Sebastian: The Chess Set That Looks Like It Owns a Penthouse - ChessBaron Chess Sets

01-Jun-2026

There are chess sets that quietly sit in a corner waiting to be used.

And then there is Sebastian.

Not really a chess set in the conventional sense. It is what happens when someone decides that ordinary chess pieces have had a perfectly adequate 500-year run and it might be time for something a little more dramatic.

Fashioned in striking steel and copper tones, Sebastian looks less like something rescued from a Victorian parlour and more like the command centre of a billionaire who occasionally pauses world domination for a rapid game of chess.

The first thing people do when they see Sebastian is usually not play chess.

They pick up a piece.

Then another.

Then they say something along the lines of, “Good grief, these are heavier than I expected.”

The second thing they do is leave it permanently displayed somewhere prominent, where visitors can admire it while pretending they understand the Sicilian Defence.

What’s particularly appealing about Sebastian is that it manages a rare balancing act. It is modern without being cold, artistic without being eccentric, and luxurious without requiring a second mortgage or a discreet conversation with your bank manager.

Even people who rarely play chess tend to appreciate it. That’s because Sebastian occupies a curious territory somewhere between game, sculpture and conversation piece. It has the same effect as a grand piano in a room. Whether or not anyone is currently using it seems almost beside the point.

Of course, it does play a perfectly serious game of chess. The pieces are distinctive, easy to identify, and wonderfully satisfying to move across the board. Defeating an opponent somehow feels more important when your army appears to have arrived from a futuristic European capital.

In a world increasingly filled with disposable objects, Sebastian has another quality that is becoming surprisingly rare: permanence.

It is the sort of thing you buy once, enjoy for years, and eventually find your children arguing over.

And frankly, there are worse legacies than leaving behind a magnificent chess set.