards.
The short version
This is a folding wooden board that plays chess, draughts and backgammon, with 62 pieces and 2 dice included. The board opens to 39 x 39 cm, which is big enough for comfortable play and clear enough for a learner. It needs no batteries and no assembly, suits two players from age 6 upward, and closes into its own case for storage or travel.
If you want one box that handles three classic games and does not spill counters across a drawer, this is a straightforward choice. Buy it for a family, a couple, a learner or a gift, and it will get used.