Awesome Chess

We dig the ’70s retro-mod looks of these chess sets from AQuarterPastEight. Each 12.6″ square game board and its pieces are cut from clear or fluorescent acrylic sheets. You might want to grab some matching tic-tac-toe coasters for your coffee table.

Product design student Ben Meyers and his dad David teamed up to build this amazing wooden chess set which lets them play on a spherical board. Magnets under each space allow the board turned without the pieces falling off.

A truly unique chess set that uses old-school nixie tubes as its game pieces. Each tube displays a symbol on top representing its position, and they glow without wires or plugs thanks to wireless inductive power. Also available as a DIY Kit for about $300 less.

An old man sees a young punk bragging in the park, and decides to teach him a lesson by challenging him to a game of chess. But Pete Davidson’s character isn’t about to fall victim to the clichéd scene set up by Kenan Thompson.

From SpellTower, Ridiculous Fishing and Sage Solitaire creator Zach Gage comes a challenging yet welcome take on chess. Really Bad Chess pits you against the AI in boards with a random mix of pieces. It also has daily and weekly challenges.

AberuizDesign creates 3d printed sets of chess pieces and matching wooden boards based on American cities. Choose from Chicago, Los Angeles, Dallas, Seattle, San Diego or San Francisco. You’ll need to buy both black and white sides separately, so they’re quite spendy.

Edge3D sells a ready-to-play 3D printed chess set using pieces derived from a using a Voronoi mathematical model to create holes in the pieces without destabilizing them. Available in several colors; chess board not included.

Preset Chess combines magnets with an elegant storage box to eliminate set up time. Just flip the box over and the pieces will stick to the board in their right spots. When you’re done playing, just place the pieces back in their labeled compartments.

An adaptation of Tim Crothers’ eponymous book about chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi, one of the first Ugandan Woman Candidate Masters. Born and raised in a poor neighborhood, Phiona learned chess from a sports outreach program and quickly rose up the competitive ladder.

Inspired by his own holochess board from Star Wars, Academy Award winning effects wiz Phil Tippett is working with HappyGiant to create Hologrid Monster Battle, an augmented and virtual reality board game with collectible cards and battles between Tippett’s creatures.

“You don’t even look at the board!” Grandmaster Maurice Ashley stopped by Washington Square Park in New York City to play chess with an old man who thinks he’s slick. A clip from The Tim Ferriss Experiment.

Keanu Reeves narrates a board game battle between Stephen Hawking and Paul Rudd in this incredibly weird commercial for Quantum Chess, a variant of chess that aims to demystify the basics of quantum mechanics. At least we think so. Is it real? Are we real? What?

8man’s lab is working on an electronically enhanced version of chess called Blitzkrieg Speed Chess. Players don’t have to take turns, but each piece has a cooldown period before it can be moved again.

Daniel Moynihan created this beautiful set for Marbles, The Brain Store’s recent chess set design contest. The pieces are designed to be inviting to touch, and give haptic clues to the ranking of each piece. Marbles plans to produce the set.

We have enough trouble losing pieces from out normal-sized chess sets, but you have to appreciate the craftsmanship in jeweler Sal Knight’s handcarved gold and silver chess set which is just a bit larger than a quarter.

Mate puts a complete chess set on your wall, and doubles as a playable work of art. The square pieces hold neatly in their wood cubbies, and can be ordered in a variety of colors. Measures 23.5(h) x 18.5″(w) x 2.25″(d).

Restoration Hardware’s beautiful aluminum chess set features oversize pieces which measure from 5- to 8-inches tall. The folding, inlaid wooden board measures a substantial 29-1/2″ square when opened. Hulk hands not included.

Peter Baeten’s portable chess set concept consists of flat pieces that slot onto the board. The pieces are laser cut and hand varnished and are stored in their own cutouts. A leather cover doubles as a play mat.

Olde World Collectibles & Creations makes chess sets using the from dummy rounds and spent shell casings. Some of the sets even come in an ammo box carrying case. The miniature sets are easiest on the wallet.

Handmade from nuts, bolts, pieces of steel and other hardware, this chess set is perfect for carpenters, mechanics and anyone else who uses tools. Comes in a metal tool chest along with a roll-up vinyl playing surface.

A flat-pack chess set that’s easily assembled from sheets of thick, pre-cut cardboard. We love the look of the pieces, though you wouldn’t want to play it in the rain. It’s also not all that portable once it’s assembled.

Tall Chess is the app equivalent of the vertical chess set. It’s neat and simple, and it’s free-to-play if you just want to match wits with one person at a time. If you upgrade to the paid version, you get to play multiple games at once.

Taking a more literal approach than just using first letters, these 3D-printed chess pieces use the full name of each piece as an integral part of their design. Be sure to order both black and white sets.