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The Bundesform, or Federal Form, emerged in Germany during the 1930s as an alternative to the Staunton chessmen, and it became widely known at the Munich Chess Olympiad of 1936.
That makes this set a design argument as much as an army. The fragile ornamental detail has been stripped out, and what is left is a clean silhouette built to be read quickly and handled hard.
The knight is where you see the thinking. It is unadorned, and it says at once that this horse was drawn for the clock and for the table.
A 97mm king puts this at tournament scale, and the army under it is proportioned to the same standards, so it is a set meant for serious games and long analysis rather than a curiosity kept on a shelf.
All 34 pieces together weigh 1,000 grams, a middling mass for an army this tall. It is one of our reproduction chess pieces.
The Bundesform is the German alternative to the traditional Staunton outline, and that is the whole point of owning one. It is a different answer to the same question about what a chess piece should look like.
Everything ornate and breakable has been taken off. What remains is carefully proportioned, so the pieces stay quick to tell apart and there is very little on them to chip or catch.
The knight carries the argument. It is deliberately undecorated where a pattern like this could easily have carried more, and it is the piece that gives this army its whole character.
That plainness is what fits it to fast chess. Blitz and rapid are rough on chessmen, and a design with nothing delicate standing proud of it takes that treatment without complaint.
These pieces suit boards with squares of 50mm to 55mm. The proportions were drawn to tournament standards, so both sizes are right: the smaller square keeps the rank looking compact, and the wider one leaves the king more room.
Both options carry the same pattern at the same king height, on the same square window, and the light army is natural boxwood either way. The dark side is the only thing you are choosing.
Ebonised is the traditional reading. Its dark army is boxwood carried to a near black, so the board is one timber in two tones and the two sides part about as sharply as they can.
Golden rosewood keeps its own timber colour instead, so two different woods face each other across the board and the step between the sides is a gentler one.
Which you take depends on what you want the pattern to say. Ebonised states the stripped down idea most plainly, with nothing on the board but a single wood in light and dark. Golden rosewood puts some colour back and makes a friendlier board.
Looking after them is the same simple job whichever you choose. 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.
If you want carving to look at, worked coronets and detailed mitres, stop here and go to our luxury chess pieces. The Bundesform will read as austere to you and nothing on this page will change that.
What is left once the ornament goes is speed. Nothing stands proud of these shapes, so blitz and rapid do not punish them, and the knight tells you what it is from across the table without one cut you could call decorative.
It is a middling weight for an army this tall, so a piece settles on its square rather than planting itself there. That suits study and fast chess. A player who wants more heft under the hand will want something else.
I would buy it for the argument. Taking the ornament off a chess piece is a real decision, and this design commits to it the whole way down to the horse.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
Squares of 50mm to 55mm. The proportions were drawn to tournament standards, so both sizes sit well, and the choice is really about how compact you want the rank to look.
The Federal Form. It is a German design of the 1930s, made as a different answer to the question the Staunton pattern had already settled, and the 1936 Olympiad in Munich made its name.
Only on the dark side. Ebonised boxwood sits at a near black and gives the crispest separation; golden rosewood holds its own colour for a softer board. The light side is boxwood in both.
Yes. It is proportioned for durability and clarity, and there is almost nothing standing proud of these shapes to snap off, which is what a set played at speed needs most.
34 chess pieces, including a spare queen of each colour. What is in the box is listed in full below.
No, neither one is included. This listing is the chessmen on their own, so a board and a box are both separate purchases. Match whatever board you buy to the square window in the specifications below.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King |
97mm high (3.8 inch), 37mm base |
|
Queen |
86mm high (3.4 inch), 37mm base |
|
Bishop, Ebonised |
76mm high (3.0 inch), 33mm base |
|
Bishop, Golden Rosewood |
77mm high (3.0 inch), 33mm base |
|
Knight |
68mm high (2.7 inch), 33mm base |
|
Rook |
47mm high (1.9 inch), 32mm base |
|
Pawn |
46mm high (1.8 inch), 28mm base |
|
Ebonised option |
Ebonised boxwood dark pieces, boxwood light pieces |
|
Golden Rosewood option |
Golden rosewood dark pieces, boxwood light pieces |
|
King height, both timbers |
97mm |
|
Recommended square size |
50mm to 55mm (1.96 inch to 2.16 inch) |
|
Total weight of pieces |
1,000 grams (2.2 lbs) |
|
Piece count |
34 |
|
Chess board |
Not included |
34 chess pieces in the timber option you select, including a spare queen of each colour
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.
The Bundesform, or Federal Form, emerged in Germany during the 1930s as an alternative to the Staunton chessmen, and it became widely known at the Munich Chess Olympiad of 1936.
That makes this set a design argument as much as an army. The fragile ornamental detail has been stripped out, and what is left is a clean silhouette built to be read quickly and handled hard.
The knight is where you see the thinking. It is unadorned, and it says at once that this horse was drawn for the clock and for the table.
A 97mm king puts this at tournament scale, and the army under it is proportioned to the same standards, so it is a set meant for serious games and long analysis rather than a curiosity kept on a shelf.
All 34 pieces together weigh 1,000 grams, a middling mass for an army this tall. It is one of our reproduction chess pieces.
The Bundesform is the German alternative to the traditional Staunton outline, and that is the whole point of owning one. It is a different answer to the same question about what a chess piece should look like.
Everything ornate and breakable has been taken off. What remains is carefully proportioned, so the pieces stay quick to tell apart and there is very little on them to chip or catch.
The knight carries the argument. It is deliberately undecorated where a pattern like this could easily have carried more, and it is the piece that gives this army its whole character.
That plainness is what fits it to fast chess. Blitz and rapid are rough on chessmen, and a design with nothing delicate standing proud of it takes that treatment without complaint.
These pieces suit boards with squares of 50mm to 55mm. The proportions were drawn to tournament standards, so both sizes are right: the smaller square keeps the rank looking compact, and the wider one leaves the king more room.
Both options carry the same pattern at the same king height, on the same square window, and the light army is natural boxwood either way. The dark side is the only thing you are choosing.
Ebonised is the traditional reading. Its dark army is boxwood carried to a near black, so the board is one timber in two tones and the two sides part about as sharply as they can.
Golden rosewood keeps its own timber colour instead, so two different woods face each other across the board and the step between the sides is a gentler one.
Which you take depends on what you want the pattern to say. Ebonised states the stripped down idea most plainly, with nothing on the board but a single wood in light and dark. Golden rosewood puts some colour back and makes a friendlier board.
Looking after them is the same simple job whichever you choose. 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.
If you want carving to look at, worked coronets and detailed mitres, stop here and go to our luxury chess pieces. The Bundesform will read as austere to you and nothing on this page will change that.
What is left once the ornament goes is speed. Nothing stands proud of these shapes, so blitz and rapid do not punish them, and the knight tells you what it is from across the table without one cut you could call decorative.
It is a middling weight for an army this tall, so a piece settles on its square rather than planting itself there. That suits study and fast chess. A player who wants more heft under the hand will want something else.
I would buy it for the argument. Taking the ornament off a chess piece is a real decision, and this design commits to it the whole way down to the horse.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
Squares of 50mm to 55mm. The proportions were drawn to tournament standards, so both sizes sit well, and the choice is really about how compact you want the rank to look.
The Federal Form. It is a German design of the 1930s, made as a different answer to the question the Staunton pattern had already settled, and the 1936 Olympiad in Munich made its name.
Only on the dark side. Ebonised boxwood sits at a near black and gives the crispest separation; golden rosewood holds its own colour for a softer board. The light side is boxwood in both.
Yes. It is proportioned for durability and clarity, and there is almost nothing standing proud of these shapes to snap off, which is what a set played at speed needs most.
34 chess pieces, including a spare queen of each colour. What is in the box is listed in full below.
No, neither one is included. This listing is the chessmen on their own, so a board and a box are both separate purchases. Match whatever board you buy to the square window in the specifications below.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King |
97mm high (3.8 inch), 37mm base |
|
Queen |
86mm high (3.4 inch), 37mm base |
|
Bishop, Ebonised |
76mm high (3.0 inch), 33mm base |
|
Bishop, Golden Rosewood |
77mm high (3.0 inch), 33mm base |
|
Knight |
68mm high (2.7 inch), 33mm base |
|
Rook |
47mm high (1.9 inch), 32mm base |
|
Pawn |
46mm high (1.8 inch), 28mm base |
|
Ebonised option |
Ebonised boxwood dark pieces, boxwood light pieces |
|
Golden Rosewood option |
Golden rosewood dark pieces, boxwood light pieces |
|
King height, both timbers |
97mm |
|
Recommended square size |
50mm to 55mm (1.96 inch to 2.16 inch) |
|
Total weight of pieces |
1,000 grams (2.2 lbs) |
|
Piece count |
34 |
|
Chess board |
Not included |
34 chess pieces in the timber option you select, including a spare queen of each colour
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.
