Chess is one of the most popular board games in the world, and with good reason. Chess isn't always about winning, it's an art, science and a sport to continue learning from. Even after chess had an uptick in interest due to the popularity of Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit, chess remains a favorite game in and out of these trends. Why? It’s not too hard to grasp the rules, yet it provides such depth of strategy that you can keep learning and improving your whole life. It’s no wonder many people like to have a chess set in their home, even if they only play occasionally (or not at all). A good set is a lovely centerpiece for a sideboard or coffee table and, with it sitting there, it’s a constant, gentle encouragement to grasp the nettle and give it a try.
Buying a good chess set is, however, slightly more involved than you might imagine. You can get a very cheap option from pretty much any toy store, but it won’t necessarily be as satisfying to play on, nor very durable. A good set of chess pieces needs a certain amount of weight to play, so weights are added to better-quality plastic and wood pieces, (you ideally want a triple rated set). The colors should be chosen carefully to get good contrast as, weirdly, plain black and white pieces get lost on a black and white board.
But, fear not. Whatever your budget and whatever material or theme you want, we’ve got you covered with our selection of the best chess sets available right now.
Best Basic Chess Set
Weighted Gambit Plastic Set
Basic can mean cheap and cheerful, but if you just want the simplest set around without sacrificing quality, this is a trustworthy choice. After all, chess is a game you can focus on for your entire life, so you might as well spend a little extra to get something substantial. This Weighted Gambit set is the classic set of plastic pieces that you’ll likely have seen and played with at schools and chess clubs across the country.
Adding weights makes the pieces more stable and makes them smooth and comfortable to play with. The roll-up vinyl board is super convenient to take on the go and to store. Plus, having green and white squares, rather than black and white, offers better visual contrast with the pieces during play. No wonder it’s allegedly the most popular plastic chess set in the world, according to the manufacturer.
Best Wooden Chess Set
High-Quality & Hand-Carved
Wood is the traditional material used for chess sets, so there are a multitude to choose from. If you want a straightforward set, then look for one with weighted pieces and a good contrast with the board. But if you really want the best wooden chess set there is, then there are a few luxury brands to choose from.
The most astonishing of all is this hand-carved set Dubrovnik II from Slovenia—claimed by the maker to be the “best chessmen ever”. The design is based on that used for pieces in the 1950 Chess Olympiad held in Dubrovnik, which became an instant classic, acclaimed and loved by chess champions including the famous Bobby Fischer. This Dubrovnik II set has a slightly more modern feel but retains the original styling. However, you'd have to wait until the year 2025 for this cream-of-the-crop set, so we've found an alternative that matches the same craftsmanship and quality.
If you'd like a luxurious wooden chess set in this iconic style, there's a more affordable and accessible alternative set available from Royal Chess Mall. The 1950s' Reproduction Fischer Dubrovnik Chess Set is made of light boxwood and, like the original, the dark pieces are mahogany-gilded for an authentic feel. The one nod to modernity is a slightly increased weighting in the base to make them slightly more satisfying to move around.
Best Glass Chess Set
For Elegant Design and Decor Appearance
Glass isn’t the most obvious material for a gaming set due to its obvious fragility. But glass sets are popular, nevertheless, because they look fantastic without breaking the bank. They capture the light beautifully, and the common clear and frosted distinction used on squares and pieces looks clean and modern. And, of course, so long as you’re careful with it, it’s a pleasure to play on.
This particular set from Gamie is our top pick because it delivers quite a bit extra over its peers for only a little extra cash. The pieces are larger than standard, for one thing, they’re nicely designed, and it has little extra touches like felt feet to avoid damage and a storage box if you want to put it away. It’s a nice enough display piece, however, that you’re unlikely to need that latter benefit.
Best Marble Chess Set
For a Luxurious Set at a Higher Budget
This stunning set from Italfama is the best, top-of-the-line marble chess set to own. Sadly, there’s no availability for the set with the ideal color palette of black and pink for US shoppers at the moment, but rest assured this set is still worth the investment for serious buyers and players alike.
Some of you may know stone is another frequent material used for chess sets, and marble is particularly popular because it looks and feels so luxurious. However, there are some minor problems with marble sets. Firstly, they’re a little more fragile than they appear, so care is needed. Second, the very qualities that make marble attractive—its rich colors and veining—can be an active distraction in a chess set. They give the pieces a tendency to blend in with the board because the color contrast isn’t enough and the veins disrupt the piece outlines.
Best Option For Those in the UK:
If you're based outside of the US, you’re in even more luck as our favorite set avoids some of these difficulties by using well-contrasted pink and black stone with thick veins; bringing warm looks while still retaining enough visual distinction for ease of play. UK folks can shop the Italfama Black and Pink Marble Chess Set here:
Best Lego Chess Set
Fun for the Whole Family
There are a number of themed Lego chess sets available, but they feel a bit like neither one thing nor the other. You don’t always get the pleasure of building the set, (some of them use minifigs) and they don’t have that beloved Lego look and feel. Plus, if you want a themed chess set, you’re probably better off just getting a themed set as there will be more choices, as our next few entries explore.
That said, the selection here has to be the aptly-named Lego Iconic chess set. It’s the standard set of pieces except built out of Lego, which already gives it a unique appearance in line with all the other great sets we know and love. You get the enjoyment of putting it together and then playing with it. And when you do, you’ll discover some other hidden benefits to this set: the board doubles as a storage tray, and it also comes with a set of Checkers pieces for double the fun.
Best Harry Potter Chess Set
Fit for a Wizard
When you think of a Harry Potter chess set, it’s possible you’re imagining a set where the pieces look like famous HP characters from the books and films; and such sets certainly exist. But they have two problems: they tend to be too expensive, and sometimes it’s hard to remember whether Harry and Hagrid are supposed to be a rook or a king.
Luckily, as fans of the series will certainly remember, there’s an alternative in the form of wizard chess pieces, the game that Harry and Ron are fond of playing and that proves pivotal in the very first story. These are more similar to standard chessmen, so they’re easier to recognize, but the visual design adopted for the film version is both distinctive and iconic. And, this durable plastic set still looks great on your table without costing a fortune. You can pretend you’re in the movie finale whenever you sit down to play.
Best Star Wars Chess Sets
Top Pick: Star Wars Saga Edition
Unfortunately, there’s no official rules set for holochess as played aboard the Millenium Falcon in the original Star Wars movie. But that’s okay, because fans of both the franchise and chess can choose from a number of classic chess sets themed to various aspects of the long-running series instead.
Recent options in this area tend to focus, for obvious reasons, on more recent Star Wars film and TV releases; mixing them up with classic characters from earlier in the series. But this Saga Edition makes no apologies for concentrating on the original, and perhaps the best, trilogy with its widely-beloved stars like Chewbacca and Darth Vader. The sculpts are great quality, full of life and detail, and they’re made of good quality hard plastic.
The bad news? There’s only one left in stock! However, the good news is you can get this cool Star Wars chess set that’s still a solid choice, and for much cheaper.
Best The Lord of the Rings Chess Sets
Note: Our top pick from Hoyles & Oxford only has one set left in stock!
While chess isn’t mentioned directly in Tolkien’s magnum opus, it’s clearly known since it’s referenced by several characters, and it fits with the aesthetic. Perhaps it’s because chess is an ancient game, played by the Anglo-Saxon people whose culture Tolkien was riffing on when he created the horse-lords of the Rohirrim. So, while there are plenty of character chess sets for Lord of the Rings around, there’s a certain allure to choosing one that echoes sets like the medieval Lewis chessmen.
Enter this lovely set of sculpts by a renowned British craftsman, cold-cast and given an antique wash to bring out the details. Each side is based on the iconic characters from the story, with Aragorn and Galadriel serving as king and queen for the free peoples, opposed by Sauron and Shelob of the dark land of Mordor. And, best of all, it’s been given the official stamp of approval by the Tolkien estate.
Another LOTR Winner (But a Higher Price Tag)
In case this top pick is sold out by the time you’re reading this, another great option for LOTR chess sets is The Noble Collection The Lord of The Rings - Chess Set: Battle for Middle-Earth; both fun and affordable. And, if you’re looking for a LOTR collector’s item that lives as a chess set, then you can also find this epic The Lord of the Rings chess set from The Noble Collection, but with a hefty price tag of nearly $500 to keep in mind!
Best Travel Chess Set
ChessHouse Leather Travel Magnetic Chess Set
Much like a basic chess set, you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to travel sets. There’s a lot to be said for a simple folding sleeve with flat pieces to easily tidy away. But flat sets just aren’t that satisfying to play with, and the two-dimensional layout can make it harder to see strategic patterns, so we’ve opted for something a little more upmarket which is not only practical but also looks and feels great to game with.
This is a standard-format chess set, only smaller, making it easy to carry around. And, it comes with a handy pouch so you can quickly sweep the set away and pack it up. The board and pieces are also strongly magnetized, so they’ll maintain position if they get knocked around, or if you want to put the board aside and resume play later.
Note: These ChessHouse sets are so popular, they’ve been backordered. For alternative travel chess options around the same price, see:
How to Play Chess
If you are a beginner or want to master the rules of chess, there’s a great explanation at Chess.com divided into seven simple steps, including a video breakdown. You'll need to know:
- How to set up the chess board (see below)
- What the pieces are and how to move the pieces
- What the special rules are
- How to win
- Basic strategies
After that, it comes down to just practice, practice, practice.
How to Set Up a Chess Board
Before you can play with your new chess set—or even if you just want to use it as a fancy display piece—you need to learn how to arrange the pieces for play.
- First, orient the board so that there’s a white square on the right-hand side.
- Then put a line of pawns on the second row of squares on each side, (that’s half the pieces down already).
- A rook, (the castle-shaped piece) goes in each corner behind the pawns. Then, put a knight, (the horse-shaped pieces), on the open square next to each rook.
- Two bishops, each with a mitre-like topping, go on the open squares next to each knight.
- There should be two empty squares left behind the rank of pawns. The queen goes on the space matching her color and, finally, the king goes on the single remaining space next to the queen. You and your guests are ready for chess.
Matt Thrower is an IGN contributor and writes stuff about games. Board, video, all sorts of games!
