Introduction
Since the earliest times chess has been synonymous with wealth ,status ,knowledge and power. It’s no secret that the rich and powerful along with the intellectual classes of society from the past to the present have formed a strong bond with the game. Chess has been a great aid in keeping these classes of people sharp and able to maintain their wisdom and wealth. What better way to practice staying a few moves ahead of the crowd than to play chess. The rich and famous tend to gravitate more towards the luxurious aspects to life more than the mundane and have found a way to incorporate this predilection into chess.
It’s no surprise that the rich have found a way to bring even more fame and esteem to the already highly favoured board game. Some of the most expensive chess board sets in the world have been adorned with gems and based in precious metals to say the least. It’s safe to say that no resource has been spared on some of these illustrious pieces of art. The work and attention to detail put into the production of some of these chess board sets elevates the use cases of the world renowned chess board set to more than just a regular board game.
These finely crafted pieces of art tends to have multiple use cases as fine art and luxury home décor but also as a fun pastime for the rich and wealthy. The chess board set whether highly adorned with jewels and precious metals or not can be found within the homes of the high achievers and prominent figures in society but also in those who would be classified as the up and coming. In this article I will go over the most expensive chess board sets in the world by country.
The Most Expensive Chess Board Set In The United States
The most expensive chess board set in the united states has to be the 1972 Jim Grahl Medieval Europe themed chess board set. The Jim Grahl chess set is made of pure silver and 14K gold and encrusted with fine gemstones. The pieces have been designed to resemble 14th century Europe. The moulding technique implemented called the lost wax method ensured each piece was crafted with immense detail. Each chess piece made of pure silver and 14K gold rests on an ebony and cherry wood base. The chess board itself is made of the same high grade ebony and cherry wood and infused with sterling silver.
Protected by an ebony and cherry wood glass case the Jim Grahl medieval Europe themed chess board set is able to hold its own weight amongst the most beautifully designed and luxurious chess board sets in the world. Not only is the Jim Grahl chess board set one of the most expensive in the world its also one of the heaviest chess board sets in the world. The combined weight of the chess board set is 450g nearly half a kilogram. The cost of the Jim Grahl chess board set is a staggering $420,000 dollars. Its hard to fathom this chess board set being any cheaper considering the resources and the time it must have taken to create such a masterful piece of art. The accumulation of months to years of craftmanship accompanied by the infusion of the finest precious metals and gemstones around the world is manifested in this magnificent chess set and brings to light the great skill and artistry of the designer.
The Most Expensive Chess Board Set In Russia
The Russian designed Game of kings chess board set ranks very highly as one of the worlds most expensive chess board sets. The Game of kings chess set is by far the heaviest chess set in the world weighing over 1 ton. More than 110 pounds of silver was needed for the creation of this chess board set. The Game of kings chess board set took more than two years to create and is modelled after the Aztec and Mayan Civilization. The size ,detail and quality of materials used to create the Game of Kings chess board set has made it one of the most majestic chess board sets in the world.
The chess pieces are hand carved out of black and red obsidian and furnished with silver ,gold and precious gemstones of turquoise and rubies. The weights of the chess pieces range from 1.5kg to 5kg for the king and queen. The chess board itself is handcrafted from 10 tons of obsidian with the corners of the chess board furnished with Jaguars which the Aztecs and the Mayans considered noble as the jaguar resembled some of the gods of ancient America. Each cornerstone jaguar head is made of 925 sterling silver ,weighs up to 4.5 kg and has emerald encrusted eyes. The Game of Kings chess board set is definitely fit for an emperor or a king.
The Game of kings chess set costs an astounding $3 million dollars and easily ranks as the most expensive and chess board set in Russia. The game of kings chess board set also ranks highly as one of the most expensive chess board sets in the world not to mention the heaviest. The sheer weights of the chess pieces being somewhat unmoveable under normal conditions adds to the elegance and majestic essence of the chess board set.
The Most Expensive Chess Board Set In Australia
The Pearl Royale chess board set is the most expensive chess board set in Australia and ranks highly as one of the most expensive chess board sets in the world. Made by the Australian artist Colin Burn it stands above the crowd in many ways. Inspired by the love of chess and crafted on the foundation of a mastery in the art of jewellery making. The Pearl Royale chess set is definitely a beautiful piece of art. It’s design is based off of the original 1849 Staunton chess board set as a show of reverence to the traditional design of a chess board set.
The project took over ten years to complete starting back in 2007 and finally coming to completion in 2021. Every chess piece is made of 18K white gold and each piece is capped with either black or white south sea pearls and finished with a coating of sapphire blues and twenty thousand beautifully set 510K diamonds of exceptional quality. The Pearl Royale chess board set was designed to be the worlds most beautiful chess set with hopes of being played with by the finest chess players in the world. This dream was realised when the Grandmaster Fabiano Caruana introduced The Royal Pearle to an international audience during the 2021 FIDE World Championships.
Costing a cool $4 million dollars The Royal Pearle chess board set is not only the most expensive chess boards sets in Australia but one of the most expensive chess board sets in the world. The Royal Pearle is an original design with three editions currently available for purchase.
The Most Expensive Chess Board Set In The United Kingdom
The Jewel Royale chess board set may not just be the most expensive chess board set in the united kingdom but also the world. The spark for the creation of the jewel royale chess board set came by way of the collaboration between the Jewellery designers Boodles and The Royal Jewel Company. The introduction of the jewel royale chess board set sparked an immediate interest internationally due to the high profiles of the companies involved and the highly anticipated luxury craftmanship expected to be born out of the union.
Boodles and The Royale Jewel definitely did not disappoint ,the high quality craftmanship and resources exhausted for the production of the jewel royal chess board set is unmatched anywhere in the world. The chess pieces in the jewel royale chess set are made from solid gold and platinum ,encrusted with diamonds ,emeralds ,sapphires and rubies. The pawns are furnished with all the above mentioned materials but are also capped with black and white pearls. A total of 73 rubies ,146 sapphires and 748 diamonds were needed to create this luxurious chess board set.
In addition each chess piece excluding the knights is crafted with a gem encrusted spiral in the middle. Each ball within the spiral is encrusted with 16K yellow gold diamonds. The most expensive chess piece in the chess set is the king. The king in the jewel royale chess set is the largest piece with the most gold content weighing over 165 grams of solid 18K gold and platinum. The value of the king alone ranges from $50,000-$100,000 dollars.
The total value of the jewel royale chess board set ranges between $9.1 and $9.8 million dollars. The jewel royale chess board set is unquestionably one of the greatest gifts to the chess community and its introduction to the world has marked a clear delineating line in the history of art and chess.
The Most Expensive Chess Board Set In France
The Royal Diamond chess set is the most expensive chess board set in France. Chess has been popular in France since the 18th century and was home to arguably one of the worlds best chess players François Antoine de Legall de Kermeur (1702–92). Many great chess players have come out of France since and the French have used their love and appreciation of chess as inspiration to create one of the worlds most expensive chess board sets. Created by the French Jewellery artist Bernard Maquin the royal diamond is nothing short of a masterpiece.
More than 4500 hours went into creating the intricately handcrafted royal diamond chess board set. The materials that went into creating the chess pieces in the royal diamond chess board set were carefully assessed to ensure the end result would do the name of the chess board justice. All the chess pieces in the royal diamond chess board set consist of 14K white gold and 9,900 black and white encrusted diamonds. A total of 186K went into the production of the royal diamond chess board set bringing the total value of the chess board set up to $500,000 dollars.
The creation of the royal diamond chess board set sparked a lot of interest in the chess community. Initially it was designed and crafted with the intention to provide the masters in the chess playing community a chess board set to showcase the deeply felt admiration for chess. Without a doubt the royal diamond chess board set definitely adds a sense of elegance and luxury to the global chess community.
The Most Expensive Championship Chess Board Set
Championship chess board sets are by far the least expensive on the list but the most utilised. The very act of showcasing high profile championship chess games from tournaments in the media continues to drive awareness and interest in chess. The high stakes of these games and the months and years that go into training for these tournaments are reflected in the quality of the chess board sets used in these games. For mistakes to be avoided in the game the upmost attention and care is put into assuring each chess piece is highly distinguishable from the next.
Each chess piece is made by highly skilled artisans who can end up pouring hours of their time into creating just a single chess board set. For a chess board set to be considered of an acceptable quality for use in a championship tournament each chess piece has to meet strict height ,width and weight requirements. The most time consuming chess piece to produce which contributes a great deal of value to the overall chess board set would be the knight. The knight in a championship chess board set takes over 2 hours to produce and has the strictest requirements in terms of the height ,width ,weight and symmetry of all of the chess pieces. It’s quite understandable considering the level of detail that goes into making a knight for a chess set compared to the other chess pieces on the board who’s features are less intricate.
The starting price for a championship chess board set is $500 and is expected to rise in the future due to insufficient amounts of skilled artisans capable of producing such high quality chess board sets at mass quantities for an ever expanding market. The appearance of chess in movies like the Queens Gambit and other prominent movies only add to the popularity of the game but also brings awareness to the waning quantity of artists that are actually able to produce these chess board sets. Further adding to the cost of a championship chess board set is the fact that each chess piece is fitted with an electronic coil which allows the games to be broadcasted electronically to a screen for an audience to view. This added feature can add up to $700 to the overall cost of a championship chess board set bringing the total cost to roughly $1200.
One of the top producers of these competitive class chess board sets would be the Staunton chess company and their chess board sets are known for being of the highest quality and are the official chess board sets for standard chess competitions around the world. Although the majority of the chess board sets used in championship chess games are produced in India by highly trained artisans with decades of experience.
Conclusion
The most expensive chess board set is clearly the Jewel Royale costing up to $9.8 million dollars. No resource has been spared in creating the Jewel royale like many of the chess board sets mentioned above. Each of the chess board sets mentioned have all been masterpieces highlighting the high regard the chess community has for the game. The attention to detail and expenses put into the creation of these chess board sets has drawn mass attention to the chess community. The creation of the Jewel Royale chess board has set a precedent in the art of chess set design and production and since its creation there hasn’t been another chess board set built to rival it . I’m sure the future of chess board set design is bright with the promise of more beautifully designed chess sets as gifts to the chess community.
