Quality Hand Carved Pieces For an Unsurpassed Chess Experience

Take a cursory look around the internet for chess pieces and you’ll likely find a dazzling array of sizes, shapes and materials. However, the style that most people will identify with is the Staunton Pattern design - one that as our company name would suggest, is our particular speciality and area of expertise. At the Official Staunton Chess Company, we are the world’s premier location for the very best in chess sets, chess boards and hand carved chess pieces .

Whilst we understand that chess can be played most anywhere, anytime by anyone - that is after all one of the reasons why the game is enjoyed the world over by millions - there is truly nothing like playing the beautiful game with authentic staunton chess pieces that reflect the majesty and history associated with it. It’s our passion for the game and all it encompasses that led us to team with the very best carvers the world has to offer, so that we can bring an enhanced chess experience to as many people as we can. 

Timeless Indian Craftsmanship

One of the places we source our chess pieces from is Amritsar in India, a city of great historic and cultural significance. It’s the home of the Golden Temple and also to a thriving cottage industry that produces some of the finest luxury chess pieces  in existence. You can see what exactly we mean by browsing through our catalogue. Under the Staunton design umbrella, there is a wide range of sizes, styles and finishes, however all have the unmistakable aesthetic of being created by a master craftsman.

There’s a wide spectrum to choose from. Here’s just a small selection...

You could perhaps opt for British Sheesham & Boxwood Chess Pieces , Havana Second Edition Lacquered Antique & Ebony Chess Pieces for even a more contemporary look, choose the Atlantic Series Red & Cream Chess Pieces. Whichever choice you decided upon, you it’s evident that everything we sell is designed to look amazing, last a lifetime and help you to enjoy the game as it was meant to be played.

Finding Your Ideal Chess Pieces

When trying to decide on the best wooden chess pieces for your requirements, it’s important to understand that there are no hard and fast rules on the subject. Whilst there must, of course, be consideration made for the size and aesthetics of the accompanying chess board, aspects like precise style, colour and finish are largely driven by your own particular tastes.

This may sound like it’s an imprecise science, but what it actually represents is a blank canvas on which to paint whatever picture you want to create, using your own preferences and we think it’s one of the most fun parts of the chess experience. When deciding which hand carved chess pieces  to buy, it really is a case of letting your imagination take over and seeing what happens.

Choosing Your Colouring 

Colour coordination is also a factor that will guide your hand when making your choice of chess pieces. There will be certain combinations that work best together, for example, wooden chess pieces tend to fit perfectly with chess sets that have an antique, matte finish, however, like with most things, it’s down to your own tastes. Some people prefer to use wooden hand carved chess pieces  on glossy chess boards, which provides a lovely, stark contrast - which can look amazing together.

Contrast is an oft used method of matching chess pieces with chess boards, such as when ivory chess sets are used on a lightly coloured board or dark chess boards are paired with light rosewood pieces.

Deciding on The Right Size

Whilst there is a large degree of flexibility in which choices you make when putting together your dream chess set, there will be some limitations as to the size of the luxury chess pieces  that can be used with a particular sized board. The sizes available can vary enormously, so there’s a few rules of thumb that you should be following.

Firstly, one of the key indicators of the overall size of your chess pieces is the size of your King piece. If the board you have has squares of less than 2 inches, then you’re going to be looking at sets where the King is on the small side. There are many boards on the market that have squares of around 1½ inches, which work well with small chess pieces. If you start looking a boards smaller than this, then you’re getting into the realms of travel chessboards, which is another discussion altogether.

At the other end of the scale, if your King is more than 4½ inches in length, then you’re going to find it necessary to pair it with a boards that feature squares of over 2 inches in length. This rule applies proportionally, depending on the size of the King piece, which is generally what dictates the size of board required. As long as the King piece fits nicely on your board, all the other pieces should too.

Take a Good Look Round

What we would absolutely recommend doing is to take a good look around our catalogue, not just for chess pieces, but also see the wonderful range of chess boards and complete chess sets that we supply. Each of the products we supply are distinctive in their own way and reflect the love and dedication that goes into their creation.

If after looking around, you would like some advice or guidance on making your purchase, you can talk to one of our friendly, knowledgeable team on 01948 880 060. Our guys and girls really know their stuff and they’re on hand to help you find the chess equipment that suits you best.

You can get the chess bug at any time in your life, be it as a youngster, in your twenties or even in your twilight years and with the right set to play it on, it’s a passion that will stay with you forever.