Glass Chess Sets

Glass chess sets

Glass belongs on a chess board as a surface rather than as a piece. A tempered glass board gives a clean, reflective playing field with no grain and no warp, and it throws light back at whatever is standing on it. Glass pieces, by contrast, are the reason glass chess has a poor reputation: they are hard to tell apart, they chip, and they slide.

What is here uses glass the sensible way round. The Royal Selangor Star Wars Classic set pairs a 42.5 x 42.5cm tempered glass board, held on four satin pewter feet, with pieces cast in satin-finish pewter rather than glass. More of that range is on the Royal Selangor brand page.

How the set is made

The pieces are sculpted pewter mounted on bonded porcelain plinths, cool grey for the Rebel side and matte black for the Empire, which is what separates the two armies rather than the usual light and dark timber. Heights run from 6cm to 13cm including the base. The porcelain plinths give a flat, stable foot that slides cleanly on glass, which matters: pewter directly on tempered glass would be noisy and would mark.

It is an officially licensed collectible produced with The Walt Disney Company, and it arrives in licensed packaging, so it suits display and gifting as much as play.

Living with a glass board

A glass surface shows fingerprints and dust more than timber does, and it is unforgiving if a piece is dropped on it. It also reflects overhead lighting, which some players find distracting over a long game. None of that is a fault, it is the material. If you want a board built for daily play instead, timber is the answer and wood chess boards covers it. For other cast and sculptural sets, see metal chess sets and theme chess sets.

Buying in Australia

Everything here is held in Australian stock and shipped from Australia, so there is no international freight wait and no customs step.

All products sold by Sterling Chess are backed by a 12 month limited manufacturer warranty. This covers manufacturing defects and cracking, and ensures every product is 100% genuine. Sterling Chess also offers 100 day free returns.

Browse related

• Royal Selangor. The pewter brand page.
• Theme chess sets. Figurative and licensed armies.
• Metal chess sets. Cast pewter, brass and steel.
• Luxury chess sets. The collector end of the catalogue.
• Chess sets. Every matched set on the site.

Glass chess sets FAQs

Are the pieces glass as well?

The board is tempered glass and the pieces are satin-finish pewter on porcelain plinths. That pairing is deliberate: pewter gives the weight and the detail that glass pieces cannot, and the porcelain foot slides cleanly on the glass surface.

How big is the board?

42.5 x 42.5cm, on four satin pewter feet, with the pieces running from 6cm to 13cm including the base. That is a compact footprint suited to the tall sculpted pieces rather than a full club-sized board.

Is it meant to be played on or displayed?

Both, though it is bought mostly for display. It is a licensed collectible built with stable bases and real weight, so it plays properly, but the pieces are identified by character rather than by Staunton shape and take longer to read.

Does tempered glass scratch?

It resists scratching better than ordinary glass and it shows fingerprints and dust more than timber. The porcelain plinths on the pieces are what protect the surface in normal play.