Awesome Chess

Bring some desert flair to game night with this Cacti Chess Set designed by ForgeCore and sold by AllyandOlly. The 3D-printed succulent unrolls to reveal a chess board, with tiny cactus figures standing in for game pieces. A flower-topped queen, branching king, and bunny-eared knight are a few of the standouts. Available with or without magnetic pieces.

This extravagant chess set features design and craftsmanship inspired by Rolls-Royce motor cars. The board is handmade from obsidian tulip and blackwood veneers arranged at a 45º angle. Its minimal, ceramic-coated pieces are magnetic and pack away in a hidden compartment that rises from beneath its board. Available in four finishes and 13 leather colors.

This chess set from Greek board game maker Manopoulos features a design inspired by the Bauhaus movement. It features smooth, minimalist pieces carved from wood, along with a wood-framed chessboard with a leatherette surface and a storage compartment for travel. It comes in four accent colors: turquoise, black, terracotta, and green. Measures 15.75″ x 15.75″.

This limited-edition chess set from Maratac includes 32 tiny pieces, crafted one at a time from titanium. At just 0.09 oz. each, the pieces are incredibly lightweight. One note: since they’re all the same raw titanium, one customer had half of their pieces anodized to differentiate the two sides of the board. Pieces are also available individually.

Designed by artist Panisa Khunprasert, this reversible chess and checkers set features a bold color scheme and modern, minimal iconography. Both the playing pieces and board are made from sustainably-grown rubberwood, and the board slides open to provide storage. Measures 8.75″w x 8.75″d x 1.75″h.

Chess rules allow players to promote a pawn to a queen or other piece when it reaches an opponent’s back row. Inspired by Polyfjord, Works By Design engineered a chess piece that transforms from a pawn to a queen in an instant. Each pawn is made from 3D-printed parts, a spring, and magnets that trigger its mechanism. DIY templates are for sale on Patreon.

The world and characters of Elden Ring are much more pleasant to look at than to encounter. So let’s take a break from getting our butts kicked and appreciate their beauty from afar with Noggi’s amazingly detailed set featuring characters from the Lands Between as the pieces. If you have access to a 3D printer, you can buy the 3D files of the set.

The latest geeky creation from 3D designer Colby, aka ForgeCore, is a chess board that you can quickly tidy up simply by leaving the pieces on the board and rolling them up into log form. Colby designed the pieces using scans of actual mushrooms. If you sign up for a paid membership, you can download the 3D files for this set and his other creations.

This unique chess set has LED lighting inside each of its pieces. Its acrylic board uses induction to send electricity wirelessly to the pieces so they glow only when placed on the board. The board has a built-in storage drawer for pieces, and there’s an optional acrylic cover that doubles as a stand.

Uncommon Goods sells this fun and fanciful chess set for opposing fans of felines and canines. The set comes with a folding game board that doubles as a storage box and a full set of handpainted cats and dogs wearing playful hats to represent their roles in the game.

Maker W&M Levsha already created the tiniest barbecue we’ve seen. Now, he’s taken his miniaturization skills to the next level by building a tiny chess set that fits within a watch face. He had a bit of help from a laser engraver, but there was still plenty of precision craftsmanship required to pull off the feat.

This roll-up electronic chess board connects with a mobile app so you can play with people around the globe and track their moves. It also helps you build your chess skills against the app’s AI. It has embedded LEDs with magnetic sensors to detect the positions of pieces and comes with 34 weighted chess pieces.

This portable chess set has an innovative design that rolls up into a 3″ x 6″ hexagonal tube for travel. Its pieces hold in place securely with powerful magnets so you can pause and resume games, and the roll holds closed magnetically so pieces can’t fall out.

Wood Season shows us how they created a chess board that looks like its playing surface is floating on water. The trick was encasing oak wood blocks in a thick bath of clear resin, then backlighting them with LEDs. A pearlescent resin backing and floating pine cones add to the effect. The set is available for sale on Etsy.

From the Empire State Building to the Flatiron to the Freedom Tower, the New York City skyline is iconic and imposing. Celebrate your love for the Big Apple’s architecture with Ian Flood and Chris Prosser’s skyline chess set, which includes 32 buildings, made from heavyweight acrylic, along with a folding game board.

Creative Workz takes us inside a factory where workers make beautiful chess sets by cutting, milling, and polishing marble. Each piece – from the squares on the boards to the individual game pieces – is made by hand. We’re guessing OSHA wouldn’t approve of the lack of respiratory and eye protection, though.