Wood Chess Sets

Our take

A wood chess set is the one purchase in this catalogue people tend to make once. Timber sets outlast their owners if they are kept out of the sun, which is why it is worth spending a few minutes on the decision rather than buying the first one that looks right in a photograph. The question that actually settles it is not which timber. It is how big the set needs to be, and that follows from where it is going to live.

Sixty eight sets sit in this range and they span further than most people expect: a 26mm king that folds into a bag at one end, a 123mm king on a 60cm board at the other. The middle of the range, kings between 95mm and 105mm on boards around 53cm to 55cm, is where most buyers land and where I would start. Anything larger is a set that owns a table permanently, which is a lovely thing to own and a genuinely bad gift if you have not seen the room it is going into.

The honest caveat on timber: ebony and rosewood photograph beautifully and swallow light. If the set is going somewhere dim, sheesham against boxwood or maple will read better across the table every single game. I would rather you enjoyed the contrast than owned the rarer timber.

Blake Sterling, Founder, Sterling Chess

Choose a wood chess set by king height

King height is the fastest way to narrow sixty eight sets down to a handful, because it decides the board size, the price and where the set can live. Heights across this range run from 26mm to 123mm.

• 26mm to 60mm, travel. Sets that fold or pack, on boards from 18cm to 30cm. Most are magnetic, and they are covered properly in our magnetic chess sets and travel chess sets ranges.
• 70mm to 90mm, everyday and club. Boards of 37cm to 48cm. The Tournament Staunton German Knight with a pouch and the Stallion weighted Staunton in sheesham are the two we sell most of at this size.
• 95mm to 105mm, the standard. Boards of 53cm to 55cm, and where most buyers should start. The Championship Staunton and the GM Blitz Edition in bud rosewood are both cut to competition proportions.
• 107mm and up, display and collector. Boards of 58cm to 60cm and a permanent home. The Ferocious Elite in bud rosewood, the Dragon Knight at 120mm and the Noble Bridle at 123mm, which is the tallest army in the range.

Five kinds of wood chess set

The range divides into five groups that answer five different reasons for buying, and knowing which one you are in saves scrolling past sixty sets that were never for you.

• Historic reproductions. Twenty one sets cut to named patterns: the 1849 Staunton, the 1950 Dubrovnik, the 1959 Zagreb, Soviet and Central European designs. New timber, old shapes, gathered in reproduction chess sets.
• Luxury artisan series. Twelve heavier sets with more carving in the knights and the largest kings in the range, in ebony and boxwood or bud rosewood. Most also sit in luxury chess sets.
• Tournament and club. Ten sets cut to competition proportions, several supplied with a pouch or a case, listed alongside the rest in tournament chess sets.
• Travel and folding. Eleven sets built to pack, from a 18cm board upward, in folding chess sets.
• Brand sets. Twenty from makers we carry as ranges in their own right, including the Dal Rossi Isle of Lewis and the Ferrer Walnut with board coordinates. Their full ranges are in Dal Rossi and Rechapados Ferrer.

The timbers

Ebony and boxwood is the most common pairing in this range, on twelve sets each, and it gives the sharpest contrast of anything here. Sheesham appears on nine, warmer and browner, and it is the pairing that reads best in ordinary indoor light. Ebonised boxwood, on another nine, is stained rather than solid ebony and gives a very similar look for less.

Beyond those: bud rosewood on four sets, the most heavily figured timber in the range and the one people notice first; rosewood proper, deeper and redder than sheesham; and walnut, mahogany, palisander and wenge across the European brand sets. Sheesham and golden rosewood are the same timber under two names, which trips up more buyers than any other question we get. If timber is the whole point for you, the wood chess pieces range shows the same timbers as armies on their own.

Board and pieces, sized together

Every set on this page arrives with its board, and the two are already matched, which is the practical argument for buying a set rather than assembling one. Boards here run from 18cm to 60cm, with 50cm, 55cm and 60cm the three commonest sizes.

If you already own a board you like, buying a set means paying for a second one, and the better answer is usually an army on its own from our wood chess pieces range paired to what you have. If it is the board you want to replace, our wood chess boards range lists square sizes so you can match it to your pieces. And the wider chess sets range covers marble, metal, themed and electronic sets alongside these.

Frequently asked questions

What size wood chess set should I buy?

For a first proper set, a king of 95mm to 105mm on a board around 53cm to 55cm. It suits a dining table, it reads clearly from both sides, and it matches competition proportions if you ever take it to a club. Go smaller only if it has to travel or share a shelf.

Do these wood chess sets include the board?

Yes. Every listing here is board and pieces together, already sized to each other. For pieces on their own see wood chess pieces, and for boards on their own see wood chess boards.

Which timber should I choose?

Sheesham against boxwood or maple if the set will be played on in ordinary light, because the contrast holds up. Ebony if the room has good natural light and you want the most formal look. Bud rosewood if you want the set to be the thing people comment on. None of them plays better than another; the difference is contrast and character.

Is sheesham the same as golden rosewood?

Yes, one timber under two names. Rosewood proper is a different, deeper and redder timber, and bud rosewood is its more figured cut, so a listing can offer both without contradicting itself.

What does weighted mean, and do I need it?

Weighted pieces carry added mass in the base so they sit firmly and do not tip when a hand brushes them. For regular play it is worth having. For a set that mostly sits on display it matters much less.

Are any of these suitable for tournament play?

Several. Look for a king between 95mm and 105mm and a board with 50mm to 55mm squares, which is the band most clubs work to. The sets cut to those proportions also appear in tournament chess sets and Staunton chess sets.

How do I care for a wood chess set?

Keep it out of direct sunlight, which fades timber faster than anything else, and wipe it with a dry or barely damp cloth. Store the pieces so they are not knocking against each other. Done that way a timber set will outlast you.

Do you ship wood chess sets Australia wide?

Yes. Everything here is Australian stock, shipped domestically with local support and packed for the weight of a timber board, and every order is covered by 100 day free returns.

Backed by Sterling Chess

Every set here has been unboxed, set up and played on before it went into the catalogue. That is how we can tell you which knights lose their detail below a certain king height, which finishes read darker in the hand than on screen, and which sets are heavier than the photographs suggest.

The question we answer most often is which size suits a particular table, and it is a two minute conversation that saves a return. 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.