9 of the Most Beautiful Chess Sets in the World
Nov 17,2021 | Femuey Chess Sets
The game of chess has been around for centuries, and while the rules have mostly stayed the same, the look of the game has been continuously reinterpreted. Today both modern and ancient chess sets appear in the permanent collections of institutions such as the British Museum, home of the 12th-century Lewis Chessmen, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which has Josef Hartwig’s 1924 Bauhaus chess set. Designers, architects, and luxury brands have all put their own spin on the chess set with new interpretations of the pieces or high-end materials. The game’s 32 pieces have been rendered in a variety of shapes and materials, from luxe crystal to sturdy wood, by everyone from architect Daniel Libeskind to Surrealist artist Man Ray, who was known to face off against fellow artist and chess enthusiast Marcel Duchamp. We’ve gathered some of the most beautifully designed chess sets that are sure to delight everyone from chess novices to Kasparov-level players.