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It's Good To Be King Inc

About Us

We are the premier brick and mortar chess store in the Chicago area - located in downtown Elmhurst City Centre – offering strong product selection, competitive pricing, alluring in-store experience and quality personal service.

We are open and at present have many chess sets to sell.

While, inexplicably, chess sets have not been prioritized by the world in resolving supply chain issues, we currently do have more chess sets to sell than we have had in months. Having said that, we do suggest shopping as soon as possible- we have limited quantities of certain types of sets.

Please view our “Services” page as to the chess sets that we currently have in the store for sale as well as our customer services; and view our “Photos” and “360 Tour” pages for how we enjoy displaying and selling our merchandise.

We are an independent, locally owned shop open since 1996. We are purely a brick and mortar physical retail store, selling the actual chess sets customers are viewing and “hands on” examining while in the shop. We try to make shopping enjoyable and buying easy, and every transaction is a personal and social one for us.

We draw people from Chicago and all of the surrounding metropolitan area – to browse and, if desired, to purchase and immediately walk out of the store with chess sets for themselves or to gift. We regularly have customers coming out from the city of Chicago and coming into the store from suburbs including Elmhurst, Oak Brook, Hinsdale, Burr Ridge, Downers Grove, Naperville, Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Park Ridge, and Oak Park.

We do maintain limited store hours. This allows our owners, Tom and Marguerite, to always be in the shop when we are open – being the ones who will say “hello” when you come in, answer your questions and help you with a purchase.

What We Offer

Our Specialties include:

We sell a wide range of chess merchandise at all price points -including complete chess sets of pieces and boards (including folding and magnetic sets), chessmen of Staunton and figure design, chess boards of all sizes, and chess clocks and accessories.
While carrying mostly chess merchandise, we also sell backgammon sets and checkers as well as history type merchandise including plastic toy soldiers, historic replicas, bobbleheads and playing cards.

Our Services include:

Customers are greeted and helped directly by our owners, Tom and Marguerite. They are the ones who personally select all of our products and display our merchandise; and they will be the ones who talk with you about what you are looking for, consult with you on making your selection, and take care of you at the cash register and package up your purchase.
Because our customers purchase the chess sets that they directly view and “hands on” examine at the store, we have very few issues after the sets are taken home or given as gifts. However, if there are issues, we offer refunds and exchanges – all handled at the store in person by our owners.

Our Products include:

Listed below are the major groupings/types of chess sets that we currently have in the store:
Magnetic chess sets plastic and wood: $15.99 to $89.99.
Folding and cabinet wood chess sets: $29.99 to $139.99.
Plastic tournament chessmen and roll-up boards - $29.99 to $89.99.
Historic figure chessmen/sets: $79.99 to $189.99.
Wood weighted chessmen/sets: $19.99 to $299.99.
Metal chessmen from Italy: $89.99 to $379.99.
Wood and leather chess boards - $29.99 to $199.99.
Marble and alabaster chess sets: $199.99 to $399.99.
Chess clocks – analog and digital: $49.99 to $89.99.
Please call or e-mail the store as indicated on the “Contact Us” page for more detail as to what we have in stock “up to the minute” when you are thinking to come in.

Testimonials

On 9/13/2024 Christopher Joslyn had this to say:
They were friendly, knowledgeable and helped me find the exact chess set I wanted at the price I was looking for. Great experience!

On 5/31/2024 Ramiro Crespo had this to say:
Cool place with a solid collection of sets. The lady at the register who I think was, the owner was very very nice and possibly her husband was also.

On 5/29/2024 Kristin Valdes had this to say:
I have a Bluey loving 4 year old. There is an episode about chess so she became obsessed with learning. I have wanted to come to this store for a while, so the Bluey episode seemed to be perfect motivation to do so. When I walked in, I saw beautiful statement chess boards and fun and quirky boards and some simple elegant boards. We were able to find the perfect chess board for a 4 year old (yes it exists; magnets to hold it to the board and a foldable board game for storage). There is also a book for learning chess and a meetup once a week so she can practice (or I can so we can learn together!). I loved our visit here and recommend it for anyone looking for a chess board or to improve their game.

On 5/27/2024 Michael D. had this to say:
We were impressed with the variety of chess pieces and boards on display. Store was clean and organized. First time buying a Set so I was delighted to see the variety available. The price I paid for my set seemed fair and I am happy with the purchase. Staff were professional, friendly, engaging and helpful.

On 5/22/2024 Matthew P. had this to say:
A perfect place for aspiring and experienced chess players! They have a wide range of chess sets for any budget, but I recommend buying more expensive pieces as the cheap ones tend to fall over, but you can get some high quality plastic pieces for around $25. The service was great and they are well informed, truly recommend this store for anyone in the chicago area that wants high quality chess sets.

Contact Us

It's Good To Be King Inc
129 W. 1st St. Elmhurst, IL 60126
Phone: (630) 833-5060
Email: contactus@goodtobeking.com

Kitty Corner Northwest of Elmhurst Metra Station. In The Middle of the Downtown Elmhurst Area.

Where To Find Us

Payment Types Accepted

Checks, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, Debit Cards

Our Hours

Holiday Hours May Vary. Please Call For Details.

Wednesday: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday: 11:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Friday: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Saturday: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM