Chess is among the hottest board video games on the planet, and with good motive. Chess is not all the time about successful; it is an artwork, science, and a sport to proceed studying from. Even after an uptick in curiosity because of the recognition of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit a couple of years in the past, chess stays a favourite sport out and in of those traits. Why? It’s not too laborious to know the principles, but it gives such depth of technique that you may continue to learn and enhancing your complete life. It’s no surprise many individuals prefer to have a chess set of their residence, even when they solely play often (or by no means). An excellent set is a beautiful centerpiece for a sideboard or espresso desk, and with it sitting there, it’s a continuing, mild encouragement to know the nettle and provides it a strive.
Buying an excellent chess set is, nonetheless, barely extra concerned than you may think. You can get a really low-cost possibility from just about any toy retailer, but it surely received’t essentially be as satisfying to play on, nor very sturdy. An excellent set of chess items wants a specific amount of weight to play, so weights are added to better-quality plastic and wooden items (you ideally need a triple-rated set). The colours must be chosen rigorously to get good distinction as, weirdly, plain black and white items get misplaced on a black-and-white board.
Whatever your finances and no matter materials or theme you need, we’ve obtained you lined with our number of the very best chess units obtainable proper now.
Best Basic Chess Set
Weighted Gambit Plastic Set
LONDON CHESS CENTRE Best Basic Chess Set
Basic can imply low-cost and cheerful, however if you would like the best set round with out sacrificing high quality, it is a reliable selection. After all, chess is a sport you possibly can deal with on your whole life, so that you would possibly as effectively spend a bit of further to get one thing substantial. This Weighted Gambit set is the traditional set of plastic items you’ll probably have seen and performed with at faculties and chess golf equipment throughout the nation.
Adding weights makes the items extra steady and makes them clean and cozy to play with. The roll-up vinyl board is tremendous handy to tackle the go and to retailer. Plus, having inexperienced and white squares, reasonably than black and white, provides higher visible distinction with the items throughout play. No surprise it’s allegedly the most well-liked plastic chess set on the planet, based on the producer.
Best Wooden Chess Set
High-Quality & Hand-Carved
Wood is the standard materials used for chess units, so there are a mess to select from. If you need a easy set, search for one with weighted items and an excellent distinction with the board. But should you really need the very best wood chess set there may be, there are a couple of luxurious manufacturers to select from.
The most astonishing of all is that this hand-carved set Dubrovnik II from Slovenia – claimed by the maker to be the “finest chessmen ever.” The design is predicated on that used for items within the 1950 Chess Olympiad held in Dubrovnik, which turned an prompt traditional, acclaimed and liked by chess champions together with the well-known Bobby Fischer. This Dubrovnik II set has a barely extra fashionable really feel however retains the unique styling. However, you’d have to attend till the yr 2025 for this cream-of-the-crop set, so we have discovered another that matches the identical craftsmanship and high quality.
Best Wooden Chess Set
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If you want an expensive wood chess set on this iconic model, there is a extra reasonably priced and accessible various set obtainable from Royal Chess Mall. The Nineteen Fifties Reproduction Fischer Dubrovnik Chess Set is made of sunshine boxwood and, like the unique, the darkish items are mahogany-gilded for an genuine really feel. The one nod to modernity is a barely elevated weighting within the base to make them barely extra satisfying to maneuver round.
Best Glass Chess Set
For Elegant Design and Decor Appearance
Gamie Best Glass Chess Set
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Glass isn’t the obvious materials for a gaming set resulting from its apparent fragility. But glass units are common, however, as a result of they appear unbelievable with out breaking the financial institution. They seize the sunshine superbly, and the widespread clear and frosted distinction used on squares and items look clear and fashionable. And, in fact, as long as you’re cautious with it, it’s a pleasure to play on.
This particular set from Gamie is our prime decide as a result of it delivers fairly a bit further over its friends for under a bit of further money. The items are bigger than customary, they’re properly designed, and the set has further touches like felt toes to keep away from harm and a storage field if you wish to put it away. It’s a pleasant sufficient show piece, nonetheless, that you just’re unlikely to wish that latter profit.
Best Marble Chess Set
For a Luxurious Set at a Higher Budget
Italfama Best Marble Chess Set
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This beautiful set from Italfama is the very best top-of-the-line marble chess set to personal. Sadly, there’s no availability for the set with the best coloration palette of black and pink for U.S. customers in the intervening time, however relaxation assured this set continues to be definitely worth the funding for severe patrons and gamers alike.
Stone is one other frequent materials used for chess units, and marble is especially common as a result of it seems to be and feels so luxurious. However, there are some minor issues with marble units. Firstly, they’re a bit of extra fragile than they seem, so care is required. Second, the very qualities that make marble enticing — its wealthy colours and veining — will be an energetic distraction in a chess set. They give the items an inclination to mix in with the board as a result of the colour distinction isn’t sufficient and the veins disrupt the piece outlines.
Best Option for Those within the U.Ok.:
If you are based mostly outdoors of the U.S., you’re in much more luck as our favourite set avoids a few of these difficulties by utilizing well-contrasted pink and black stone with thick veins, bringing heat seems to be whereas nonetheless retaining sufficient visible distinction for ease of play. U.Ok. people can store the Italfama Black and Pink Marble Chess Set right here:
Italfama Marble Chess Set
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Free Standard UK Delivery on all orders over £50
Best Lego Chess Set
Fun for the Whole Family
LEGO Traditional Chess Set
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There are quite a few themed Lego chess units obtainable, however they really feel a bit like neither one factor nor the opposite. You don’t all the time get the pleasure of constructing the set (a few of them use minifigs) and so they don’t have that beloved Lego feel and appear. Plus, if you would like a themed chess set, you’re most likely higher off getting a themed common set as there will probably be extra selections, as our subsequent few entries discover.
That stated, the choice right here needs to be the aptly named Lego conventional chess set. It’s the usual set of items besides constructed out of Lego, which already provides it a singular look in keeping with all the opposite nice units we all know and love. You get the enjoyment of placing it collectively after which enjoying with it. This is the one LEGO chess set that is not at present retired.
Best Harry Potter Chess Set
Fit for a Wizard
Best Harry Potter Chess Set
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When you consider a Harry Potter chess set, it’s doable you’re imagining a set the place the items appear to be well-known HP characters from the books and movies, and such units definitely exist. But they’ve two issues: they are typically too costly, and typically it’s laborious to recollect whether or not Harry and Hagrid are purported to be a rook or a king.
Luckily, as followers of the e-book sequence and flicks will definitely keep in mind, there’s another within the type of wizard chess items, the sport that Harry and Ron are keen on enjoying that proves pivotal within the very first story. These are extra just like customary chessmen, in order that they’re simpler to acknowledge, however the visible design adopted for the movie model is each distinctive and iconic. This sturdy plastic set nonetheless seems to be nice in your desk with out costing a fortune. You can faux you’re within the film finale everytime you sit right down to play.
This is certainly one of our total favourite Harry Potter items you should purchase for your self or the Potter fan in your life in 2025.
Best Star Wars Chess Sets
Top Pick: Star Wars Saga Edition
Best Star Wars Chess Set
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens Chess Set
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Unfortunately, there’s no official guidelines set for holochess as performed aboard the Millenium Falcon within the authentic Star Wars film. But that’s okay, as a result of followers of each the franchise and chess can select from quite a few traditional chess units themed to varied facets of the long-running sequence as a substitute.
Recent choices on this space are inclined to focus, for apparent causes, on more moderen Star Wars movie and TV releases, mixing them up with traditional characters from earlier within the sequence. But this Saga Edition makes no apologies for concentrating on the unique, and maybe the very best, trilogy with its widely-beloved stars like Chewbacca and Darth Vader. The sculpts are nice high quality, energetic and element, and so they’re made from good-quality laborious plastic.
The dangerous information? They’re at present out of inventory! However, the excellent news is you will get this cool Star Wars chess set that’s nonetheless a stable selection and less expensive.
Best The Lord of the Rings Chess Sets
HOYLE’S OF OXFORD Best LOTR Chess Set
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While chess isn’t talked about instantly in Tolkien’s books in anyway, references to the sport affirm its existence in Middle-earth. Perhaps it’s as a result of chess is an historical sport, performed by the Anglo-Saxon folks whose tradition Tolkien was riffing on when he created the horse-lords of the Rohirrim. So, whereas there are many character chess units for Lord of the Rings round, there’s an attract to selecting one which echoes units just like the medieval Lewis chessmen.
Enter this pretty set of sculpts by a famend British craftsman, cold-cast and given an vintage wash to deliver out the small print. Each facet is predicated on the long-lasting characters from the story, with Aragorn and Galadriel serving as king and queen for the free peoples, opposed by Sauron and Shelob of the darkish land of Mordor. And, better of all, it’s been given the official stamp of approval by the Tolkien property. It’s an excellent Lord of the Rings present for followers of the sequence who additionally love chess.
Another LOTR Winner (With a Higher Price Tag)
In case this prime decide is offered out by the point you’re studying this, one other nice possibility for a LOTR chess set is The Noble Collection The Lord of The Rings – Chess Set: Battle for Middle-Earth. If you’re searching for a LOTR collector’s merchandise that lives as a chess set, then you may as well discover this epic The Lord of the Rings chess set from The Noble Collection with a hefty price ticket of practically $500!
Best Travel Chess Set
ChessHome Leather Travel Magnetic Chess Set
Best Travel Chess Set
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Much like with fundamental chess units, you’re spoiled for selection relating to journey units. There’s quite a bit to be stated for a easy folding sleeve with flat items to simply tidy away, however flat units simply aren’t that satisfying to play with, and the two-dimensional structure could make it more durable to see strategic patterns. With that in thoughts, we’ve opted for one thing a bit of extra upmarket that is not solely sensible but in addition seems to be and feels nice to sport with.
This is a standard-format chess set, solely smaller, making it simple to hold round. It comes with a helpful pouch so you possibly can rapidly sweep the set away and pack it up. The board and items are strongly magnetized, in order that they’ll keep place in the event that they get knocked round, or if you wish to put the board apart and resume play later.
For various journey chess choices across the identical worth, see:
Best Giant Chess Set
MegaChess Large Chess Set
MegaChess Large Chess Set
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If you are eager to play some large chess outdoors, there are fairly a couple of huge chess units you should purchase. If you are searching for probably the most sensible model obtainable, then the MegaChess set from Amazon might be your finest wager. The largest items within the set are about 12-inches tall and the mat is about 4×4 ft, making it extra moderately sized for a large chess set and straightforward to retailer away in a shed or storage. It works nice as an informal out of doors yard sport or will be performed indoors.
How to Play Chess
If you’re a newbie or wish to grasp the principles of chess, there’s an excellent rationalization at Chess.com divided into seven steps, together with a video breakdown. You’ll must know:
- How to set up the chess board (see below)
- What the items are, and the right way to transfer them
- What the particular guidelines are
- How to win
- Basic methods
After that, it comes right down to follow, follow, follow.
How to Set Up a Chess Board
Before you possibly can play along with your new chess set, you could learn to organize the items for play.
- First, orient the board so there’s a white sq. on the underside proper.
- Put a line of pawns on the second row of squares on either side (that’s half the items down already).
- Rooks (the castle-shaped items) go in every nook behind the pawns. Then, put your two knights (the horse-shaped items) on the open squares subsequent to every rook.
- Two bishops, every with a mitre-like topping, go on the open squares subsequent to every knight.
- There must be two empty squares left behind the rank of pawns. The queen goes on the house matching her coloration and the king goes on the remaining house subsequent to the queen.
- You and your friends are prepared for chess!
Matt Thrower is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in tabletop video games. You can attain him on BlueSky at @mattthr.bsky.social.
