Luxury Chess Pieces

Luxury chess pieces

Luxury in this collection means two things, and neither of them is an exotic material. It means scale: kings run from 78mm to 159mm and the middle of the range sits around 108mm, well above an ordinary club set. And it means carving: these are the sets where the knight has been worked by hand rather than turned and left. These are pieces on their own. For a matched set with its board, see luxury chess sets.

What you are actually paying for

Worth being direct, because the word luxury does a lot of vague work in this category. Three things drive the price of a chess piece, and only one of them is the timber.

• Size. A 110mm king uses far more material than a 95mm one, and every piece on the board scales with it. Larger blanks also waste more in the turning, and a flaw that would be cut around on a small piece ruins a big one.
• Carving. The knight is the only piece that cannot be finished on a lathe. Everything else is turned; the horse is cut by hand. Hours of skilled work separate an expressive knight from a serviceable one, and that is the single largest cost difference between a good set and an ordinary one.
• Timber. Genuine ebony and bud rosewood cost more than boxwood and sheesham, because the trees grow slowly and the usable heartwood is a small part of each log. Real, but it is the third factor, not the first.

Sizes in this collection

This is the largest-format pieces collection on the site. Most of the range has a king at 100mm or above, and a good number sit at 110mm or higher. If you are looking for large chess pieces specifically, this is the right place to start. Size has consequences: a 110mm to 120mm army needs a generous board and a table with room around it, and it is not equipment you pack away between games. Board options are in chess boards, with the larger and more decorative surfaces in luxury chess boards. For anything beyond this range, see giant chess.

The materials

Ebony

Naturally black through the timber, dense, and slow-growing enough that the price reflects genuine scarcity. It polishes to a deep sheen and holds crisp detail, which is why the most heavily carved sets here tend to be ebony. An ebony army has real mass before any ballast is added.

Bud rosewood

Cut from burl and knotty growth, so the grain swirls rather than runs straight. Because the figure is unpredictable, no two bud rosewood armies are alike. It is the most visually dramatic timber in the range and the one that most rewards being looked at up close.

Boxwood and ebonised boxwood

Boxwood is the traditional light side, dense and close-grained enough to hold fine carving without chipping. Ebonised boxwood is the same timber stained black, which gives two armies with identical working properties and a lower price than genuine ebony.

Brass

A smaller group finished in gold, silver, metallic grey and antiqued copper. Brass changes the proposition entirely: far heavier than timber, and bought for presence rather than for carving. The full range is in metal chess pieces.

Reproductions are not imitations

A meaningful part of this collection is made up of reproductions, and that word is worth being clear about. A reproduction here is a faithful recreation of a documented historical pattern, turned to the original proportions rather than to modern club shapes. The 1849 Jaques design, the Zagreb 1959 pattern, sets used at named twentieth century tournaments. They are made as reproductions and sold as reproductions, which is a different thing from a counterfeit trading on someone else's name. The full range is in reproduction chess pieces.

Weighting and handling

Larger pieces need more ballast to feel right, so much of this collection is double or triple weighted. Each product page states which. Bases are felted, which matters more at this size because a heavy piece dragged across a lacquered board will mark it. There is a fuller breakdown of weighting and king heights on the Staunton chess pieces page, and of timber behaviour on the wood chess pieces page.

Who these are for

Three buyers, and it is worth knowing which one you are.

• The collector. Buying for the carving and the pattern history. Likely to own more than one set and to care which workshop cut the knight.
• The player upgrading once. Has played on a club set for years and wants one set that will outlast them. Size and feel matter more than provenance here.
• The gift buyer. Buying for someone who already plays. The safest choices are the larger Staunton patterns, because they are unmistakably chess pieces and do not depend on the recipient's taste in design.

If none of those describe you, a good club set will serve you better and cost a great deal less. That is an honest answer, not a sales one.

Browse related

• Minimalist chess pieces. Abstract and geometric designs, for a different idea of a considered set.
• Theme chess pieces. Carved and figurative sets built around a subject.
• Tournament chess pieces. Sets built for competition rather than display.
• Sunrise Chess & Games. Polish workshop, and a large part of the upper end of this collection.
• Ferrer Chess. Spanish maker working in olive and beech.
• All chess pieces. The full catalogue.

Fitted cases for larger armies are in chess piece storage boxes. For what each shape represents, see our guide to chess piece names and meanings.

Buying luxury chess pieces in Australia

Every set here is held in Australian stock and shipped from Australia, so there is no international freight wait and no customs step. Pieces are individually wrapped, which matters more at this size because a large carved knight has more to lose in transit.

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, so a set that turns out to be too large for your board can go back.

Luxury chess pieces FAQs

What makes a set of chess pieces luxury rather than standard?

In this collection, size and carving. Kings run from 78mm to 159mm with the middle of the range around 108mm, and the knights are worked by hand rather than turned and left. Timber matters too, but it is the third factor rather than the first.

How large are these pieces?

Most of the range has a king at 100mm or above, with a good number at 110mm or higher. If you want large chess pieces specifically, this is the collection to browse. Check your board first, because a large army needs a square comfortably wider than the king's base.

Is ebony worth the extra over ebonised boxwood?

It depends what you want from it. Ebony is naturally black through the timber, noticeably heavier, and holds crisp detail. Ebonised boxwood is boxwood stained black, costs less, and gives two armies with identical working properties. Neither is a compromise; they are different things.

What is bud rosewood?

Rosewood cut from burl and knotty growth, where the grain swirls rather than running straight. The figure is unpredictable, so no two bud rosewood sets look the same.

Are the reproductions in this collection genuine antiques?

No, and they are not sold as such. A reproduction is a newly made set turned to the proportions of a documented historical pattern. It is made and sold as a reproduction, which is a different thing from a counterfeit.

Are these pieces weighted?

Much of the collection is double or triple weighted, and each product page states which. Larger pieces need more ballast to feel balanced, so weighting tends to increase with size.

Do I need a board as well?

Yes. These are piece sets, so you can pair them with a board of your choosing. The luxury chess sets range pairs pieces and a board together if you would rather buy both at once.

Are they suitable for everyday play?

Yes, though size is the practical limit rather than durability. A 110mm army needs a large board and a table with room around it. If a set has to be packed away after each game, a smaller one will get used more often.