Chess Pieces – What do they look like? What set should I buy?
What do the chess pieces look like?
I suppose one of the first questions the absolute beginner would ask is, “which piece is the castle?” And “which is the King and which the Queen?”
I’ll answer all those questions in this article.
So first things first. There is no “castle.” There is a move called “castling” (see my video about how to castle) but the piece that is often incorrectly referred to as the “castle,” is actually the “Rook.” 
But the Rook does actually resemble the tower of a castle.
The Knight is usually fairly obvious, nearly always incorporating some representation of a horse. 
The King and the Queen might be a bit tricky. One sure sign that the piece is the King is that it’s the tallest piece on the board. The King also usually has a cross on the top of his head, and the Queen wears a crown that looks more like a tiara or coronet.
The Bishop wears a hat with a distinct slash. I think this is supposed to remind us of the cleric’s mitre
The Pawn is the smallest of the chess pieces, and normally has a simple round head.
What kind of chess pieces should I buy?
For the beginning player, a sturdy inexpensive set that isn’t eccentric (no Civil War sets yet, please!). A good choice is the simple plastic pieces that come with a vinyl roll-up board. These pieces will last for years, and can be used for casual play, club play, or even tournament play.
Generally, the King should be between 3-¼ and 4 inches tall. The Kings in some sets will be slightly bigger, but a 5-inch King is not acceptable for tournament play. The sets that have 2-½-inch kings are too small for tournaments.
For a tournament set, the pieces should be of the standard “Staunton” form. Other sets can be difficult to distinguish one piece from another. Collecting chess sets can be fun, but you should prefer the standard to the off-beat when buying a set for serious play or study. The “cartoon character” set might be fine for your family room, but it’s not right for the chess club or tournament setting.
I’m going to put together a series of videos to teach the absolute beginner about how to play chess. I’m not going to assume any chess knowledge, so I’ll be covering all the basics, with some tips and advice I’ve gathered from 50 years of playing chess.
I hope to answer two questions in this article: what chessboad should I buy? How do I orient the board for a game?
Which way do I set up the board?
The last question is easy … remember this rule: white on the right. Orient the board so that the corner nearest to you and on your right is white (or light-colored). Notice that the board in this shot has a light-colored square in the lower-right corner.
Also, if you have a board that has the labels along the edges for the ranks and files, the a1 square (which is a black or dark square) is at the lower-left hand corner of the player of the White pieces.
If you want to know how to set up the pieces, I’ll show you how to do that in my next article, entitled “How to Play Chess, How to Set Up the Pieces.”
What chessboard should I buy?
First here’s what NOT to do … DON’T get the cheap department store sets. What’s wrong with the department store set, I hear you ask?
- The board is cheap cardboard … too flimsy for young players.
- The squares are too small … not good for older players or tournament chess.
- They are usually red and black … that’s a Checkerboard, not a chessboard.
- You don’t save much money. For $5.00 at a department store, you get a small checkerboard with hollow plastic pieces, when for only $2.00 or $3.00 more you can get a good, durable, properly-sized chess set that is the most common chess set you’ll see at tournaments. Don’t cheap out on this. (Get a good tournament chess set here.)
What color squares?
Almost anything will do. The squares are often referred to as black squares or white squares, but you can use black and white, green and buff (which is what I prefer), maroon and white, red and white, green and white; you just need a good contrast between the dark and light squares. DON’T use a black and red checkerboard! 
Some wood chess sets use dark and light colored woods for the chess board, and that works very well. (If you’re looking for a high quality chess set, there are some very good ones available that should satisfy your up-scale chess playing friend or loved one.
For only a couple dollars more, you can get a much better set that would actually be useful for playing casual games at home, with friends, at a chess club, or even a chess tournament. Believe it or not, the $8.00 vinyl chess board and set that you can find at this link is the most common set and board used at chess tournaments. Spend the little bit more to get the right set for yourself or your young chess player.
How big should the board be?
Generally, most chess boards have 2 1/4-inch squares. One problem with the department store chess sets is that the boards are too small. Even 2-inch squares are slightly too small.
How much money should I spend?
It depends. If you’re buying a first chess set for a young player, get the inexpensive vinyl roll-up board with plastic pieces. This set and board will last a long time, stands up to the worst abuse, and is very commonly used in chess clubs and tournaments.
If you want a slightly better set, you can get a very nice wooden chess set for not too much money.
If you want a very nice set, plan to spend some money and get a wood set with wood board; but don’t plan to take it to chess tournaments … set it up in your den or family room to play chess on and add to the decor.
The best place to get the right chessboard now is to shop online. The boards and sets you can get at most department stores are just not suitable.
Look for my next video on how to set up the pieces!
Tags: Chess boards, chess sets
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