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This is a reproduction of a 1940s' Soviet design. The original was a club sized set used at the USSR Chess Championship held in Moscow, and what carries over is its plain, stripped back shape.
The king is at tournament height, so this is an army built for a full sized board rather than for a shelf or a small table.
Both sides are boxwood, one lacquered black and the other lacquered white. The king and the queen carry alternating colour tops, so each of those two wears the opposite colour at its crown.
There is a symmetry running through the whole design that keeps everything looking related, and the knight is the one piece drawn close to the standard Staunton horse.
You will find it in our reproduction chess pieces.
The first thing you notice is the colour. The board reads almost like a diagram, black against white over a single timber, and the two sides separate at any distance.
The second is the mass. There is real weight in the hand here, and you feel it in play: a piece lands with a thud and then sits where it is put.
The symmetry is the quiet pleasure of the design, and it comes with one consequence. The rook and the pawn stand at nearly the same height, so you tell those two apart by their heads rather than at a glance across the board.
Lacquer gives a smooth, even surface. It is worth lifting pieces off the board as you take them, and setting them down on the square they are going to, which is good practice with any wooden set.
These pieces suit large boards, with squares of 55mm to 60mm, and the wider end is the one to aim for. The feet are broad, so squares at the tight end leave much less board showing, and the back rank starts to look crowded.
This is a playing set before it is anything else. It is tournament sized, heavy in the hand and plain to read, and those are the qualities that count when the game matters more than the furniture.
It suits someone who already owns a full sized board, or is buying one at the same time. Settle that before you order, and put a tape across the squares; the look of them is not to be trusted.
It also suits anyone drawn to Soviet era design, where the elegance sits in how much has been left out. Nothing on these pieces is decorated for the sake of it.
It suits you less well if space is short. There is no board and no storage box with it, so the set needs somewhere to live between games as well as somewhere to be played.
Looking after them is a simple job. Keep the set out of direct sunlight and away from heaters, which is what makes hardwood check. Dust with a dry soft cloth, and leave oil, polish and solvents alone.
What I like about this one is that it never tries to be pretty.
It is a tournament set in the honest sense. The right height, plenty of weight, and two colours that never leave you guessing which piece is which. That is most of what a playing set has to do.
The board is the one thing to get right here. If you would rather have timber and grain to look at than black against white, our staunton chess pieces are the place to go instead.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
Squares of 55mm to 60mm, and the wider end is the better one. These are broad footed pieces, so the extra room stops the back rank looking crowded once everything is set up.
Yes. The king stands at full tournament height, and the whole army is proportioned for serious play; display was never the point of the pattern it reproduces.
Black on one army and white on the other, over boxwood. It is a smooth surface, and the two colours are what make this set so quick to read on a board.
1,500 grams for the full set. There is enough mass in each piece that it settles when you put it down and does not drift when somebody nudges the table.
34 chess pieces. What is in the box is listed in full below.
No. This listing is the chessmen only, and a board and a storage box are both bought separately. The square window in the specifications below is what a board has to match.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King |
102mm high (4.0 inch), 46mm base |
|
Queen |
86mm high (3.4 inch), 42mm base |
|
Bishop |
78mm high (3.1 inch), 41mm base |
|
Knight |
70mm high (2.8 inch), 41mm base |
|
Rook |
60mm high (2.4 inch), 41mm base |
|
Pawn |
58mm high (2.3 inch), 36mm base |
|
Dark pieces |
Black lacquered boxwood |
|
Light pieces |
White lacquered boxwood |
|
King height |
102mm |
|
Recommended square size |
55mm to 60mm (2.16 inch to 2.36 inch) |
|
Total weight of pieces |
1,500 grams (3.3 lbs) |
|
Piece count |
34 |
|
Chess board |
Not included |
34 chess pieces
Chess board not included
Storage box not included
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. If you need assistance, our team is only a call or email away.
Is shipping really free?
Yes — we offer free standard shipping on all orders across Australia, with no minimum spend. The price you see at checkout is the price you pay.
Are there any exceptions to free shipping?
No exceptions. Every order ships free, regardless of size, weight, or order value.
How long will my order take to arrive?
Orders are typically dispatched within 1–2 business days, with delivery times depending on your location. You'll receive tracking details by email once your order is on its way.
Do you ship to all areas of Australia?
Yes, we deliver Australia-wide, including regional and remote areas — all at no shipping cost to you.
Can I track my order?
Absolutely. As soon as your order ships, we'll email you a tracking number so you can follow its journey to your door.
What if I need my order quickly?
Get in touch before ordering and we'll do our best to help. Standard shipping is free, and we'll advise on the fastest available option for your area. To contact us, simply email us at support@sterlingchess.com.au, call (03) 7037 0931 or open the live chat.
Changed your mind? You can return unused, unopened items within 100 days of your order date, provided they’re in original packaging and resaleable condition. Sterling Chess will cover the cost of shipping return items under our 100-day free returns policy.
All Sterling Chess products are backed by Australian Consumer Law and include a minimum 12-month Australian warranty. If there’s an issue with your product, our team is here to help and will work to make it right.
Click here to view our full returns policy.
If you're shopping for a new chess set, you're in the right place—and here's why.
1. We know chess inside and out
At Sterling Chess, we're not just another online store. We’re chess lovers, players, collectors, and game night fanatics.
That means we care about quality, balance, and feel—and we only stock sets we’d use ourselves. From tournament-grade boards to handcrafted wooden pieces, we’ve got what real players want.
2. Unmatched variety for every player
Whether you're just learning or a lifelong grandmaster, we have something for you.
Looking for a folding set for travel? A stunning showpiece for your home? A kid-friendly set for your budding chess champion? We’ve got it all—and more.
3. Fast and FREE shipping on all orders
Shipping is FREE on all Sterling Chess orders.
We ship quickly from local and international warehouses, so you’re not waiting weeks to get your game on.
Most orders are packed and sent within 24–48 hours. Plus, you’ll get tracking updates every step of the way.
4. Customer support that actually helps
Have a question? Need help choosing a set? Our friendly team is ready to help—no scripts, no bots, just real people who care about your experience.
You can call our team anytime between business hours on (03) 7037 0931 or email us at support@sterlingchess.com.au. Alternatively, you can use our live chat during business hours to contact our helpful support team.
5. Thousands of happy customers
Don't just take our word for it—our reviews speak for themselves. Sterling Chess is trusted by thousands of players who keep coming back for more. Great products. Great service. No hassle.
6. Classic games, too
We're all about chess—but we also carry backgammon, checkers, poker and other timeless strategy games. If you love the classics, you’ll feel right at home.
Ready to make your move?
Choose a chess set that fits your style, skill level, and space—and enjoy the Sterling Chess difference. You’ll love how it looks. You’ll love how it plays. And you’ll love buying from a team that loves the game just as much as you do.
This is a reproduction of a 1940s' Soviet design. The original was a club sized set used at the USSR Chess Championship held in Moscow, and what carries over is its plain, stripped back shape.
The king is at tournament height, so this is an army built for a full sized board rather than for a shelf or a small table.
Both sides are boxwood, one lacquered black and the other lacquered white. The king and the queen carry alternating colour tops, so each of those two wears the opposite colour at its crown.
There is a symmetry running through the whole design that keeps everything looking related, and the knight is the one piece drawn close to the standard Staunton horse.
You will find it in our reproduction chess pieces.
The first thing you notice is the colour. The board reads almost like a diagram, black against white over a single timber, and the two sides separate at any distance.
The second is the mass. There is real weight in the hand here, and you feel it in play: a piece lands with a thud and then sits where it is put.
The symmetry is the quiet pleasure of the design, and it comes with one consequence. The rook and the pawn stand at nearly the same height, so you tell those two apart by their heads rather than at a glance across the board.
Lacquer gives a smooth, even surface. It is worth lifting pieces off the board as you take them, and setting them down on the square they are going to, which is good practice with any wooden set.
These pieces suit large boards, with squares of 55mm to 60mm, and the wider end is the one to aim for. The feet are broad, so squares at the tight end leave much less board showing, and the back rank starts to look crowded.
This is a playing set before it is anything else. It is tournament sized, heavy in the hand and plain to read, and those are the qualities that count when the game matters more than the furniture.
It suits someone who already owns a full sized board, or is buying one at the same time. Settle that before you order, and put a tape across the squares; the look of them is not to be trusted.
It also suits anyone drawn to Soviet era design, where the elegance sits in how much has been left out. Nothing on these pieces is decorated for the sake of it.
It suits you less well if space is short. There is no board and no storage box with it, so the set needs somewhere to live between games as well as somewhere to be played.
Looking after them is a simple job. Keep the set out of direct sunlight and away from heaters, which is what makes hardwood check. Dust with a dry soft cloth, and leave oil, polish and solvents alone.
What I like about this one is that it never tries to be pretty.
It is a tournament set in the honest sense. The right height, plenty of weight, and two colours that never leave you guessing which piece is which. That is most of what a playing set has to do.
The board is the one thing to get right here. If you would rather have timber and grain to look at than black against white, our staunton chess pieces are the place to go instead.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
Squares of 55mm to 60mm, and the wider end is the better one. These are broad footed pieces, so the extra room stops the back rank looking crowded once everything is set up.
Yes. The king stands at full tournament height, and the whole army is proportioned for serious play; display was never the point of the pattern it reproduces.
Black on one army and white on the other, over boxwood. It is a smooth surface, and the two colours are what make this set so quick to read on a board.
1,500 grams for the full set. There is enough mass in each piece that it settles when you put it down and does not drift when somebody nudges the table.
34 chess pieces. What is in the box is listed in full below.
No. This listing is the chessmen only, and a board and a storage box are both bought separately. The square window in the specifications below is what a board has to match.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King |
102mm high (4.0 inch), 46mm base |
|
Queen |
86mm high (3.4 inch), 42mm base |
|
Bishop |
78mm high (3.1 inch), 41mm base |
|
Knight |
70mm high (2.8 inch), 41mm base |
|
Rook |
60mm high (2.4 inch), 41mm base |
|
Pawn |
58mm high (2.3 inch), 36mm base |
|
Dark pieces |
Black lacquered boxwood |
|
Light pieces |
White lacquered boxwood |
|
King height |
102mm |
|
Recommended square size |
55mm to 60mm (2.16 inch to 2.36 inch) |
|
Total weight of pieces |
1,500 grams (3.3 lbs) |
|
Piece count |
34 |
|
Chess board |
Not included |
34 chess pieces
Chess board not included
Storage box not included
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. If you need assistance, our team is only a call or email away.
Is shipping really free?
Yes — we offer free standard shipping on all orders across Australia, with no minimum spend. The price you see at checkout is the price you pay.
Are there any exceptions to free shipping?
No exceptions. Every order ships free, regardless of size, weight, or order value.
How long will my order take to arrive?
Orders are typically dispatched within 1–2 business days, with delivery times depending on your location. You'll receive tracking details by email once your order is on its way.
Do you ship to all areas of Australia?
Yes, we deliver Australia-wide, including regional and remote areas — all at no shipping cost to you.
Can I track my order?
Absolutely. As soon as your order ships, we'll email you a tracking number so you can follow its journey to your door.
What if I need my order quickly?
Get in touch before ordering and we'll do our best to help. Standard shipping is free, and we'll advise on the fastest available option for your area. To contact us, simply email us at support@sterlingchess.com.au, call (03) 7037 0931 or open the live chat.
Changed your mind? You can return unused, unopened items within 100 days of your order date, provided they’re in original packaging and resaleable condition. Sterling Chess will cover the cost of shipping return items under our 100-day free returns policy.
All Sterling Chess products are backed by Australian Consumer Law and include a minimum 12-month Australian warranty. If there’s an issue with your product, our team is here to help and will work to make it right.
Click here to view our full returns policy.
If you're shopping for a new chess set, you're in the right place—and here's why.
1. We know chess inside and out
At Sterling Chess, we're not just another online store. We’re chess lovers, players, collectors, and game night fanatics.
That means we care about quality, balance, and feel—and we only stock sets we’d use ourselves. From tournament-grade boards to handcrafted wooden pieces, we’ve got what real players want.
2. Unmatched variety for every player
Whether you're just learning or a lifelong grandmaster, we have something for you.
Looking for a folding set for travel? A stunning showpiece for your home? A kid-friendly set for your budding chess champion? We’ve got it all—and more.
3. Fast and FREE shipping on all orders
Shipping is FREE on all Sterling Chess orders.
We ship quickly from local and international warehouses, so you’re not waiting weeks to get your game on.
Most orders are packed and sent within 24–48 hours. Plus, you’ll get tracking updates every step of the way.
4. Customer support that actually helps
Have a question? Need help choosing a set? Our friendly team is ready to help—no scripts, no bots, just real people who care about your experience.
You can call our team anytime between business hours on (03) 7037 0931 or email us at support@sterlingchess.com.au. Alternatively, you can use our live chat during business hours to contact our helpful support team.
5. Thousands of happy customers
Don't just take our word for it—our reviews speak for themselves. Sterling Chess is trusted by thousands of players who keep coming back for more. Great products. Great service. No hassle.
6. Classic games, too
We're all about chess—but we also carry backgammon, checkers, poker and other timeless strategy games. If you love the classics, you’ll feel right at home.
Ready to make your move?
Choose a chess set that fits your style, skill level, and space—and enjoy the Sterling Chess difference. You’ll love how it looks. You’ll love how it plays. And you’ll love buying from a team that loves the game just as much as you do.
