Travel Chess Sets

Our take

A travel chess set has one job that a normal set does not: it has to survive being moved mid game. That sounds obvious and it is the thing cheap travel sets fail at. The board gets bumped, the position goes, and after the second time nobody bothers setting it up again. Everything else, the timber, the size, how it looks, is secondary to whether the position stays put when the tray table gets knocked.

There are only three ways to solve it. Magnets, fitted slots that hold each piece in a recess, or pegs through the base. Almost every set we stock solves it with magnets, and that is why the detail lives in our magnetic chess sets range rather than here. What this page is for is the decision before that one: how small the set needs to be, and how much weight you are willing to carry to get a board you can actually read.

My honest steer: most people buy too small. A 26mm king packs beautifully and is genuinely fiddly to play a full game on. If the set is going in a suitcase rather than a jacket pocket, take the 30cm board and carry the extra kilo.

Kurt Ebrado, Customer Experience & Resident Player, Sterling Chess

Packed size and weight, which is the real decision

Board size gets quoted everywhere. Packed size and weight are what determine whether a set actually travels, because those decide whether it lives in the bag permanently or gets left at home after the first trip. The range here runs from about 400g to a little over 1.5kg.

• 18cm board, around 400g: folds shut into a box roughly 7 by 3.5 by 1.5 inches, with fitted slots inside so every chessman has its own place. The one that lives in a bag without you thinking about it, and the one you will find fiddly for a serious game.
• 22cm round board, around 500g: a circle that folds to a semicircle 38mm deep. One straight edge to sit against the side of a bag and no corners to catch.
• 23cm round board with a drawer: does not fold at all. A fixed disc with the pieces in a drawer underneath, so there is no hinge through the middle of the position and setting up is quicker than anything else here.
• 30cm board, just over 1kg: folds to 30 by 15 by 5.6cm. The sensible middle of the range and the one most people should buy, because a 60mm king reads properly and it still packs flat.
• 30cm board on a case with a side drawer: same board size, different idea. The pieces sit in cut slots in a drawer rather than folding inside the board, in sheesham, padauk or ebony against boxwood.
• 35cm board, about 1.5kg: a 70mm king and 36mm squares. Heavy enough that it is really a home set that happens to fold, which is exactly why some people prefer it.

The three ways a travel set holds its position

Worth understanding before you buy anything anywhere, because it is the difference between a set that works on a train and one that does not.

• Magnets. A magnetic stud in the base of each piece against a concealed iron sheet in the board. Pieces sit wherever you put them rather than snapping to a grid, so the set still plays like chess. This is how almost everything in our range does it, and the magnetic chess sets range covers it properly.
• Fitted slots. Recesses inside the folded board, one per chessman. These hold the pieces in transit rather than during play, which solves storage rather than mid game movement. Some sets do both.
• Pegs. A pin through the base into a hole in each square. Secure, and slower to set up and put away than either of the others.

Folding, or a case with a drawer?

Two shapes dominate this range and they suit different bags. A folding set closes along a hinge and travels as a flat rectangle, which slides into a laptop sleeve or a seat pocket. A case with a drawer keeps the playing surface in one piece, so there is no seam through the centre files, and it is quicker to start and stop because opening a drawer beats unfolding a board and working out where each piece belongs.

The trade is depth against flatness. Folding sets pack thinner; drawer sets want a bag with a bit of room. Boards that fold flat without pieces are in our folding chess boards range, and full size sets that fold for storage rather than travel are in folding chess sets.

Frequently asked questions

What size travel chess set should I buy?

A 30cm board with a 60mm king if it is going in a suitcase or a day bag, because it plays like a real set and still packs flat. An 18cm or 22cm board if it has to fit a jacket pocket or a small backpack and you accept that the pieces are small. Most buyers regret going smaller rather than larger.

Are travel chess sets magnetic?

Nearly all of ours are, because magnets are the only mechanism that holds a position while you are actually playing. The full range with the details of how the magnets work is in magnetic chess sets.

Will the pieces stay put on a plane?

Yes, through turbulence, a knocked tray table and the board being tilted to pass across a seat. They will not survive the board being turned upside down, and no travel set at any price will.

Are these plastic or timber?

Timber. Sheesham on the dark squares and pieces against maple on the light, on lacquered boards. Most travel sets sold in Australia are moulded plastic, and these deliberately are not.

Where do the pieces go when the game is over?

Inside the set. The folding boards close with the chessmen held in fitted slots, and the drawer sets have cut slots in the drawer. Nothing here needs a separate pouch, which is the usual way a travel set quietly loses a bishop.

Can I use a travel set for a proper game?

From about a 60mm king upward, comfortably. The 30cm and 35cm sets have real Staunton proportions and will not feel like a compromise on a table. Below that they are made for a game in transit rather than a club night. For a full size set see our chess sets range.

Do you ship travel chess sets Australia wide?

Yes. Everything here is Australian stock, shipped domestically with local support, and covered by 100 day free returns.

Backed by Sterling Chess

Every set here has been packed, carried and deliberately jostled before it went into the catalogue, which is the only way to find out whether a travel set is any good. That is how we can tell you which of these are genuinely pocketable and which are a home set with a hinge.

If you are choosing between two sizes, that is worth two minutes before you order rather than a return afterwards. Call us on (03) 7037 0931 or email support@sterlingchess.com.au. 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.