Ask for the best television or laptop and specifications can do much of the work. Ask for the best chess set and things become more personal. One player wants traditional wooden Staunton pieces; another wants something striking enough to remain permanently on display. A third wants a set that will become a family possession rather than another purchase eventually destined for the cupboard.

So the best chess set to buy in the UK isn’t necessarily the most expensive one. It is the set that suits how you play, where you will keep it and, not least, what you enjoy looking at.

For Regular Play, Start With Staunton

For most serious players, Staunton remains the sensible starting point. The familiar king, coroneted queen, mitred bishops and horse-headed knights make positions immediately readable. There is a reason variations of this nineteenth-century design became the normal language of tournament chess.

That does not mean every Staunton set looks alike. Woods, metals, proportions, knight carving and weighting can transform the character of the pieces while retaining the familiar design. If the set will be played regularly, pay particular attention to balance and weight. A substantial piece is satisfying to move and less easily knocked over during an enthusiastic time scramble.

Wood Isn’t the Only Luxury Material

Wooden chess sets dominate the traditional market, but metal creates an entirely different experience. Pick up a genuinely heavy metal chess piece and the first surprise is often just how substantial it feels.

The Sebastian Heavy Steel and Copper Chess Set is a good example. Its contemporary pieces combine steel and copper, with the darker side given a pewter finish. The king stands 4.25 inches tall but has a relatively slender 1.3-inch base and weighs 114g. ChessBaron recommends board squares of 1.5 or 1.75 inches, so this is an imposing set without requiring an enormous playing area.

For Sheer Presence, Weight Matters

Some sets make their impression before a game begins. Large, heavily weighted pieces give a chess board a sense of permanence and work particularly well when the set will remain on display between games.

The King John Very Heavy Brass Staunton Chess Set takes this approach. The king is just over 4 inches high with a 1.6-inch base, and the pieces are triple weighted. The set also includes double queens, useful when a pawn reaches the other end of the board and inconveniently insists on becoming royalty.

The brass pieces are deliberately detailed rather than minimalist, while the contrasting finishes make the two armies easy to distinguish. Brass also develops character with age, giving this sort of set a different appeal from a pristine modern material.

Don’t Choose the Pieces Without Thinking About the Board

A fine set of pieces can look surprisingly ordinary on the wrong board. Square size is particularly important: pieces need enough room to breathe without looking lost. As a broad principle, look at the king’s base diameter and the manufacturer’s suggested square size rather than relying only on king height.

Colour matters as well. A restrained wooden board can provide a calm background for elaborate pieces, while an unusual board can become part of the design when paired with simpler Staunton shapes. There is no requirement for the board and pieces to be made from the same material.

So What Should You Actually Buy?

For frequent competitive-style play, choose a clear Staunton design with good weighting and sensible proportions. For a living room or study, appearance deserves equal billing with playability. If it is a gift, consider the recipient’s taste before worrying about what a tournament player would choose. And if you want something to keep for decades, buy the set that still makes you want to pick up the knight when nobody else is in the room.

That is probably the most useful definition of the best chess set: not the one somebody else declares the winner, but the one that makes you want to leave the board set up and play another game.