Have you ever found yourself wondering how to begin finding the right chessboard for your chess pieces, or vice versa? It’s not just about matching complementary wood types; the size of the chess squares must also be proportionate to the diameter of the king’s base for the perfect fit.
If you feel lost trying to find a chessboard or chess pieces for their existing counterpart, whether you’re pairing them from new through our website, or you’re looking for an upgrade to your well-used chess set, then this article is for you!
The Golden Ratio
To put it simply, the size of the squares on a chessboard need to be just right to accommodate your pieces; too small and your pieces may be too crowded, too big and they may look out of place. As the king has the largest base diameter in a set, this is one of the most important pieces you need to worry about when measuring against the square size. The recommended ratio of square to king base diameter is 72-78%, meaning that you want the width of the king’s base to take up that proportion of a single square.
As pawns take up the majority of the spaces on the chessboard, it’s also important to consider their size, too, so some people prefer to look at slightly bigger king sizes so the pawns fill out their squares a little more.
Think of this like picking the right shoe size – you don’t want your toes to be squished against the tip of the shoes as this will make them uncomfortable to wear, but you also don’t want them so loose that you’re tripping over yourself either.
Important note: In a Staunton chess set, the king’s base diameter and height are generally proportional. Chessboard descriptions often specify compatibility with a king height, such as “suitable for a 3.5-inch king.” This refers to the height of the king, with the base diameter typically being 40–50% of that measurement.
If you already have the chess pieces:
- Using a tape measure, ruler, or other appropriate tool, measure the width of the base (bottom) of the king (the part with the felt on).
- If you’re measuring a themed chess piece king with a base that isn’t circular, measure the widest part.
- Take this measurement and multiply it by a factor between 1.25 and 1.3 to determine the ideal square size range for your chessboard. For example, if your king has a base diameter of 1.5 inches, the calculation would be: 1.5 x 1.3 = 1.95. In this case, you would look for a chessboard with a square size of 1.95 inches.
If you already have the chessboard:
- Using a tape measure, ruler, or other appropriate tool, measure the width of a single square (across, not diagonally).
- Take this measurement and divide it by a factor between 1.25 and 1.3 to determine the ideal maximum base diameter for your king. For example, if the square size is 2 inches, the calculation would be: 2 ÷ 1.3 = 1.54. In this case, you would look for chess pieces with a king base diameter of approximately 1.5 inches or smaller.
Filtered Search
Once you have the specifications for square size or chess piece size written down, you can use these criteria to begin searching. If you navigate to the associated categories on our website (ie Chess Pieces/Chess Boards), you’ll notice that a filter system pops up on the left-hand side, allowing you to refine your search results. This is where you’ll want to enter either the king base diameter size or the chessboard square size in mm. And just like that, you’ll be able to find all the suitable chessboards and pieces for your needs.
Note: A bigger chessboard doesn’t always mean a bigger square size. Some chessboards have a larger border, so you may find that a 16.75-inch chessboard has the same square size as a 19-inch board!
Bundles, bundles, bundles
If you’re not a fan of maths or feel like your sense of design isn’t going to help, or you simply prefer the convenience of having already paired chess pieces and chessboards, we have plenty of bundles available for you in our chess sets category. Our in-house experts have spent time carefully setting up these boards and pieces to guarantee they look aesthetically pleasing and to ensure the proportions look just right. This takes some of the time and stress out of doing this yourself, and in some instances, we’ve also added in a chess piece case or clock to really bring the set together.
Additionally, you’ll notice that on the product page for our chess pieces, we have a button with the text “Need a chessboard?“, which will immediately take you to the range of suitable chessboards.
