BUY HANDMADE CHESS EQUIPMENT

Looking for a dependable place to buy chess boards, pieces and accessories in Britain? Welcome to Chess-Set.co.uk, a specialist store stocking everything from pocket-size magnetic sets to FIDE-approved tournament gear. All items are warehoused in the UK for quick dispatch

Chess Boards: Materials, Sizes & Price Guide

Common Woods & Finishes

• Walnut & Maple – rich chocolate grains paired with pale sapwood for classic contrast.
• Mahogany & Sycamore – warm reddish tones with tight, uniform lines.
• Wenge & Birch – near-black squares against creamy white for contemporary interiors.
• Padauk – striking orange-red that deepens with age; often veneered to keep weights sensible.
• Ebony (Ebonised Boxwood) – jet-black elegance without the CITES paperwork.
• Rosewood & Sheesham – reddish-brown swirls beloved by collectors.
• Olive or Walnut Burl – dramatic marbling on luxury display boards.

Typical Chess-Board Price Range:

• Entry-level vinyl roll-ups
  – £7 – £20
  

• Veneered hardwood boards (15″ – 18″)
  – £70 – £120
  

• Solid luxury boards (21″ – 23″)
  – £200 – £400
  

• Hand-inlaid exhibition boards (24″ +)
  – £450 – £800 +
  

Board-to-Piece Size Guide

Chess Pieces: Names, Roles & Sizing

How Many Pieces in a Set?

A standard set contains 32 pieces—16 per side

• King × 1 — one square in any direction

• Queen × 1 — any number of squares, any direction

• Rooks × 2 — straight lines horizontally or vertically

• Bishops × 2 — diagonals only

• Knights × 2 — “L-shape” (two squares one way, then one square perpendicular)

• Pawns × 8 — forward 1 (or 2 on first move); capture one square diagonally

Piece Size Guide

Complete Chess Sets

What Exactly Is a Staunton Chess Set?

• Origin & Date – Introduced to the public on 29 September 1849 by the games-maker John Jaques of London. The design itself was registered earlier that year. 

• Designer vs. Namesake – Patent credited to illustrator Nathaniel Cooke, but the set was branded with the name of England’s top player of the era, Howard Staunton, who formally endorsed it.

• Immediate Impact – Its clean, easily recognisable silhouettes supplanted ornate “St George” and “Regence” styles, quickly becoming the preferred pieces for serious play throughout Europe and America

• Key Visual Features

  • Broad, felted bases for stability

  • Knight sculpted as a realistic stallion’s head

  • Bishop with a deep mitre slot

  • Distinct coronet-crowned queen and cross-topped king

• Practical Advantages – Standardised heights and weights make the pieces comfortable to handle, easy to manufacture, and simple to identify at a glance—critical for fast or competitive time controls.

• Modern Status – The Staunton pattern (or close derivatives) is mandatory for FIDE-rated events and remains the reference design for virtually all tournament equipment worldwide.

Hand-Made in Poland

Every wooden set at Chess-Set.co.uk is carved in Poland by master craftsmen using responsibly sourced, FSC-certified hardwoods—walnut, maple, sycamore and other premium timbers chosen for strength and beauty. Each knight is hand-finished to give your board a unique, crisp character you can feel the moment you lift a piece.

How Much Does a Chess Set Cost?

• Plastic club kit with roll-up vinyl board
  – £15 – £30

• Mid-range wooden Staunton set on veneered board
  – £120 – £250

• Luxury triple-weighted ebony set with walnut board & storage box
  – £500 – £900 (varies with wood rarity and hand-carving labour)

What Is “Rule 35” in Chess Equipment?

• What it means – For a 45 mm square, the king’s base diameter should be no greater than 35 mm.

• Origin – A collector’s shortcut built from the official FIDE guideline that a king’s base be roughly 75 – 80 % of the square width (and 40 – 50 % of its own height).

• Why it matters – Keeping bases under the “35 mm on 45 mm” threshold prevents pieces from crowding files and ranks, reducing accidental knock-overs in fast play.

• How to use it – Apply the same 75–80 % rule to any board size:

  • 50 mm squares → king base ≈ 37–40 mm

  • 55 mm squares (tournament) → king base ≈ 41–44 mm

  • 60 mm squares → king base ≈ 45–48 mm

Magnetic, Electronic & Themed Equipment

Magnetic Travel Sets – Play Anywhere, Zero Slip

• Fold-up briefcase design (7–12″ closed): board halves latch shut, with a felt-lined cavity to store every piece.

• Rare-earth magnets in both base and square give a firm “click” that survives train jolts, café bumps, even light turbulence on flights.

• Weight & balance: kings average 18–25 g, heavy enough for blitz yet light enough for backpacks.

• Materials: injection-moulded ABS for budget kits; sheesham-and-boxwood or maple-and-walnut veneers for premium miniatures.

• Ideal users: commuters, students, holidaymakers, coaches running demo boards.

• Typical UK pricing (2025): £18–£30 for plastic 10″ kits, £60–£90 for hand-carved 12″ wood sets with algebraic notation.

Electronic Smart Boards – Stream, Train & Analyse

• DGT USB & Bluetooth: built-in reed-switch sensors detect every move; plug straight into Lichess, Chess.com, PlayChess, or broadcast PGNs to Twitch/YouTube.

• Supported models

  • DGT Smart Board – beech veneer, USB-C; LED rank-file coordinates for teaching.

  • DGT Pegasus – Bluetooth LE to mobile app; lithium-ion battery, 8 h on a charge.

  • DGT Bluetooth Ebony/Walnut – tournament-size 55 mm squares; pairs with DGT 3000 clock for fully FIDE-compliant e-scoring.

• Latency: < 0.1 s per move over USB; 0.3 s over BLE—practically imperceptible during blitz.

• Accessories: padded carry sleeve, piece-scanner for quick set-up, firmware updates via desktop app.

• Typical UK pricing (2025): £220–£280 for entry Smart Board, £500–£650 for full-size walnut tournament bundle.

Essential Accessories

Digital and analogue chess clocks (increment & delay). Felt-lined storage boxes to protect expensive knights. Silicone or leatherette roll-up boards for lessons. Scorebooks & pens compliant with FIDE Article 8. Board carry bags sized 21″–24″ with shoulder straps. Everything ships together under a single, transparent carriage charge.

A Short History of Chess

• 6th century CE · Chaturanga (India)
  Earliest ancestor played on an 8×8 board with four military divisions—infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots—mirroring the future pawn, knight, bishop and rook.

• 7th – 9th centuries CE · Shatranj (Persia & Islamic world)
  Rules formalised; elephants become the short-range “al-fil”, and the king (shah) is now checkmated rather than captured, giving us the term “check”.

• 9th – 11th centuries CE · Spread into the Mediterranean
  Muslim Spain and Sicily transmit shatranj to Europe, where piece names are gradually Latinised and localised.

• Late 15th century · Birth of modern moves (Spain & Italy)
  Introduction of the long-range queen (formerly the slow “fers”) and bishop (diagonal al-fil), plus the two-square pawn advance, en-passant and castling—accelerating the game into its modern, tactical form.

• 18th century · Coffee-house & Romantic era
  Chess explodes in popularity across European cafés; open, sacrificial styles dominate and national masters emerge (Philidor, La Bourdonnais, Anderssen).

• 1849 · Staunton pattern launched (London)
  Jaques of London releases Nathaniel Cooke’s Staunton design, instantly setting the visual standard still required for FIDE events today.

• 1924 · FIDE founded (Paris)
  The International Chess Federation standardises rules worldwide and organises official World Championship cycles.

• 1997 · Deep Blue vs. Kasparov
  IBM’s super-computer beats reigning champion Garry Kasparov, ushering in the computer-analysis era now integral to training.

• 21st century · Online & AI revolution
  Platforms like Chess.com, Lichess and powerful engines (Stockfish, Leela) make grandmaster-level analysis free, while classical, rapid and blitz formats coexist in global hybrid events.

Top 10 Chess Players

• Magnus Carlsen — peak Elo 2882 (world #1, May 2014)

• Garry Kasparov — peak Elo 2856 (world #1, July 1999)

• Anatoly Karpov — peak Elo 2780 (world #1, July 1994)

• Bobby Fischer — peak Elo 2785 (world #1, July 1972) 

• Vladimir Kramnik — peak Elo 2817 (world #2, Oct 2016)

• Viswanathan Anand — peak Elo 2817 (world #1, Mar 2011) 

• Emanuel Lasker — World Champion (rank #1) 1894 – 1921; won title 1894 

• José Raúl Capablanca — World Champion (rank #1) 1921 – 1927; won title 1921

• Alexander Alekhine — World Champion (rank #1) 1927 – 1935, 1937 – 1946; won title 1927 

• Mikhail Botvinnik — World Champion (rank #1) 1948 – 1963; won title 1948

FAQ

Which wood is best for longevity?

Dense hardwoods like ebony and rosewood resist dents; budget buyers can choose sheesham for similar durability without premium cost.

Can I mix any pieces with any board?

Yes—just keep to the 75–80 % king-base-to-square rule (see sizing guide) to avoid cramped files.

Do magnetic sets feel “cheap”?

Not at all; modern neodymium magnets give a satisfying “click”. Many club players use them for analysis on trains and planes.

Are your products really handmade?

All wooden pieces are lathe-turned and hand-carved in Europe. Mass-market plastic sets are injection-moulded in Asia; each listing states origin.

How fast is UK delivery?

usually 2-4 Days Shipping

Ready to Upgrade Your Game?

From a £20 starter kit to an £800 heirloom showpiece, Chess-Set.co.uk has the board, pieces and expertise to match your ambition. Browse our collections now and enjoy fast UK shipping, 30-day returns and friendly advice from real players.