The chessmen featured in The Bauhaus Chess Set are highly stripped down versions of the chess pieces that people are accustomed to seeing. The Best Modern Chess Sets (Page Summary): You’ll often see modern chess sets that are plastic, glass, metal, or stone, and this style of chess set is where we see the most open experimentation with new materials. Modern chess sets are rarely wooden, and when they are, it’s used as a base material and covered with glossy lacquer to make it unrecognizable. Whether it’s incorporating new, bold colors or switching it up entirely, modern chess sets are rarely content to leave well enough alone. Though some modern chess sets rely on the standard black and white checkered playing surface, many will put a new spin on that as well. You won’t see any horses and castles here, only smooth, geometrical shapes. While the vast majority of chess sets feature pieces that more or less conform to the traditional Staunton pattern, modern chess sets completely avoid it. There are a few key things that set modern chess sets apart from all others, like: In fact, some of these sets are almost impossible to recognize as chess sets! Many might be mistaken for sculptures or art installation if the viewer isn’t informed as to what he or she is looking at.
This style of chess set includes an incredible range of different designs, all featuring clean lines and eschewing traditional patterns, but no two looking remotely alike. If you think that chess sets always have to be boring, wooden, and traditional with the same old designs repeated over and over until each one looks nearly identical, then you obviously have never seen a modern chess set.