All chess sets and boards

Chessboard or chess set: what you receive

In everyday language, people often say "chessboard" to mean the whole set. At Gambiko, we make the distinction. A chess set is complete: a board and its 32 pieces, sometimes with extra queens or storage. A chess board is sold without pieces. Chess pieces sold on their own come without a board. The exact contents of the box are written on every product page.

How to choose your chess board

Three questions are enough to find your way: where will you play, who with, and will the set stay out?

• To play often at home, a 39 to 45 cm board is comfortable. That is the size of our folding wooden chess sets with interior storage, the most popular kind.
• To travel or play with a child, a magnetic chess set keeps the pieces in place, even when the board is tilted.
• For the club or competition, choose a tournament chess set: 5 to 5.7 cm squares and a king of about 9.5 cm.
• To decorate, look at our decorative chess sets in glass, metal or lacquer.

Square size and king height

The most reliable rule is the base rule: the foot of the king should cover about three quarters of a square. Too small, and the pieces look lost; too big, and they bump into each other in the middlegame. When the square size isn't given, divide the playing area by eight: a 40 cm board with a 2 cm border gives squares of about 4.5 cm.

Wood, plastic, glass or metal

Wood remains the most pleasant to the touch and the most durable choice. Weighted plastic is light, strong and ideal at the club. Glass and metal are mainly decorative, with smaller pieces. If you are putting together your own set, pair a roll-up chess board with Staunton pieces of the right size, then add a chess clock to play to club time controls.