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The Emperor is a Staunton with a character of its own, drawn rather than borrowed, and the knight carries it.
It is given a raised, battle ready posture that reads as alert, never at rest, and the rest of the army has profile enough that the set is recognisable at a glance as this pattern and no other.
Both armies come from one timber. Boxwood is brought to a lacquered white on one side and a lacquered black on the other, so colour alone separates them.
The set is heavily weighted for stability on the board, and the king sits squarely in club playing sizes. Either side of the royal pair the feet are broad and close to one width, which leaves the back rank looking even and planted.
You will find it in our Staunton chess pieces.
The knight is the piece that names this pattern in the mind. The head is raised and the neck carried forward, so it reads as a horse alert to something, and it gives the back rank a readiness a plainer outline lacks.
What keeps it from being merely decorative is the geometry underneath. The bishop, knight and rook stand on feet of much the same width, so the opening position shows two large feet at the centre and an even band flanking them.
The heights are graded and the footprints are grouped, and the combination is what gives the set its particular look.
That breadth is also why the set sits so quietly in play. Nothing rocks and nothing creeps, and placing into a crowded corner does not disturb a neighbour.
These pieces suit boards with squares of 55mm. The king stands on a broad foot, so it is a firm fit: enough board showing to see each piece within its square and no more than that, which makes the square worth measuring before ordering.
The two sides are separated by colour and nothing else, which is unusual on a chessboard and is the whole idea of this pattern.
The contrast is a hard, clean one. Lacquered white against lacquered black reads across a room, in poor light, and to anyone meeting the set for the first time.
What the set offers is form and colour, so if the figure of the timber is what you want on a board, this is not the pattern for it.
Both lacquers catch light, so the pieces show their profiles under a lamp. Against a matte board that is a pleasing contrast; against a high gloss one it is a great deal of shine in one place.
The lacquer is a hard finish and it asks for nothing. Left alone it stays as it arrived, with no feeding and no polishing to remember.
Keep the set out of direct sun and away from a heater, dust with a dry soft cloth, and leave oil, furniture polish and solvent based cleaners alone. Be particularly careful with solvents here, since the wrong product will mark a lacquered finish in a way that cannot be put right.
The reason to buy this one is the contrast. Lacquered white against lacquered black is a hard, clean separation, and it is carried on one timber, so the board is legible without the set being a pairing of two woods.
The knight is the second reason. Head up and neck carried forward, it gives the pattern a character of its own, and the weighting holds a position exactly where it is put.
Two caveats worth knowing. This is a set about form and colour, so timber grain is not what it offers, and if you are shopping for grain it is not the one. And the fit is an exact one, so the board wants checking first. Natural timbers at a similar size sit across our luxury chess pieces.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
55mm. Measure a playing square itself, not the outside edge of the board, because there is no slack in that figure and a board cut a size either way will show it.
Yes. Both sides are boxwood. What separates them is lacquer: white for one army and black for the other, with no second species involved.
Yes, and heavily so, which is what steadies them on the board. All 34 weigh 1,400 grams between them, and that heft is what makes a piece sit down where it lands.
Under normal handling, no. Solvent based cleaners are the exception: they attack lacquer and the damage is permanent, so keep them away from the set entirely.
It is drawn in a battle ready posture. Where a plainer knight rests, this one looks up and out, and that alertness is what the pattern is remembered for.
34 chess pieces, two more than a game array uses. No board is included, so it is chosen separately to suit the square size.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King |
94mm high (3.7 inch), 43mm base |
|
Queen |
83mm high (3.3 inch), 40mm base |
|
Bishop |
77mm high (3.0 inch), 38mm base |
|
Knight |
71mm high (2.8 inch), 37mm base |
|
Rook |
60mm high (2.4 inch), 37mm base |
|
Pawn |
54mm high (2.1 inch), 30mm base |
|
Material |
Lacquered Boxwood |
|
Light pieces |
Lacquered White Boxwood |
|
Dark pieces |
Lacquered Black Boxwood |
|
Weighting |
Heavily weighted |
|
Total weight |
1,400 grams (3.0 lbs) |
|
Recommended square size |
55mm (2.16 inch) |
|
Piece count |
34 |
|
Chess board |
Not included |
34 chess pieces in lacquered white and black boxwood
Two pieces more than a standard game array uses
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 Emperor is a Staunton with a character of its own, drawn rather than borrowed, and the knight carries it.
It is given a raised, battle ready posture that reads as alert, never at rest, and the rest of the army has profile enough that the set is recognisable at a glance as this pattern and no other.
Both armies come from one timber. Boxwood is brought to a lacquered white on one side and a lacquered black on the other, so colour alone separates them.
The set is heavily weighted for stability on the board, and the king sits squarely in club playing sizes. Either side of the royal pair the feet are broad and close to one width, which leaves the back rank looking even and planted.
You will find it in our Staunton chess pieces.
The knight is the piece that names this pattern in the mind. The head is raised and the neck carried forward, so it reads as a horse alert to something, and it gives the back rank a readiness a plainer outline lacks.
What keeps it from being merely decorative is the geometry underneath. The bishop, knight and rook stand on feet of much the same width, so the opening position shows two large feet at the centre and an even band flanking them.
The heights are graded and the footprints are grouped, and the combination is what gives the set its particular look.
That breadth is also why the set sits so quietly in play. Nothing rocks and nothing creeps, and placing into a crowded corner does not disturb a neighbour.
These pieces suit boards with squares of 55mm. The king stands on a broad foot, so it is a firm fit: enough board showing to see each piece within its square and no more than that, which makes the square worth measuring before ordering.
The two sides are separated by colour and nothing else, which is unusual on a chessboard and is the whole idea of this pattern.
The contrast is a hard, clean one. Lacquered white against lacquered black reads across a room, in poor light, and to anyone meeting the set for the first time.
What the set offers is form and colour, so if the figure of the timber is what you want on a board, this is not the pattern for it.
Both lacquers catch light, so the pieces show their profiles under a lamp. Against a matte board that is a pleasing contrast; against a high gloss one it is a great deal of shine in one place.
The lacquer is a hard finish and it asks for nothing. Left alone it stays as it arrived, with no feeding and no polishing to remember.
Keep the set out of direct sun and away from a heater, dust with a dry soft cloth, and leave oil, furniture polish and solvent based cleaners alone. Be particularly careful with solvents here, since the wrong product will mark a lacquered finish in a way that cannot be put right.
The reason to buy this one is the contrast. Lacquered white against lacquered black is a hard, clean separation, and it is carried on one timber, so the board is legible without the set being a pairing of two woods.
The knight is the second reason. Head up and neck carried forward, it gives the pattern a character of its own, and the weighting holds a position exactly where it is put.
Two caveats worth knowing. This is a set about form and colour, so timber grain is not what it offers, and if you are shopping for grain it is not the one. And the fit is an exact one, so the board wants checking first. Natural timbers at a similar size sit across our luxury chess pieces.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
55mm. Measure a playing square itself, not the outside edge of the board, because there is no slack in that figure and a board cut a size either way will show it.
Yes. Both sides are boxwood. What separates them is lacquer: white for one army and black for the other, with no second species involved.
Yes, and heavily so, which is what steadies them on the board. All 34 weigh 1,400 grams between them, and that heft is what makes a piece sit down where it lands.
Under normal handling, no. Solvent based cleaners are the exception: they attack lacquer and the damage is permanent, so keep them away from the set entirely.
It is drawn in a battle ready posture. Where a plainer knight rests, this one looks up and out, and that alertness is what the pattern is remembered for.
34 chess pieces, two more than a game array uses. No board is included, so it is chosen separately to suit the square size.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King |
94mm high (3.7 inch), 43mm base |
|
Queen |
83mm high (3.3 inch), 40mm base |
|
Bishop |
77mm high (3.0 inch), 38mm base |
|
Knight |
71mm high (2.8 inch), 37mm base |
|
Rook |
60mm high (2.4 inch), 37mm base |
|
Pawn |
54mm high (2.1 inch), 30mm base |
|
Material |
Lacquered Boxwood |
|
Light pieces |
Lacquered White Boxwood |
|
Dark pieces |
Lacquered Black Boxwood |
|
Weighting |
Heavily weighted |
|
Total weight |
1,400 grams (3.0 lbs) |
|
Recommended square size |
55mm (2.16 inch) |
|
Piece count |
34 |
|
Chess board |
Not included |
34 chess pieces in lacquered white and black boxwood
Two pieces more than a standard game array uses
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.
