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A round travel set behaves differently from a folding one. There is no hinge down the middle of the position and no seam under the centre files, because the playing surface is one fixed disc, 9 inches across and 1.75 inches high. It sits in our travel chess sets collection.
Every piece carries a small magnet and the board carries a concealed iron plate, so the position holds through a bumped tray table or a shifted lap. The king is 33mm on a 14mm base and the pawns are 18mm, all scaled to the surface they stand on.
The pieces live in a drawer that pulls out from under the playing surface. Nothing needs a separate pouch, and starting the next game is a matter of sliding the drawer open, which is the practical argument for this shape.
A folding travel set closes along a hinge and travels as a flat rectangle. This one does not fold at all. It is a fixed round board with a drawer underneath, so the playing surface is uninterrupted and there is no closing mechanism running through the middle of the board.
The trade is shape. A rectangle slides into a laptop sleeve or a seat pocket; a 9 inch disc wants a bag with a bit of depth. What you get back is a set that is genuinely quicker to start and stop, because opening a drawer takes less doing than unfolding a board and finding where each piece belongs.
Sterling's 12 inch magnetic travel set with a drawer is the closest relative on the store, larger and squared off but built on the same drawer idea. The folding travel set with a 45mm king and a 25cm board is the compact folding alternative if packing flat matters more to you than the round surface does.
The magnets are what make a travel set work, and they only earn their keep if the surface under them is stable. A single fixed disc with a concealed iron plate gives an even pull across the whole board, so a piece on a1 holds as firmly as one on d4 and there is no soft line through the centre where a hinge would sit.
In practice that means you can lift the whole set and move it, tilt it towards the other player, or leave a position standing on a shelf overnight. It also means the board reads cleanly. There is no crease running through the position to distract from what is happening on the squares.
Beneath the playing surface is a drawer that pulls out to take the 32 pieces. It closes flush, so the set at rest is a plain round wooden object about the size of a dinner plate and low enough that it does not need putting away.
That arrangement suits how a travel set actually gets used. Games end mid position more often than they end in mate, and being able to sweep the pieces into a drawer and slide it shut in one movement is worth more day to day than any amount of clever engineering. It also keeps the pieces together, which is where most small sets eventually come unstuck.
The dark squares are sheesham, the Indian rosewood known botanically as Dalbergia Sissoo, with a warm reddish brown grain that reads as a real timber rather than a stain. The light squares are maple, pale and close grained, and the contrast between the two is moderate rather than stark, which is easy on the eyes in poor light on a train or a plane.
Be realistic about the scale. A 33mm king with an 18mm pawn is a small army, and the pieces are designed to be nudged into place with a fingertip rather than lifted and placed. If you want travel pieces you can properly get hold of, the larger sets in our magnetic chess sets are the ones to look at.
The fixed round surface is the reason to choose this over a folding set: an unbroken disc with an iron plate under it gives an even magnetic hold everywhere on the board, and a drawer that slides shut is faster to use than any fold. The caveat is scale, because a 33mm king and 18mm pawns are small enough that a long game becomes fiddly, and a round set does not slide flat into a bag the way a folding rectangle does. It suits a traveller who wants a good looking timber set to leave out on a side table or a hotel desk, rather than a player wanting a serious board away from home.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
No. The playing surface is a fixed round board, 9 inches across and 1.75 inches high, with a drawer underneath for the pieces.
Yes. Each piece is fitted with a small magnet and the board carries a concealed iron plate, so the position holds when the set is moved or tilted.
The king is 33mm (1.2 inch) high on a 14mm base and the pawns are 18mm high on 13mm bases.
In the drawer that pulls out from beneath the playing surface. It takes all 32 pieces and closes flush with the board.
Sheesham (Dalbergia Sissoo) on the dark squares and maple (Acer Saccharum) on the light.
Those close along a hinge and pack flat, which suits a tight bag. This one keeps an unbroken round surface and stores the pieces in a drawer instead. The folding round travel set with a 22cm board is the folding set nearest to it in size.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King height |
33mm (1.2 inch) |
|
King base diameter |
14mm (0.5 inch) |
|
Pawn height |
18mm (0.7 inch) |
|
Pawn base diameter |
13mm (0.5 inch) |
|
Piece count |
32 |
|
Pieces |
Sheesham (Dalbergia Sissoo) and maple (Acer Saccharum) |
|
Magnets |
Small magnet in every piece, concealed iron plate in the board |
|
Board shape |
Round, fixed |
|
Board diameter |
9 inch |
|
Overall height |
1.75 inch |
|
Board materials |
Sheesham (Dalbergia Sissoo) and maple (Acer Saccharum) |
|
Piece stowage |
Drawer beneath the playing surface |
32 magnetic chess pieces in sheesham and maple
One round sheesham and maple chess board, 9 inches across, with a drawer beneath the playing surface
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.
A round travel set behaves differently from a folding one. There is no hinge down the middle of the position and no seam under the centre files, because the playing surface is one fixed disc, 9 inches across and 1.75 inches high. It sits in our travel chess sets collection.
Every piece carries a small magnet and the board carries a concealed iron plate, so the position holds through a bumped tray table or a shifted lap. The king is 33mm on a 14mm base and the pawns are 18mm, all scaled to the surface they stand on.
The pieces live in a drawer that pulls out from under the playing surface. Nothing needs a separate pouch, and starting the next game is a matter of sliding the drawer open, which is the practical argument for this shape.
A folding travel set closes along a hinge and travels as a flat rectangle. This one does not fold at all. It is a fixed round board with a drawer underneath, so the playing surface is uninterrupted and there is no closing mechanism running through the middle of the board.
The trade is shape. A rectangle slides into a laptop sleeve or a seat pocket; a 9 inch disc wants a bag with a bit of depth. What you get back is a set that is genuinely quicker to start and stop, because opening a drawer takes less doing than unfolding a board and finding where each piece belongs.
Sterling's 12 inch magnetic travel set with a drawer is the closest relative on the store, larger and squared off but built on the same drawer idea. The folding travel set with a 45mm king and a 25cm board is the compact folding alternative if packing flat matters more to you than the round surface does.
The magnets are what make a travel set work, and they only earn their keep if the surface under them is stable. A single fixed disc with a concealed iron plate gives an even pull across the whole board, so a piece on a1 holds as firmly as one on d4 and there is no soft line through the centre where a hinge would sit.
In practice that means you can lift the whole set and move it, tilt it towards the other player, or leave a position standing on a shelf overnight. It also means the board reads cleanly. There is no crease running through the position to distract from what is happening on the squares.
Beneath the playing surface is a drawer that pulls out to take the 32 pieces. It closes flush, so the set at rest is a plain round wooden object about the size of a dinner plate and low enough that it does not need putting away.
That arrangement suits how a travel set actually gets used. Games end mid position more often than they end in mate, and being able to sweep the pieces into a drawer and slide it shut in one movement is worth more day to day than any amount of clever engineering. It also keeps the pieces together, which is where most small sets eventually come unstuck.
The dark squares are sheesham, the Indian rosewood known botanically as Dalbergia Sissoo, with a warm reddish brown grain that reads as a real timber rather than a stain. The light squares are maple, pale and close grained, and the contrast between the two is moderate rather than stark, which is easy on the eyes in poor light on a train or a plane.
Be realistic about the scale. A 33mm king with an 18mm pawn is a small army, and the pieces are designed to be nudged into place with a fingertip rather than lifted and placed. If you want travel pieces you can properly get hold of, the larger sets in our magnetic chess sets are the ones to look at.
The fixed round surface is the reason to choose this over a folding set: an unbroken disc with an iron plate under it gives an even magnetic hold everywhere on the board, and a drawer that slides shut is faster to use than any fold. The caveat is scale, because a 33mm king and 18mm pawns are small enough that a long game becomes fiddly, and a round set does not slide flat into a bag the way a folding rectangle does. It suits a traveller who wants a good looking timber set to leave out on a side table or a hotel desk, rather than a player wanting a serious board away from home.
- Blake Sterling, CEO & Founder, Sterling Chess
No. The playing surface is a fixed round board, 9 inches across and 1.75 inches high, with a drawer underneath for the pieces.
Yes. Each piece is fitted with a small magnet and the board carries a concealed iron plate, so the position holds when the set is moved or tilted.
The king is 33mm (1.2 inch) high on a 14mm base and the pawns are 18mm high on 13mm bases.
In the drawer that pulls out from beneath the playing surface. It takes all 32 pieces and closes flush with the board.
Sheesham (Dalbergia Sissoo) on the dark squares and maple (Acer Saccharum) on the light.
Those close along a hinge and pack flat, which suits a tight bag. This one keeps an unbroken round surface and stores the pieces in a drawer instead. The folding round travel set with a 22cm board is the folding set nearest to it in size.
|
Spec |
Detail |
|
King height |
33mm (1.2 inch) |
|
King base diameter |
14mm (0.5 inch) |
|
Pawn height |
18mm (0.7 inch) |
|
Pawn base diameter |
13mm (0.5 inch) |
|
Piece count |
32 |
|
Pieces |
Sheesham (Dalbergia Sissoo) and maple (Acer Saccharum) |
|
Magnets |
Small magnet in every piece, concealed iron plate in the board |
|
Board shape |
Round, fixed |
|
Board diameter |
9 inch |
|
Overall height |
1.75 inch |
|
Board materials |
Sheesham (Dalbergia Sissoo) and maple (Acer Saccharum) |
|
Piece stowage |
Drawer beneath the playing surface |
32 magnetic chess pieces in sheesham and maple
One round sheesham and maple chess board, 9 inches across, with a drawer beneath the playing surface
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.
