RNK Gaming Beginner’s Go Game Set with Reversible Bamboo 13 x 13 / 9 x 9 Grid Go Board, Bowls, & Single Convex Melamine Stones

I really like the bamboo board for this product! The lines are deep into the board rather than painted on, and the quality of it exceeded my expectations for this price range. Having both 13x13 and 9x9 sides is really useful as well for teaching new players. The bowls are designed to look like straw, and the lids have little notches on them so they can slide into the bowls and lock into position, which is nice for preventing the stones from spilling while traveling. So while the bowls have lots of functionality, they do feel cheap, as they are made of plastic. The same is true for the stones, which are made of melamine (high quality plastic), and are single convex. Single convex stones always feel wrong to me, but they get the job done. So the main thing you're paying for in this set is the board itself. Overall it's a great product for beginners and players that often teach others.

Everything matched the description of the contents, but quality control failed to notice the polish on the board.Covering 80% of the board was smooth except for a patch on the 13x13 side, which was exposing still noticeably raw wood grain. If I drug my fingers against it, I'm sure a splinter wouldn't be hard to get.I intend to fix this myself. Since the lines aren't "Inked" I can smooth out the material without worry of removing the lines too quickly, since they are "Engraved" or "Burned" Into the board, there's depth to the grid.But the fact remains, I shouldn't have to manually smooth-out, a brand new board.Otherwise I got exactly what I paid for, and to my pleasant surprise, even though the stones are melamine, (Plastic) It is a dense kind of plastic. Closer to the feeling of something between glass and resin.

The board is solid and the Bamboo is very pretty. The Bowls are plastic but feel nice and sturdy.My only complaint is that the board is sold as a beginer board but does not include any instructions on how to play the game. A single sheet with a quick start guide would have made this item a 5 Star.If you are purchasing this as a gift for someone, you will need to print out some instructions for them.

This product has exactly the board designs most valuable to beginners learning to play the game of Go. Very satisfied purchaser.