Rolls-Royce has revealed the Rolls-Royce of chess sets

Rolls-Royce has revealed a chess set, and because it is a Rolls-Royce chess set, it is no ordinary chess set. You might consider it the Rolls-Royce of chess sets.

It is called, simply, the Rolls-Royce Chess Set, and in news that’ll surprise nobody, there is nothing simple about it. Because each set is hand-crafted from a mixture of Rolls-Royce’s favourite things: aluminium (for the board), veneer (for the squares, crafted from the same log) and leather (for the base, whose shape rises gently from the centre reflecting the ‘waft lines’ you see on RR cars).

The board unfurls “in a smooth, single theatrical motion” because of course it does, revealing a leather-lined central holder that slowly rises. Contained within this leather-lined holder are ‘precision-crafted’, ceramic-coated aluminium playing pieces.

They are no ordinary pieces. Each one is treated as its own piece of sculpture, and fashioned so they feel just like the solid-metal organ stops in the RR car sitting in your driveway. Because nothing screams Rolls-Royce like unleashing The King’s Gambit while simultaneously marvelling at the cool-to-the-touch pawn in your hand.

There are hidden drawers at each end hiding a pair of Queens. The board is magnetised so no piece goes for an unexplained wander during a heated game. It’s all laser-cut and then hand-crafted. There are polished aluminium Spirit of Ecstasy emblems on the front and back, in case there was any doubt about its provenance. Naturally, you can personalise each set.

“We were inspired to create our own Chess Set as a natural evolution of the sense of hosting and occasion that defines the Rolls-Royce experience,” said RR’s accessories designer Nick Abrams. “It serves as a contemporary work of art in its own right, as well as a practical, playable game.” The Rolls-Royce of games, no less.