Equipment Review: Folding Go Board

Folding Go Board

Description: When it comes to go on the go (yes that just happened), this folding go board from GoGameGuru really does seem to hit the sweet spot between portability, quality, and price. It utilizes a hinge mechanism to keep the go board in one piece and even has a Chinese chess board on the reverse side! Recommended stone size are 21 or 22. It fits other stones, but it’s a bit snug. Highly recommended!

Product Details

Title, Folding Go Board
Product, Go Board (Goban)
Material, MDF Laminate
Product Dimensions, 15.8 x 15.7 x 0.6 inches (40.1 x 39.9 x 1.4 cm) [Unfolded]
Weight, 3.5 lbs / 1.6 kg
Vendor, GoGameGuru
Manufacturer, Baduk Brothers

Synopsis

What’s the best aspect about this product?

• A legitimate portable wooden board that looks great when using it!

What is one aspect this product could improve on?

• This is expected and in the product description, but I can’t help but wish that the board could accommodate all sizes of stones. Granted, that would make the board larger; but it’s just a small thing that would be nice. =D

Is it durable?

• So far so good! The laminate does seem like it could dent if you dropped something heavy on it, but it seems to hold up just fine with regular use (aka placing stones on the board). The wood also seems quite solid, but I would refrain from dropping it.

Bottom Line

1. An incredible portable board that looks great when you’re using it.
2. Fits like a dream in my backpack and delivers on portability.
3. The best portable board I’ve seen on the market so far. Highly recommended!

What I Was Hoping For

For those who have been following me since the beginning, I’m sure you remembered that I bought one quite some time ago. During my hiatus of go, it transferred ownership to my good friend Nate. So naturally, with me being back in go full force, it was inevitable that I would need to find a replacement. And though I have seen one or two online, the shipping has always been rather ridiculous or the board wasn’t quite what I was looking for. So when I found out about this product, I couldn’t order it fast enough!

My Review

As you can see in the pictures above, the board comes in a well designed box that looked quite professional. If they could translate the text into English, I could totally see this product being primed for being sold in Western stores (since some people just get weirded out by languages they don’t understand). Some of the go products I’ve seen sold in book stores and such seem a bit shoddy and could really use a make-over.

This was a pleasant surprise for me when I unfolded it. I used to play Chinese chess when I was a kid and so I was pretty psyched when I found out that this portable board could also double as a Chinese chess board. Score! But for the those who have no interest in this side, you can take comfort in that the hinges are exposed on this side so that it does not interfere with the go side of the board.

As you can see from the photos of the board in action, the size 36 stones fit rather snugly on the board and can feel a bit cluttered. So though it does fit, it would make for a more enjoyable experience to use size 21/22 stones as recommended. As a result, it’s no surprise that I will would recommend the Go Bento Box as this board’s traveling companion.

At the end of the day, this board really does a remarkable job of providing portability, great value, and a very pleasing aesthetic look for an incredible price. Definitely well worth every penny. So if you’re in the market for a folding go board, be sure to add this one to your cart!

Where Can I Buy It?

• GoGameGuru - $25.00 (shipping and handling not included)

Last Updated on November 14th, 2013