Official World Chess Pieces – FIDE Approved

These are the only chess pieces FIDE has approved for the World Championship cycle. Daniel Weil of Pentagram drew them for the 2013 Candidates in London, with Magnus Carlsen and Vladimir Kramnik advising on how they should feel in the hand; they were played in the 2018 Carlsen–Caruana match and the three title matches before it. Hand-turned in boxwood, ebonised and natural, triple-weighted, hand-polished. The New York Times and Business Insider have both written about them, which is unusual for a chess piece.

This is the pieces alone, in a bespoke box, for the player who already has a board. A 9.5 cm king wants 5 cm squares; the Premium Board, the Walnut Board and the Ebony Board are all cut for them. If you want pieces and board together, the four editions are compared on the World Championship chess set page.

What is in the box

• 34 pieces: a full set and two extra queens, triple-weighted boxwood, ebonised and natural
• Bespoke storage box

Piece by piece

Details

Shipping and returns

Dispatched within two business days; international delivery usually takes up to 10 business days, with a tracking link after dispatch. Free shipping on orders over $300. Customs duties, where they apply, are paid by the recipient. Returns within 14 days of delivery, unused and in original packaging; EU customers can ask for a prepaid return label, its cost deducted from the refund.

A wooden board and boxwood pieces will outlast you if you keep two things away from them: water and extremes. Everything below follows from that.

The board

Keep it dry. Water lifts veneer and swells solid wood; a spilled glass should be wiped at once. Keep it out of direct sun and away from radiators, air conditioners and fans: heat and dry air make wood shrink, humidity makes it swell, and a board that lives next to a heater will eventually gap at the joints.

Dust it with a dry, soft cloth. Smudges and fingerprints come off with a cloth that is barely damp. If the surface feels sticky, wipe it dry. Once a month or so, a little beeswax or a furniture polish such as 3M keeps the lacquered boards looking new; our boards have a melamine lacquer that takes polish well.

The pieces

Boxwood wants the same thing as the board: no damp, no heat. Store the set in its box or pouch, not on a windowsill. Do not use polish on the pieces; a dry cloth is all they need. A piece that has taken a knock can be re-felted; write to us.

Folding and travel boards

Close them with the pieces inside their compartment, not loose on the board. Magnets do not mind temperature, but the felt does mind damp, so dry a travel set that has been in the rain before it goes back in the bag.

If something has gone wrong with a set, see the warranty or write to shop@worldchess.com.

Orders over $300 ship free to the US, UK and EU. Return any order within 14 days of delivery.

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