This Unconventional Chess Set chooses ‘Peace’ and ‘Truce’ over War and Destruction

Chess, often considered as the game of intellect, has been a canvas for storytelling throughout history. It weaves narratives of wars and strategies and tales that mirror the complexities of human existence. The characters, like kings, queens, knights, and pawns, carry the weight of history and symbolism. However, in the hands of visionary artist Taras Yoom, chess transcends its traditional boundaries, stepping into a realm where two kingdoms declare a truce – a symbolic new stage in life.

Designer: Taras Yoom

Yoom’s creation, “Another Kingdom: Light Stage,” is not your average chess set; it’s a handcrafted collectible that breathes life into the timeless game. Yoom, known for his work with Yoomoota, introduces a limited edition collection of 21 chess sets that embody a harmonious exchange between two realms. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, each set is a masterpiece of 3D printing from photopolymer plastic, molding, sculpting, polymer casting, and acrylic paint detailing.

The color palette, dominated by light pastels and blues, mirrors the essence of the truce and the exchange of knowledge and goods between the two kingdoms. The fusion of acrylic, metal, plastic, silicone, and wood adds a tactile richness to the pieces, making them not just strategic tools but also works of art. To further elevate the chess sets, Yoom incorporates a digital secret in the form of an NFC chip. This digital certificate validates, authenticates, and records the ownership and provenance of each artwork, ensuring a unique connection to its collector.
The Another Kingdom: Light Stage chess sets serve as a tangible link to the Yoomoota universe, specifically the planet Us2BeBetter.

According to Yoom’s narrative, the inhabitants of this celestial body are on the cusp of a new story, one that avoids conflict and destruction. The chessboard becomes the stage for this narrative, a conceptual landscape where pieces rise on two mountains, guarding a coveted artifact resembling an old pocket watch. This artifact possesses the unique power to temporarily revert the past, offering players the chance to rewrite history as they engage in the age-old game.

Describing Another Kingdom: Light Stage as the dawn of a new era in the development of the Yoomoota kingdom, Taras Yoom infuses the chess set with a festive ambiance reminiscent of an endless fair. It goes beyond the physical victories dictated by classical chess rules, offering a symbolic triumph through the discovery of a hidden treasure at the board’s center. The chess set personifies not just a game but a celebration of peace and the rewriting of destinies.

As the game unfolds, players or residents are presented with a unique opportunity to reshape the narrative of their world. The alien-like creatures that inhabit this planet add an element of otherworldliness to the playful chess set, transporting it into a realm beyond our own – the vibrant and imaginative Yoomoota.

In the intricate craftsmanship of Another Kingdom: Light Stage, Taras Yoom invites chess enthusiasts and art collectors alike to partake in a journey where strategy meets symbolism, and where the truce declared on the chessboard echoes into the vast expanse of Yoomoota.

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How the most powerful chessboard is giving a centuries-old game a 21st-century upgrade

Gaming is a multi-billion dollar industry today, but video games come and go, regardless of how popular or revolutionary they may have been. Very few games have stood the test of time compared to chess, which has been around back when years were counted in single digits. Its simple yet challenging mechanics have endeared the game to people from all walks of life across the centuries. And despite its age, chess continues to be a favorite not only among professionals but also among hobbyists of all ages. While the game itself has more or less already reached perfection, that doesn’t mean there’s no longer any room to spice things up. Imagine an almost magical playing experience worthy of Hollywood. That’s the new kind of joy that this ingenious chessboard brings to the table, no pun intended, giving chess a fresh coat of paint that will entice and encourage even novices to pick a side.

Designer: Daniel Leibovich

Click Here to Buy Now: $199 $279 ($80 off). Hurry, less than 48 hours left! Raised over $2,000,000.

Chess pieces move on their own.

Some people see chess as a game of strategy, while others consider it more of memorizing and replaying dozens of moves. Whatever your opinion might be, the one thing that remains true is that you need someone to play it with, unless you’re a master of playing against yourself. Finding an opponent isn’t always easy, especially if you’re just starting out. Thanks to today’s technologies, that’s not really a problem anymore, especially with online or even AI opponents. GoChess, however, takes that a huge step further by turning chess into a magical Hogwarts-like experience, complete with self-moving pieces.

Your game is automatically set up.

Of course, the only magic involved here is the magic of science, specifically that of magnets and small robots underneath the chessboard that can move each piece to its target square. You might think this is just some whimsical feature, but imagine playing with someone half a world away. Rather than the boring and impersonal game on a computer or phone screen, you get to play with actual physical chess pieces and still see them move in real time as if the other person is just across you. The king even falls on its own when checkmated. The GoChess app syncs with the chessboard and lets you connect with other chess lovers and learners over popular online platforms such as Lichess.org and Chess.com, turning the whole world into your arena.

Smart lights guide and coach you.

This ability for pieces to move on their own is especially important when playing with AI, which is your friend rather than some nefarious disembodied brain out to defeat humanity. In addition to being a worthwhile rival, the GoChess AI is also a patient and knowledgeable mentor that can guide you and challenge you as you learn the ropes. In fact, the advanced chessboard has plenty of features that aid players of all levels. Each side’s pieces light up when it’s their turn to move, providing visual cues at each turn. Picking up a piece also lights up the squares where it can land, making it easier for beginners to memorize the moves.

Despite these technological marvels, GoChess remains a work of expert craftsmanship that players will be able to appreciate. Made from fine materials and with great attention to detail, the well-designed product adds tactile and visual elegance to an already impressive chessboard. Whether you opt for the $199 non-robotic GoChess lite or the $269 GoChess 1XR with a single robot or the $359 four-robot GoChess 4XR, you will be getting a game that’s steeped in the traditions of the past, brimming with modern features, and crafted to last well into the future, providing you with enjoyment and learning for years to come.

Click Here to Buy Now: $199 $279 ($80 off). Hurry, less than 48 hours left! Raised over $2,000,000.

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This beautiful handmade chessboard makes it looks like you’re playing on water

Chess is a game that dates more than 1,500 years ago, and while the basic structure of the game has remained the same, it has taken on different visual forms over the centuries. From wood to ivory to even purely digital pieces, you might think that you’ve seen all there is to see when it comes to chess design. That couldn’t be farther from the truth, of course, seeing as how there are so many beautiful but odd-looking chess sets that might even leave you scratching your head in bewilderment. This handmade set, however, doesn’t change how the pieces themselves look but instead gives the board a more mesmerizing appearance of seemingly floating on water, turning a tense chess match into something almost enchanting and relaxing.

Designer: Wood Season (RVRgroup)

Some say that chess is a game of strategy and critical thinking, but others would argue that it has become simply a matter of memorizing and replaying moves these days. Whatever the case might be, the fact is that the game has never changed for hundreds of years now, from the mechanics to the pieces themselves. What has changed is how those pieces are sometimes represented, deviating from the standard medieval theme of kings, queens, and knights to become sometimes unrecognizable pieces of steel, glass, or any other eye-catching material.

The chessboard, in contrast, has remained virtually frozen in time, 64 squares arranged in 8 rows of 8 columns of alternating colors. That almost leaves very little room for creativity, but the Floating Chess defies those expectations. Painstakingly crafted by hand from oak and different coatings of epoxy, this chess set gives the illusion of a tranquil game of chess being played over a pond, in contrast to the tense, nail-biting games you’d see in professional competitions.

What gives the Floating Chess set its almost ethereal visage is the different layers and colors of epoxy used. These range from the transparent liquid used to contrast with the “dark” wooden blocks to the green pigment that submerges dried pine cones to the pearlescent mix used as the base of all of these. An LED strip lies underneath the board, controlled by a phone to shine different intensities and hues of light to add an even more unearthly glow to the chess set. The chess pieces themselves are also made from epoxy to complete the theme.

The Floating Chess is definitely a head-turner, with or without the help of colorful lighting. The use of epoxy resin, though possibly less harmful than polyester resin, might raise a few concerns about sustainability but also leaves the door open for greener alternatives. Regardless, the set creates a completely different environment than what you might associate with the game, making the pieces look like floating on water while you float on air.

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Sleek luxury chess set gives a minimal twist to this traditional game

I’m not really a chess fan. While I did enjoy bingeing The Queen’s Gamit and I would occasionally keep up with news about grand masters (since a lot of my countrymen seem to be great at it), you won’t catch me playing a game on a lazy Saturday afternoon or even watching people play it on YouTube or Facebook. What I do appreciate are those chess sets that have been intricately carved and created. This one that we’ve spotted will appeal to the minimalist chess fan, at least those that can spare almost $3,000.

Designer: Tarek Elkassouf

The Chessboard is created by Beirut-born and Sydney-based artist Tarek Elkassouf and is unlike any other luxury chessboard you’ve seen. At first glance you actually will not realize it’s a chessboard or that those items are chess pieces. His goal was to give players “creative freedom” when they’re playing the game and may even find themselves within the unique pieces in the board. By not focusing on the pieces themselves, you’ll be able to focus on the moves you need to make and the game itself.

To give it a more minimalistic feel, the original design or shape of the chess pieces were taken away. Instead, you got a minimalist rectangle soldier in various heights, depending on what the pieces represent. The symbols of what the classical chess pieces are inscribed on the top of each piece. They are made from stainless steel, brass, oxidized brass, and gunmetal. Each set is placed in a high gloss wooden box with velvet lining. The board doesn’t look like the regular one as well, in keeping with the minimalist look of the entire set.

The designer will only be producing 100 sets and there are four board variations: Carrara Marble, Basalt, Travertino Classico, and Travertino Rosso. He says that all the materials for these chess sets come from the Earth and therefore hold within them the energy of the Earth. “The material itself communicates the form of the pieces,” Elkassouf shares. The Chessboard is definitely a thing of beauty and is something that chess enthusiasts will definitely want to collect.

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Arena’s concrete chess set can start one heavy battle of wits and courage

Arena Chess Set Design

They say a chess game improves a person’s cognitive skills, but if the chess set is heavy, will you be more intelligent? Maybe you will in terms of knowledge about ancient Rome. This particular chess set is a new interpretation of the old game but still gives the same excitement, especially if you’re into chess.

The Arena is a different version of chess based on the Roman amphitheater. This recreates the ancient times when gladiators would fight under the watchful eyes of the spectators. The Arena is a version of chess where every position in the army is represented by the chessmen wearing different architectural armor.

Designer: MIM Studio

Arena Chess Set Pieces

All the chessmen from both mighty armies enter the battle with the determination to win. However, victory will depend on who is controlling them—you and your opponent. So go on, start preparing to defend your kingdom. Once ready, take the positions and begin the battle of wits and strategy.

Arena Chess Board

Arena – The Game of Chess is one expensive chess set made from concrete. It’s heavy so you may want to decide where to place the board. We suggest you set it by the window as every position offers a beautiful play of shadow depending on the time of day. The Arena is where two opponents will fight and hold ground. It is one intriguing version of chess where strength, courage, and fearless are required.

The Arena chess set weighs 2770 grams and the board itself measures 304mm x 304mm x 40mm. It is made of concrete so it took some time to create a whole set. There are 32 chessmen (chess pieces)—16 pieces each in Dark Grey and Light Grey.

Arena Chess Set Details

Chess is already centuries-old but it continues to be one rewarding and fascinating game for people of all ages. Others may find it boring, but we understand the game’s thrill, especially when a King is checked mate unexpectedly. We don’t claim to be champions, but this particular set evokes a feeling of bravery—the kind you should feel when you’re about to get into an arena to fight for your life.

The amphitheater is a famous symbol of Roman architecture. It is an ideal battlefield for even as simple as a chess match, at least, on your tabletop. Designed by Material Immaterial Studio (MIM Studio), this $400 Arena chess set defines strong aesthetics and magnificent details. Every piece is made of concrete, so be careful that you don’t break them.

Arena Chessmen

This Arena Chess Set will become more than just a conversation starter. It will make you play a game or two just for the sake of playing. Every corner of your house must have something unique, quirky, or interesting. The Arena Chess Set is one to capture any guest’s attention. Just make sure you really know how to play chess in case somebody challenges you to a game.

Arena Chess Set 3

Arena Chess Game

Arena Chess Set 2

Arena Chess Set Price

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This AI chess board runs millions of winning strategies before guiding you to victory




I’m reminded of a scene from Avengers: Endgame, when Doctor Strange ran 14 million alternate life-or-death strategies before cryptically signaling to Tony Stark that there was only one scenario in which the Avengers could beat Thanos and save the universe. While the ChessUp board isn’t that cinematic or dramatic, it works in a similar way, helping you defeat your opponent in a game of chess.

The ChessUp board augments your performance by constantly running millions of game strategies and presenting them all to you. Outwardly, it looks like just another chess-board, but sports a computer and a light-matrix under the board’s hood. During gameplay, the board lights up to help you decide which move to make. The ChessUp’s main aim is to build out your strategies, allowing you to become a chess virtuoso regardless of your experience level. The smart chessboard is powered by the Stockfish open-source chess engine, an AI that can see the future and pan out multiple parallel strategies in mere seconds. It’s capable of plotting out extremely detailed game-plans, taking piece movements, sacrifices, and multiple checkmate scenarios into account, providing you with a winning strategy. The chess board comes with a backlit checkered surface, and controls on the side that let you control the amount of assistance the board’s AI gives you. Designed so that two players can simultaneously learn and play, the ChessUp board uses light-up tiles to help you figure out strategies. The tiles light up to show you every move you can possibly make, outlining bad moves in red, average moves in blue, and great moves in green. The board refines and adapts your strategy as you go, taking you right till the point where either you or your opponent lays out the final checkmate move.

The board unlocks multiple playing styles, letting you either play mano-a-mano, against a computer, or even against another online player. Over time, you can master popular strategies like the Queen’s Gambit, Sicilian Defense, or the King Rook Endgame to defeat your opponent. To enable online playing, the ChessUp board comes with a companion app that lets you virtually play games against millions of other players on lichess.org, a free online chess server for people of varying skill sets. You can even make things more interesting and fast-paced by playing a game of Blitz Chess, where the board automatically times your moves by calculating the intervals between each player’s turn.

Each ChessUp board comes powered by the latest version of the Stockfish AI. Along with its controls, the board measures marginally larger than your average chess board, and has a built-in 2600mAh battery that gives you 12 full hours of gameplay. You can even upgrade your ChessUp to include a velvet pouch for your chess pieces, a mobile stand for playing online games, and even a tote-style carrying bag for your entire ChessUp kit. The kit’s perfect for all skill-levels, and all you really need is an interest in learning the game and honing your strategic approach. The internal AI assists you in developing sound strategies, realizing how to lose battles but win the war, and really perfect your ability to make decisions that have a long-term impact… so you don’t necessarily have to kill your king to defeat Thanos!

Designer: Adam Roush

Click Here to Buy Now: $249 $389 (33% off). Hurry, less than 12 hours left! Raised over $1,300,000.

ChessUp – A Smart, Connected Strategy-first Chess Board

The ChessUp is a connected chess board with a built-in chess instructor that lights up all possible moves according to strength.

Imagine learning how to play chess from the best chess engine in the world. Picture sharpening and fine-tuning from the grandest of chess masters. Now you can. ChessUp is your chess coach, analyst and fierce opponent all rolled into one.

Partnership with Super Grand Master Levon Aronian

Team ChessUp is partnered with one of the world’s most brilliant chess players—Super Grand Master, Levon Aronian, who will be joining the team as their Chess Advisor and Ambassador. Levon is a perennial top 10 player in the world, two-time winner of the Chess World Cup and holds the distinction of being one of only 4 players ever rated 2830.

Features & Benefits

How Does It Work?

Learn as you play. When you touch a piece, potential moves are highlighted in up to 3 different colors, each representing the quality of the move.

Choose Your Assistance Level

Master with ChessUp

Play the Board, Play Online or Play with a Friend

Sharpen your skills by playing against the board’s proprietary AI using adaptive training. As you level up, the computer gets tougher, but so does your built-in AI coach. So you can practice strategy and memorize different scenarios.

Connect with opponents online with instant matchmaking. ChessUp’s app matches you with people in your skill level so every game is fair, fun and challenging. Or play a ranked game, where the assist will be disabled… obviously. ChessUp integrates with lichess.org – home to millions of chess players worldwide of all skill levels.

Challenge a friend to a game of blitz chess without having to worry about dealing with a timer. The ChessUp app recognizes when you’ve put down a piece and automatically ticks the timer for you. You just need to focus on crushing your opponent.

The ChessUp App

Made a move but don’t fully understand why it was good, bad or excellent? Press the “learn” button in the app to learn more about your moves and the strategy behind them.

Click Here to Buy Now: $249 $389 (33% off). Hurry, less than 12 hours left! Raised over $1,300,000.

The world’s smartest AI powered chess board makes remote play easy with it’s new rollable design

The Queen’s Gambit may have renewed interest in this timeless game, however, chess as a game has always intrigued the imagination of people who love devising strategy and get the grey matter between their ears going into overdrive. The board game is believed to have been an extension of the popular Indian game chaturanga sometime in the 7th century and even since the charm of spending countless hours by people of every generation has not faded even a bit. What started as a game played with simple DIY chess pieces and a very basic board has ever since seen innumerable iterations – bringing new board styles, set-piece designs, and what not!

The game has seen a drastic technological evolution in the form of the Squared Off chess set with self-moving pieces that let you play against opponents from across the world. Yes, as the remote player moves the pieces on his/her board, the pieces move on your board and vice versa. Now, the budding start-up is bringing to the fore a rollable chess set that can be stashed in your backpack or postman bag. The self-moving pieces are not a luxury in this chessboard and for obvious reasons as the technology doesn’t exist wherein you can roll up a board with all the advanced components that make the self-moving magic possible. None-the-less, this new version of Square Off’s chessboard revealed at CES 2021 retains the AI and connected tech – allowing you to play with buddies or complete strangers globally.

This makes even more sense in current unsettling times when you have to be at home most of the time. Staring all day long at the phone is not a healthy lifestyle which many of us are unconsciously doing. So, hey, a physical chessboard that lets you play against people sounds more than a novelty. Moreover, you can just roll it up and take it to your friend’s place or maybe up the short mountain hike for some solitude of play. Whatever your favorite spot, location is no longer a deterrent in getting your brain cells churning.

Designer: Square Off

 

Mickey Mouse 90th Anniversary Chess Set


Did you know that it’s Mickey Mouse’s 90th anniversary this year? He looks pretty good for 90. The world’s most famous mouse and arguably the world’s most successful rodent owned amusement park operator is now featured in a collectible chess set just for the occasion. The Mickey The True Original Chess Set celebrates the magical mouse’s 90th with a special edition set. If you’re looking for the ideal chess set that you can glue the pieces to the board to get the perfect Splash Mountain photobomb, this might be it.

The set features all your favorite classic Disney characters as the chess pieces: Mickey Mouse (King), Minnie Mouse (Queen), Donald Duck & Daisy (Bishops), Pete and Goofy (Knights), Pluto and Figaro (Rooks), Chip and Dale (Pawns). It’s whimsical yet playable. A must have for hardcore Disney collector.

Mickey Mouse 90th Anniversary Chess Set
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Legal Themed Chess Set

approach the bench chess Legal Themed Chess Set
A courtroom is a place of legal battling, a tactical chess game of procedure and laws, of minds and reason. This Approach The Bench Chess Set takes the analogy and puts in the form of a chess game. The chess pieces have been replaced with legal themed pieces such as the judge, lawyer, and Lady Justice. The pieces are raised up on the ornate courtroom inspired playing board.
approach the bench pieces Legal Themed Chess Set
Each of these handsome chess sets is handmade in Pennsylvania. It’s even the official set of the Supreme Court Historical Society for whatever that’s worth. I don’t know exactly how playable this game is (it certainly is playable in theory but in practice with the raised board and non-standard pieces it might be trickier) but it would definitely look great sitting in a law office or judge’s quarters.
buy now Legal Themed Chess Set

Legal Themed Chess Set
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Lego Chess Set

lego chess set Lego Chess Set
It’s an easy DIY chess set! There’s a full on Instructable about how to make this chess set from Legos but you can probably figure it out yourself (and even do it slightly differently if you don’t have the exact pieces). The best part is that instead of simply taking a piece off the board when it’s captured, you can smash it into tiny Lego bits instead. Way more satisfying. Great idea, cool project.

Lego Chess Set