Skyline Chess

Skyline Chess was conceived as a way of creating beautiful, carefully crafted objects, which embody both the creators’ passion for architecture and the game of chess. The pieces are hand cast chessmen based on iconic buildings from the city of London. The project in ongoing on Kickstarter for funding.

They developed the idea over a few chess matches and went on to model the pieces in 3D. From there they had them 3D printed and been using them to replace their standard set ever since. In developing the idea they thought long and hard about suitable alternatives for the chessmen, both in terms of their architectural and symbolic value as well as their value on the chess board.

Pawn – The quintessential London abode – the humble terraced house

Bishop – This couldn’t be played by any other piece other than 50 St Mary Axe (or the Gherkin) the form of this building perfectly suited the role

Knight – This one was tricky, but what better way to see the whole board  then from the London Eye

Rook – One of London’s most recognisable landmarks, Big Ben

Queen – This most powerful of pieces had to be played by the most dominant building on London’s skyline – none other than Renzo Piano’s Shard of Glass

King – No other building would suitably match the might and presence of the King, than that of Canary Wharf

The design of the chessmen has been scaled to best represent the quality of the chosen buildings

The creators believe in craftsmanship and each chess set will come with an optional presentation box. The prototype box has been made from laser-cut plywood but they are hoping to develop these and make the finished boxes in perspex.

Info and images © Skyline Chess

Skyline Chess