Magnetic Chess Sets

Our take

Nearly every magnetic chess set sold in Australia is moulded plastic from the cheap end of the toy aisle, and it does the job for about a year. The magnets in those sets are weak discs glued under hollow pieces, and once one lets go you are hunting for a bishop under a car seat. Every magnetic chess set in this range is built the other way around: solid sheesham and maple pieces with magnetic studs seated into felted bases, working against an iron sheet concealed inside the board itself. The pull is even across all sixty four squares and it does not fade.

We have set every one of these up and tipped them deliberately to see what holds. What surprises people is that a magnetic chess board this size is not just a travel compromise. The 30cm and 35cm sets have proper Staunton proportions and are perfectly good to play a real game on at home, then fold shut with the position intact if the game is not finished. If you want one set that travels and one set that lives on the table, these do both jobs. If you are buying purely for a flight or a caravan, start at the 18cm or 22cm end and save the weight.

Blake Sterling, Founder, Sterling Chess

Choose a magnetic chess set by board size

Board size is the only decision that really matters here, because every set in the range uses the same timbers and the same magnet system. Bigger boards give you larger pieces and a clearer position; smaller boards pack down to almost nothing. The range runs from 18cm to 35cm.

• 18cm board, 26mm king: the smallest set we stock. Folds shut into a box with fitted slots for all 32 chessmen, around 400g. The one that lives in a bag permanently.
• 22cm round folding board: a circle that folds to a semicircle 38mm deep and about 500g. One straight edge, no corners to catch on anything.
• 23cm round board, 33mm king: a fixed round disc with a drawer underneath, so there is no hinge running through the middle of the position. Quickest of the lot to start and pack away.
• 30cm board with drawer, 60mm king: a full size magnetic chess board on a shallow case, with a side drawer that has cut slots for the pieces. Available in sheesham, padauk or ebony against boxwood.
• 30cm folding board, 60mm king: 30mm squares and just over a kilogram. Folds to 30 x 15 x 5.6cm. The sensible all rounder if you want one magnetic set for home and away.
• 35cm folding board, 70mm king: 36mm squares and 1.54kg. Big enough that it does not read as a travel set at all until you fold it.

A 45mm king on a 25cm board sits between the round sets and the 30cm boards, and it is the compact folding option if you want something a step up from pocket sized without carrying a kilogram.

Wooden or magnetic? You do not have to choose

This is the question we are asked most often, and it rests on a false split. People picture magnetic sets as plastic and wooden sets as the serious option, because that is how the mass market has sold them for thirty years. Every set on this page is both. The dark squares and dark pieces are sheesham, the light are maple, and the magnets are a fitting inside the timber rather than a substitute for it.

What you give up against a full size set is scale. A 70mm king is smaller than the 95mm to 105mm king on a tournament chess set, and the boards do not have the presence of a solid wood chess set left out on a table. What you gain is a set that folds shut mid game and does not lose the position. If neither of those matters to you, the wider chess sets range is the better place to start.

How the magnets actually work

There are two ways to make a magnetic chess set and only one of them is any good. The cheap method puts a magnet in the piece and a magnet in each square, which means the pieces snap to the grid and fight you when you try to slide one. The method used across this range puts a magnetic stud in the base of every piece and a single thin iron sheet inside the board.

The practical difference is that pieces sit wherever you put them rather than clicking into position, so the set still plays like chess. The pull is consistent from a1 to h8, there is no soft line down the centre where two board halves meet, and the bases are felted so nothing scratches the lacquer. Tip one of these boards to forty five degrees and the position stays put. Turn it upside down and it will not, and any seller who claims otherwise has not tried it.

Magnetic, folding and travel: what is the difference?

These three words get used interchangeably and they are not the same thing. Magnetic describes how the pieces stay put. Folding describes how the board packs. Travel describes what the set is for, and a set can be any combination of the three.

• Travel chess sets: the full portable range, including non magnetic sets with fitted slots or pegs that hold the pieces mechanically instead.
• Folding chess sets: complete sets where the board closes on a hinge and stores the pieces inside, magnetic or otherwise.
• Folding chess boards: boards on their own that fold flat, if you already own pieces you want to keep using.
• Chess boards: the whole board range, from roll up tournament boards through to timber and marble.

Frequently asked questions

Are the pieces on a magnetic chess set strong enough to hold on a plane?

Yes. The magnetic studs and the iron sheet in the board hold the position through turbulence, a tray table being knocked, and the board being tilted to pass it across a seat. They will not hold if the board is turned upside down, and no magnetic chess set at any price will.

Is a magnetic chess set worth it?

If you play anywhere other than a stable table, yes. The magnets are the difference between finishing a game on a train and resetting from memory. If the set will only ever sit on a desk at home, you are paying for a feature you will not use, and a standard chess set will give you more board and bigger pieces for the money.

Which magnetic chess set is best for a beginner or a child?

The 30cm folding board with a 60mm king. It is big enough that the position reads clearly at a glance, the pieces are substantial enough to handle properly, and it folds away with everything inside so pieces do not go missing between games. The smaller boards are better suited to adults who already know the game and want something pocketable.

Do these magnetic chess sets come with the pieces?

Yes. Every set on this page is a complete 32 piece army with its matching board. If you want a magnetic board on its own you will not find one here, because the magnets only work as a pair with pieces cut to suit them. Boards sold separately are in our chess boards range.

What timber are these sets made from?

Sheesham, also sold as Indian rosewood, for the dark squares and dark pieces, against maple for the light. The 30cm set with the drawer is also offered in padauk and in ebony, both against boxwood. Boards are lacquered so the surface wipes clean after a game on the road.

Will magnets damage a phone or a laptop in the same bag?

No. The studs are small permanent magnets of the kind used in headphones and laptop lids. Modern phones, cards and drives are not affected by them at this strength. Older magnetic stripe hotel keys are the only thing we would keep in a separate pocket.

Do you ship magnetic chess sets Australia wide?

Yes. Everything on this page is held as Australian stock and ships domestically, with local support behind it and 100 day free returns.

Backed by Sterling Chess

Every magnetic chess set we list has been set up, played on and deliberately jostled before it went into the catalogue. We buy direct from the makers rather than through grey channels, which is why these are sheesham and maple rather than the plastic that dominates this category, and why we can tell you what each one actually weighs.

If you are choosing between two board sizes, that is the conversation worth having before you order rather than after. The team is a call or email away, orders ship from Australian stock, and everything is covered by 100 day free returns. More on how we work is on our why buy from us page.