Modern Chess Sets

Modern chess sets

Modern means two quite different things on a chess set, and this range holds both. One is technology: a board that knows where the pieces are and records the game as you play. The other is sculpture: sets designed as contemporary objects, cast in pewter, where the shapes are the reason to buy.

Electronic boards and pieces

The DGT sets pair a sensor board with a matched army. The USB boards come in wenge, walnut and rosewood veneers with Royal, Classic or Timeless pieces, and the Smart Board versions come with timber or plastic armies. What you get is an ordinary-looking board that records every move, which is the appeal: the technology is under the surface rather than on it. The wider range is in electronic chess sets, with boards alone in electronic chess boards and the brand page at DGT.

Sculptural pewter

The Royal Selangor sets are the other half: hand-finished pewter, designed as objects rather than as tournament equipment. The Modernist Western set is the most abstract, the Camelot set is figurative, and the Chinese Chess set is a different game entirely, with pewter pieces cast for xiangqi rather than chess. More of the range is on the Royal Selangor brand page, and other cast sets are in metal chess sets.

Which to buy

The question is whether you want the set to do something or to be something. An electronic board earns its place if you analyse your games, play online on a physical board, or want a record without writing one. A pewter set earns its place on sight, and it will still be a good object in twenty years when the connector on the back of a board has gone out of date.

If what you actually want is a contemporary look without either, the geometric patterns in minimalist chess sets and minimalist chess pieces are the cheaper and more playable route.

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

• Electronic chess sets. Sensor boards with matched pieces.
• Royal Selangor. The pewter brand page.
• Minimalist chess sets. Geometric sets, board included.
• Luxury chess sets. The collector end of the catalogue.
• Chess sets. Every matched set on the site.

Modern chess sets FAQs

What makes a chess set modern?

On this page, either the technology or the design. The DGT sets record your moves through a sensor board; the Royal Selangor sets are contemporary sculpture in pewter. They are modern in different senses and suit different buyers.

Do the electronic sets need a computer?

The USB boards connect to a computer to record and transmit moves. Each product page states what a given board needs and what it ships with. The full range is in electronic chess sets.

Are pewter sets practical to play on?

They are playable, but they are bought for how they look. Pewter is dense, so the pieces are heavier than timber of the same size, and figurative shapes take longer to read across a board than a Staunton army.

Is the Chinese Chess set a chess set?

It is a xiangqi set, which is a related but different game with its own board and rules. It sits here because it is part of the same Royal Selangor design range.