Which Chess Set to Give: Wooden, Tournament, Electronic or Giant

For a player who wants a set to keep, give a wooden Staunton set with a king about 3.75 inches (95 mm) tall on a board with 2 to 2.4 inch squares, the size FIDE sets for tournaments. Choose a magnetic set for travel, an electronic board for online play and a giant set for the yard.

Chess set types compared by size

Chess sets are sold by king height and square size, and the two have to match. This table puts one sourced example of each type side by side.

How big should a chess set be?

A chess set for tournament-style play has a king about 95 mm (3.75 inches) tall. FIDE allows up to 10% variance and requires the pieces to keep their height order from king down to pawn.

FIDE’s chess equipment chapter, in force from 1 March 2026, says each piece’s base should be 40 to 50% of its height, and each square should measure 5 to 6 cm. Four pawns must fit comfortably on one square, which is the easiest test to apply to a listing photo.

US sellers usually quote inches. The House of Staunton describes the common US tournament pairing as a 3.75-inch king with 2.25-inch squares, and suggests a king base about 75 to 80% of a square’s width.

Is a wooden Staunton set the right chess gift?

A wooden Staunton chess set is the classic gift for someone who already plays. The Staunton design was drawn by Nathaniel Cooke, named after the English player Howard Staunton, and first made by Jaques of London in 1849, and FIDE says tournament pieces should be in the Staunton style.

FIDE’s board rules describe what a good wooden board looks like: rigid and flat, natural wood such as birch, maple or European ash paired with walnut, teak or beech. Light squares may be white, cream, ivory or buff, and dark squares brown or walnut-toned.

What comes in a tournament chess set?

A tournament chess set pairs weighted plastic pieces with a roll-up vinyl board, so it is light, hard to break and easy to carry. The Chess Store’s Master Series set has a 3.75-inch king with a 1.5-inch base, a 20-inch vinyl board with 2.25-inch squares, and two extra queens for pawn promotion; the seller says it meets US Chess tournament requirements.

Pick a tournament set for a child who has joined a chess club, since it rolls up and travels in a bag. On board color, the US Chess rulebook calls the dark squares black but notes that in tournament play they are often green.

When does a magnetic travel chess set make sense?

A magnetic travel chess set keeps pieces in place on a moving car seat or a tray table. The House of Staunton 12-inch magnetic set has a 12 by 12 inch folding board with 1.38-inch squares, plastic pieces with a 2.5-inch king, and magnetic bases.

The board folds to fit in a bag or backpack, and the set includes non-magnetic checkers. Give it as a second board beside a full-size set rather than a replacement for one.

How do electronic chess boards connect to online chess?

An electronic chess board lets someone play online opponents or a computer on real pieces. The DGT Pegasus is a sensor board built for online play: 35 by 35 cm, 40 mm squares, a 70 mm king and weighted pieces, connecting over Bluetooth Low Energy. Pulsing LED rings show where the opponent moved, and DGT lists Lichess among its qualified platforms through the DGT Chess app.

Chessnut boards cover Lichess, Chess.com and Chessable. Its range runs from the backpack-size Air to the Move, which drives the pieces into position by itself.

How big is a giant chess board?

A giant chess board is 8 squares wide, so its width is 8 times the square size. MegaChess sells plastic giant chess pieces in 12, 16, 25, 37 and 49 inch sizes, and boards with squares from 4 to 24 inches; it describes its materials as all-weather.

A big chess board game needs that much clear floor or lawn plus room to walk around it. Check the square size of the board or mat as well as the set size, since some sets ship without a board, and plan where the pieces will be stored between games.

For a closer look at one kind of set, see magnetic travel chess sets, electronic chess boards and themed chess sets. The chess gifts section gathers every chess page, and the board game gifts hub covers everything else.