The Best Gifts for Chess Players
I think that chess players are easy to shop for, but maybe that’s because I’m a chess player myself. Just the fact that someone dedicates a portion of their life (or all of their life) to improve at a game says a lot. It seems to suggest to me that they generally have passions and interests that they pursue. If someone is obsessed and in love with something - it tends to make shopping for them easy. But what if you know absolutely nothing about their interest? Well, fear not, if that interest happens to be chess, I’m here to help.
I’ve been playing chess for many years, and I am an expert at being obsessed with it. I’ve now been the receiver and giver of many chess-related gifts. And I feel well-equipped to start pointing you in the right direction, whether you happen to be shopping for a child or an adult.
I also have a great deal of experience with coaching many young chess players - including my experiences with our own son. This has always given me great new insights on what kids enjoy doing to keep the learning process in chess fresh and interesting. If it’s a big success in chess club after school with 50 middle school kids who could alternatively be at home playing Fortnite, it’s a winner. Make sure to check out our article on the benefits of teaching chess to kids to see why I’m so proud of that.
The gift ideas on this list are sometimes clearly more geared towards kids, and sometimes clearly meant for adults, but most of these gifts are great for any chess lovers, regardless of age. They tap into our love for chess and give us exactly what we want - more and more ways to enjoy and celebrate the best game ever made. If we play our cards right and surround ourselves with enough of these gifts, we can all achieve our master plan of never having to think about anything but chess ever again.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. Affiliate links will lead you to view the items’ listings on Amazon.com or other affiliate partners. All thoughts and opinions are our own.
A 2023 Chess Desk Calendar
I honestly think this one is a no-brainer. It’s a Christmas tradition isn’t it - giving someone a themed, day-to-day tearaway desk calendar? You might be tempted to think it’s cliche or uninspired, but they’re actually wonderful gifts when they match up perfectly with your interests. And if you’re sitting there struggling to find a gift for a chess player in your life, I assure you this is a surefire hit. 365 chess puzzles to solve one day at a time!
I really like that the puzzles even tells you the name of the composer and the year they wrote the problem, which is a nice touch. I can tell you from personal experience that I enjoyed the 2022 edition very much, but I warn you that the puzzles were actually consistently very challenging last year!
Solitaire Chess
We love puzzles in our house, and we are big fans of logic. Solitaire Chess is one of our favorites, and it even made our list of the best logic games for kids.
This is the type of logic game that people would love even if they don’t play chess. The absolute only thing you need to know is how the pieces move. All you do is set up the pieces on the grid the way that the card tells you to. Then you start capturing pieces. Every single move has to be a capture, and you win if you can get it down to one piece left on the board. It’s kind of like that old game where you try to hop pegs over each other until you only have one left.
This is definitely the type of gift I love. Something I could work on for hours. As a chess fan, the visualization required is actually good training. But the deduction and trial-and-error required is appealing to all puzzle fans out there. And, because all you need are the pieces and the book, it’s very portable and could easily be taken on the road or in an airplane. There have been many editions over the years, but the current edition is a magnetic set that makes it easier to travel with than ever.
Chess Art
As a chess fan and a husband of a very sweet wife, I’ve received my fair share of amazing and thoughtful chess-themed gifts over the years. And this chess painting of an elephant and a chicken playing chess is one of the very best, hands down. It’s just beautiful and quirky and the absolutely perfect aesthetic for me.
The painting is by Ethiriel Photography, and on FineArtAmerica.com you can buy prints of it in many formats - like printed on canvas or wood. Mine was printed on wood and it’s beautiful and irreplaceable addition to my study. I mean, just look at it! It’s an elephant playing chess with a chicken!
Chessable Pro Membership
Chessable is one of my very favorite websites and apps for improving my chess, and it’s still not on the map of every chess lover out there. A pro membership would make a great gift, but simply introducing them to the free version of Chessable would make for a great gift for any chess fan that hasn’t heard of them yet. You could make them a free account and even add several of the free courses they have available in the shop.
Their claim to fame is their innovative spaced repetition practice - primarily and probably most effective for your chess opening repertoire. But in my experience, it also works great for endgame practice. Think of it like drilling your openings until they are second nature. If you want to remember the ins and outs of the Italian game, for example, you can grab a free course on it, build your own course, or purchase a book from one of the many famous authors on the site. After that you basically quiz yourself on the different variations until you learn them by heart.
A pro membership adds benefits like discounts in the shop, the ability to study more free courses at the same time, and - perhaps my favorite feature - the ability to keep track of difficult moves you often struggle with. Chessable also recently launched their official app on iOS so training your openings and endings on the go is easier than ever.
Super Mario Chess
This chess set has proven to be tremendously popular both in my house and in my chess club. Both of my kids love playing with these high quality Mario pieces as if they were simply action figures. In fact, when he was younger, I think our son thought playing chess literally meant having pretend time with the Mario pieces. So you’re really getting a two-in-one here.
I’ve also given this set away as a prize to my students many times now - in various contests and raffles - and it’s always a crowd-pleaser. I have a pretty good collection of themed chess sets now, and this one is my personal favorite as well. Not only that, but it’s much more reasonably priced than other themed chess sets, which can sometimes be exorbitant.
Wooden Chess Set
If you’re looking for a fancy, beautiful, and memorable chess set - make sure to check out this awesome handmade chess set from Etsy that I received as an anniversary present. It’s always been one of the most special gifts I’ve received.
Or you could browse the high quality wooden chess sets from a site like ChessHouse.com. (Just pay attention to whether you’re buying a set with a board or without!)
Chess Clock
If your chess lover doesn’t yet have a chess clock, I have 3 recommendations. One is cheap and does just about everything most chess players would need it to do, one is top-end and is generally regarded as one of the best chess clocks you can get, and one is retro - not entirely practical anymore but great as a gift and for ambiance.
If you have a chess lover who needs their first clock, I highly recommend this model. It can do the basics of increment and delay time controls, and you can usually find for just about $20 or less. If you think you want a fancier option that’s well known for its quality and the ability to do more complicated time controls, check out this Chronos clock (available with buttons or touch pads). And if you want a beautiful looking, wooden retro clock to decorate a desk or to play the old-fashioned way, check out this analog clock as a fun option.
No Stress Chess
I’ve seen the value of this variation on chess both as a coach and as a dad. When I first teach someone how to play chess, I often see them overwhelmed by the number of options in front of them. After each player moves just once, there are already 400 different possible positions. After each player moves three times, the number of possible chess positions is already in the hundreds of millions.
With all of those choices and possibilities, how am I supposed to convince a thoughtful young beginning student that they really just need to dive in and make mistakes and get used to how the pieces move? No Stress Chess is an awesome tool for limiting your choices and making the game easier to digest for beginners.
The cards that you draw tell you the pieces you are allowed to move for your turn. It’s very useful for a 5-year-old to be told that they are only allowed to move a bishop or a pawn during a turn. It helps narrow their focus and it provides stepping stones to the game of chess. Beginners are happy to be provided with some direction. And as they improve they begin to realize what move they want to make before drawing a card, and they have to hope they get what they want.
And my favorite thing about this game is that it does a fantastic job of leveling the playing field between two mismatched opponents. Even when I’m playing my 6-year-old, being forced to make moves I don’t want to make can be a great equalizer.
For a similar concept, make sure to check out Chess Dice as well, or other chess variants like Musketeer Chess.
The Queen’s Gambit
Written by Walter Tevis
The whole world is talking about The Queen’s Gambit right now - the new Netflix limited series starring Anya Taylor-Joy - and for very good reason. It’s currently the #1 show streaming in almost every country in the world. It’s spellbinding and beautifully made, and many chess players are saying it’s the very best depiction of the chess world ever put on screen. In fact, if you don’t have Netflix, it would be very much worth buying a month’s subscription just so the chess lover in your life could watch it.
But many people don’t know that the story is based on the novel written by Walter Tevis back in 1983. No doubt it’s about to see several republications with a lot of renewed interest. The story is just incredible, and the book would make a fantastic and very timely present for any chess and book lover.
Story Time Chess
Here’s another idea for the little chess lovers in your life - or perhaps a parent or teacher that wants to share their love of chess with their kids. We actually picked Story Time Chess as our very favorite board game for 4-year-olds, because it combines our love of chess with our love of stories. It comes with a storybook full of stories that are designed to teach kids how the pieces move, and I absolutely love sharing it with my 4-year-old daughter.
The pieces are reimagined as cartoon characters, and they even have cardboard cutouts that attach to the traditional chess pieces. The game comes complete with activities for teaching and practicing the rules of the game, and it even has an imaginative new way to play chess with kids who already know all of the rules - which my 8-year-old likes to play with me. You can’t do much better than this chess gift if you have teaching little ones in mind.
Check out our featured article if you’d like to know more about Story Time Chess.
Straight Up Chess Board
I first saw these beautiful, elegant chess sets in the shop of a national scholastic chess tournament and I instantly knew that they’d make an incredible gift for a chess lover. These are beautiful wooden (or metal) vertical chess sets to hang on your wall, and they’re framed like a work of art to adorn your wall. First and foremost, they look amazing. Hanging one up is like complementing your room with a beautiful painting.
Practically speaking, a Straight Up Chess board can also be used to play a long-term game of chess with a roommate, a family member, or perhaps a co-worker. You can easily mark your last move and go about your day, while your opponent can casually make their move the next time they pass by the board as well. It’s almost like the wonderful old tradition of slow correspondence chess and I love having slow games constantly taking place like this.
This is a really creative chess gift that not a lot of people have seen before. It’s a beautiful addition to any room for chess fans, and they’re sure to enjoy displaying their favorite positions from famous games or their own games - or using it practically for a very rewarding slow game with loved ones and friends.
And if you’re looking for a cheaper alternative for the same basic concept, although admittedly not as handsome, make sure to check out this magnetic board that hangs on the wall too.
The Thinkers
by David Llada
I have a lot of chess books that I learn from, and chances are that the chess lover in your family has begun their own collection of chess books as well. But there’s one chess book in my collection that serves an entirely different purpose than coaching and learning - a celebration of the beauty of chess.
The Thinkers by David Llada is a collection of photography that I find really inspiring. Particularly when you have a deep passion for chess - I can’t possibly imagine flipping through it without feeling pure joy. In fact, because these pages manage to tap into my psyche so well, it brings to mind one of my favorite chess quotes by Siegbert Tarrasch:
“Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy.”
Not only is this book a beautiful tribute to chess, but for me it’s a tribute to humanity. Many faces from many different cultures all across the world are on display - and it’s a beautiful thought to consider the uniting power of chess. And the intense focus they display will feel familiar to a chess player and send shivers down their spine.
Even as tracking down a copy is becoming harder - I assure you that it’s worth it. As a chess lover I find the beauty in this book absolutely astounding. And keep your eyes out for the sequel coming soon as well!
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
My two favorite chess movies, hands down, are on this list. There are several chess movies and documentaries that I enjoy quite a bit - but the two on this list completely run away with the competition.
Searching for Bobby Fischer is held by many people as the best chess movie of all time. First of all, the cast is incredible - headlined by Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fishburne. And the story is very well written and includes moments between father and son that could bring a tear to your eye.
And - most importantly - the chess scenes are impeccably choreographed. Blitz chess has never looked so cool, and the look and feel of being at a scholastic chess tournament is captured to perfection. We watch this movie every single year in our chess club, and I could talk for a very long time about the merits of this film. Suffice it to say that if you’re looking to share a movie with your young chess player, you need to make it this one.
And, for what it’s worth, the amazing book it’s based on would make a fantastic gift as well.
4-Player Chess
The newest major hit in my chess club is definitely 4-player chess. After mastering the rules of basic chess, 4-player chess is a really innovative and exciting way to challenge yourself and mix things up.
It’s really not as hard as you think either. It’s simply a visualization challenge. Board vision becomes very important, because danger can be coming from all around you. I think kids love having different colored pieces than normal, and they really love trying new things in the chess world.
You can play every-man-for-themselves or you can play 2v2 in 4-player chess. I personally prefer not having teams, but 2v2 is definitely an interesting variation to try. This would really make a great gift if you have lots of chess players in your family, or if you have a kid in a chess club where they can get good use out of it.
The Dark Horse (2016)
The Dark Horse is another really incredible chess movie. But this is definitely a gift for an adult chess player. It is rated R, and too bad, because I so desperately want to be able to share it with my students. I just wish I could get my hands on a copy that would edit out all of the drug use and cursing, because it is a beautiful celebration of the power of chess.
It follows a typical formula of a chess coach working with at-risk kids, but the huge difference here is that this coach is dealing with severe mental illness at the same time. Cliff Curtis puts on a masterful display of acting because it’s hard not to fall in love with the kind and gentle main character, Genesis. This story is set in New Zealand and mainly revolves around Genesis passing on his love of chess to local kids, including his own nephew who is very close to joining his father’s gang.
Coaches inspiring a rag-tag group of students to pursue opportunities through chess has been done before, but this is by far the best of the bunch.
Tournament Chess Set and Bag
If your chess player is starting to get serious, and perhaps even beginning to play in tournaments, you might consider getting them their own standard tournament chess set and a bag to carry it in. This is the exact set that I use. Tournaments use these standard-sized vinyl boards and pieces of a very specific size. I showed up with an old, small wooden chess set to my first tournament and they wouldn’t let me play with it. Silly me.
This set is triple-weighted, which I really like. That means the pieces are heavier and feel more substantial in your hand. And they aren’t likely to be blown over by the wind if you’re playing outside. You get the idea.
Throw in a chess clock like this one to place inside the bag as well and they’ll have everything they need next time they show up to compete.
Chess.com or Chess Kid Premium Membership
One of the best gifts (and easiest!) you could give to a dedicated chess player is a practical online tool that can lead to their improvement. In the past I have paid for many different websites - Chess.com, Chessable, and Chess Tempo among them - because I find that many different websites have different strengths that they offer to my studies.
But I’ve personally used Chess.com for the longest time, and I signed up for a premium membership to get unlimited access to puzzles and video lessons. Training your tactics is one of the major pillars of chess improvement and having access to a tactics trainer and database of puzzles is invaluable. And they’re adding features all of the time. Very recently they’ve added a new feature called Puzzle Rush. You try to solve as many puzzles as possible in 5 minutes without getting 3 strikes. It’s so addicting I would have been tempted to upgrade for unlimited access to it alone if I wasn’t already a member. You can buy a gift membership here.
And, as a coach, all of my students have ChessKid.com gold memberships, because it provides fantastic tools for coaches to monitor progress. Memberships provide kids with access to unlimited puzzles and video access - and it lets them use the absolutely brilliant leveling-up system created by ChessKid.com.
Students level up as they watch videos, pass tests, and earn stars by solving puzzles. I cannot recommend this platform enough for how kid-friendly and high quality it is. You can even sign up for a free account, or upgrade to a gold membership here.
And if you’re looking for another teaching app for young kids, make sure to check out our article on the awesome game Magnus’ Kingdom of Chess.
Square Off Smart Chess Set
Square Off is definitely a bigger ticket item. If you have a chess fanatic and tech-fan in your family, this should be a real candidate for a major gift in the future. I was very touched by this gift from my family, and I really love and use mine a lot.
Some reviewers have dubbed this beautiful, innovative chess set “Wizard’s Chess”, because the pieces move all by themselves. The machinery inside the chess set, in combination with magnets inside the wooden pieces, does absolutely everything by itself. After you make your move, the computer makes its move. The beautiful wooden pieces simply move by themselves. It can even make captures and move the captured piece to the side of the board. It is absolutely astounding and so much fun to watch.
Another feature of Square Off is that you can play against real people using the app. I absolutely love this concept. Playing against another human with a real chess set in front of you is the best way to experience chess for me hands down. Playing against humans on the computer is a fine replacement considering it’s not particularly easy to find someone to sit down with you to play anytime you want. But Square Off gives me exactly what I want. It’s the best of both worlds. Now I can play against a real human anytime I want, and also be moving real wooden pieces on a real board. And my opponent’s pieces move all by themselves.
Square Off also recently teamed up with Chess.com to provide even more access to live games. This is a very big deal, because the product is so new and niche that it wasn’t always easy to find a live opponent when you were only searching for other Square Off owners. And now playing against other Chess.com users with your real chess set is seamless and absolutely amazing.
Square Off is probably entirely worth it just for the look on your little one’s face when they see it work for the first time. If you play your cards right you can get it all set up without letting them know what it does. Have them make their first move and watch their reaction.
Do you have any chess lovers in your family? What’s their most-prized chess possession? Let us know your gift ideas in the comments!
