A chess board lives in a cupboard. A chess table lives in the room. That is the whole difference — and it changes how often you play. When the board is furniture, a game is never more than pulling up a chair.
We build chess tables in our workshop in Armenia and ship them to homes all over the world. This guide is everything we would tell a friend before they chose one: the sizes that actually work, the wood, the carving, the pieces, the prices, and the small details that separate a table you keep for decades from one you quietly regret.
It is a long read on purpose. Jump to what you need:
- Chess table or chess board?
- Getting the size right
- The wood, and how the table is built
- Styles: classic to fully carved
- The pieces: included or your own
- Drawers and details worth checking
- One table, two games
- What a handmade chess table costs
- Caring for it
- Delivery, duties and returns
- The 10-point checklist
- Chess table FAQ
Chess table or chess board: what you're actually buying
A chess table is a table with the board built into its top — squares inlaid or carved into the surface itself, standing on its own legs or pedestal at playing height. You don't set it up and you don't put it away. It holds its place in the room the way a good armchair does.
That permanence is the real reason to buy one. A folding board waits for an occasion; a table is an open invitation. Families with a chess table simply play more, because the position can stay on the board overnight and the game can continue tomorrow.
One distinction to catch before you order: some tables come complete with their pieces — a chess set table, the table and the set in one. Others are the table alone, made for pieces you already own and love. Both are right. Just check the What's Included list so you know which one is arriving.
Getting the size right
The top
A full-size chess table has a top around 60 cm (23.6") across. That is the size we build to, and it is the sweet spot for a reason: it leaves room for a proper playing field plus a carved border where captured pieces, and elbows, can rest. Much smaller and full-size pieces feel cramped; much larger and the table starts competing with the dining table.
On the board itself, look for squares of roughly 5–6 cm (2–2.4"). That is the proportion serious players are used to, and it is what lets a king stand with presence instead of teetering.
The height
Chess is played best a touch lower than a writing desk. Our tables stand 68–70 cm (about 27") tall — low enough that you look down onto the board comfortably, high enough that a standard chair with a 45 cm (18") seat slides right in. If you already own the chairs you plan to use, measure them before you order. The game is long; your back will thank you.
The room
Plan for the players, not just the table. A 60 cm top with a chair pulled up on each side wants about 2 metres (6.5 ft) of floor across the playing axis. Corners are ideal — a chess table is beautiful from every side, but it only needs two of them free to be played.
The wood, and how the table is built
Almost everything about how a chess table ages comes down to what it is made of. Solid hardwood is the standard worth insisting on.
Most of our tables are carved from solid beech — a dense, fine-grained hardwood that takes crisp, detailed carving and stays flat and stable through the seasons. Walnut appears in some master pieces: darker, heavier, with the depth of colour people fall for on sight. Both are woods you can hand down.
What you are avoiding at the low end of the market: veneered particle board with a printed grid, hollow legs, stapled joints. Those tables photograph fine and wobble within a year. The honest signals of quality are weight — solid hardwood has a reassuring heft, and it does not shift when a player leans in — visible grain that runs through edges rather than stopping at a seam, and a finish that feels even and smooth in every corner, not just on top.
Every table we sell is made by hand in our workshops: cut, carved, assembled and varnished by people who play the game themselves. Varnish matters more than it sounds — it seals the wood against dry winters and humid summers, and it is why a well-made table shrugs off decades of fingertips.
Styles: classic, carved, and everything between
Style is where the decision turns personal, so instead of rules, here is the honest range.
Classic. Clean lines, the board front and centre, quiet legs. A classic wooden chess table disappears gracefully into almost any room, which is exactly its talent. If the table must live in a minimalist space, start here.
Carved. This is where a handmade chess table starts to show its hands. Carved aprons, worked legs, ornament running along the border — up to tables like our Fully Carved chess table, where nearly every surface has been under the chisel. Carving this dense is done by hand, and you can tell: no two are identical.
Motif tables. Some tables carry a subject: an eagle mid-flight, a lion, the Tree of Life spreading through openwork. These are the tables people cross the room to look at. Choose the motif the way you would choose art — it will be in your eyeline for a long time.
Shapes. The square top is the archetype, but a carved chess table can stand on an octagonal base, a decagon, or a round pedestal. Pedestal tables in particular suit smaller rooms — one sculptural column instead of four legs means more knee room and a lighter footprint.
The pieces: included or your own
Many of our tables ship complete — carved wooden pieces, or figural bronze pieces on tables like the Eagle with bronze pieces. Bronze changes the experience of play: the weight of each piece in the hand, the sound it makes meeting the board, the way the metal warms against dark wood. On a luxury chess table it is the difference between furnished and finished.
If you are bringing your own pieces, one proportion keeps everything in harmony — the old tournament rule of thumb: the king's base should cover about three-quarters of its square. For 5–6 cm squares, that means a king roughly 9–10 cm tall. Pieces that pass this test look like they were born on the board.
We wrote a separate guide to choosing pieces well — How to Choose a Luxury Chess Set — if that is the half of the decision you want to go deeper on.
Drawers and details worth checking
Small features decide how the table lives day to day:
- Storage. A chess table with drawers gives the pieces a home inside the table itself — like our round pedestal table with its storage drawer. Between games the board stays clear, and nothing goes missing under a sofa.
- The border. A generous rail around the playing field is where captured pieces wait. Tables without one push captures onto side tables and laps.
- The base. Four legs, a pedestal, or a carved column — make sure the structure leaves knee room for two adults sitting square to the board.
- The underside. On a well-made table the parts you never see are still finished cleanly. It is the quickest honesty test in furniture.
One table, two games
In our part of the world, chess shares the room with backgammon, and some tables refuse to choose. Master carver Hrachya Ohanyan — carving since 1985, and the name behind many of our finest pieces — builds a luxurious table that holds both games: chess above, a full backgammon board within. One footprint in the room, two games in the house. You can read more about the master and his work here.
What a handmade chess table costs
Honest numbers, from our own catalogue:
| Range | What you get |
|---|---|
| About $1,100–1,500 | A solid-wood table with a clean classic top or light carving — the table alone, ready for your pieces. Our Classic chess table opens this range. |
| $1,500–3,000 | Serious hand carving: motif tops like the Tree of Life, shaped and pedestal bases, denser ornament — and several tables sold complete with pieces and storage. |
| $3,000–4,600 | Fully carved luxury chess tables, many complete with figural bronze pieces — like the Carved table with bronze pieces. |
| About $5,800 | A master-carved two-game table — chess and backgammon in one piece of furniture, by Hrachya Ohanyan. |
Why the gap between this and a $300 table from a big-box store? Time, mostly. A carved table absorbs weeks of handwork by people who have spent their lives at it, in solid hardwood that costs what solid hardwood costs. The $300 table is veneer over board, made in minutes. One is furniture; the other is a purchase you will make twice.
Caring for it
A solid hardwood table asks very little:
- Place it out of all-day direct sun and away from radiators — light fades finish unevenly, heat dries wood.
- Keep the room's humidity steady where you can; solid wood prefers the same air you do.
- Dust with a dry or barely damp soft cloth. No silicone sprays, no furniture polish — the varnish is the protection.
- Use coasters if drinks join the game. Wine and endgames are old friends.
- When it moves, lift it — never drag. Two people, holding the structure, not the top's edge.
That is the whole regimen. These tables are built to be played on, not tiptoed around.
Delivery, duties and returns
The part buyers worry about most, answered plainly:
- Shipping is free, worldwide. In-stock tables leave the workshop within 1–3 business days.
- Tables travel as specialist furniture freight — carefully crated, tracked and insured. Allow 2–4 weeks for delivery, depending on your region.
- United States: we handle the customs duties — the price you see at checkout is the price, with no surprise at the door. EU and UK orders pay their local import VAT on delivery.
- 30-day returns, worldwide, any reason. If the table isn't right, you have 30 days from arrival. Full details in our shipping policy and return policy.
Before you buy: the 10-point checklist
- Is the top around 60 cm (23.6"), with squares of 5–6 cm?
- Is the height 66–75 cm, and does it match the chairs you'll actually use?
- Is it solid hardwood — not veneer over particle board?
- Is the board built into the table, with a border for captured pieces?
- Are pieces included, and if so, what are they made of?
- If not included — will your pieces fit the three-quarters rule?
- Is there storage for the pieces, or a place nearby for them to live?
- Does the base leave knee room for two adults?
- Do you have roughly 2 m of floor across the playing axis?
- Who made it — and can you see their other work?
If a table clears all ten, buy it with a clear conscience.
Chess table FAQ
What size is a full-size chess table?
A top of about 60 cm (23.6") across, with playing squares of 5–6 cm. That comfortably seats full-size pieces and leaves border room for captures.
How tall should a chess table be?
Between 66 and 75 cm. Ours stand 68–70 cm (about 27"), which pairs naturally with ordinary chairs of 45 cm seat height.
Are chess pieces included with the table?
Depends on the table. Some of ours ship complete with carved wooden or figural bronze pieces; others are the table alone. Each product page lists exactly what is included.
Which wood is best for a chess table?
Dense, stable hardwood. Most of our tables are solid beech, which carves crisply and stays flat for decades; walnut appears in some master pieces and brings a darker, deeper colour.
How much does a handmade chess table cost?
In our catalogue, from about $1,100 for a solid-wood classic to about $5,800 for a master-carved two-game table. Most fully carved tables with bronze pieces fall between $3,000 and $4,600.
How does a chess table ship internationally?
Free, worldwide, as insured specialist furniture freight — typically 2–4 weeks. US orders arrive with duties already paid by us.
Can I return a chess table?
Yes — 30 days from arrival, worldwide, any reason. See the return policy for the details.
Where to go from here
Browse the full collection of handmade chess tables — every one carved in Armenia, photographed exactly as it will arrive. If the heritage side of these tables is what draws you, our Armenian Chess Tables guide tells that story properly.
And if you're torn between two tables, write to us. We know every table in the workshop, and we would rather help you choose right than choose fast.