12/21/2019 Chess Board Dimensions | Basics and Guidelines - Chess.

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In the following article you will find chess board dimensions, guidelines, and standards

Chess Board Dimensions | Basics and Guidelines

CHESScom
Updated: Jun 5, 2019, 5:33 PM | c 24 | For Beginners M English <

Chess board dimensions aren't as simple as one might think.  The basic geometry of the chess
board isn't difficult to grasp, but chess board dimensions also include the size of the squares on
the board.  One of the most important aspects of selecting a chess board and pieces is the
relationship between the size of the squares on the board and the size of the pieces that are
used.

By applying the rules and guidelines below, selecting a board and set combination from the
virtually unlimited number of potential combinations will become a significantly easier task!  In
this article we will cover chess dimension basics and common standards, while also delving into
some guidelines that cover the most important elements of board and set selection.

Here is a summary:

1. Dimension basics
2. Piece standards
3. Piece guidelines
4. Set spacing tests 

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1. Chess board dimension basics

The Chess board is made up of an 8x8 grid.  This grid results in 64 alternating colored squares, 32
light squares and 32 dark.  The size of each individual square is identical, and the board should
measure the same on all 4 sides.

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When the chess board is set up to start a game, half of the squares are occupied by the pieces
while the middle 32 squares are left open for play. The board will always be set up properly on
chess.com (see diagram below). 

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2. Chess board and piece standards

For over the board (OTB) tournament play, there are different specifications to keep in mind.  The
United States Chess Federation (USCF) states that square size should be anywhere from 2 inches
to 2.5 inches, while the king's height should be 3.375 inches to 4.5 inches.  The standard USCF
tournament set has 2.25 inch squares and a king's height of 3.75 inches. 

H Standard USCF Chess set and board

Please note that standards for boards and sets can differ slightly from country to country.  As an
example, the World Chess Federation (FIDE) says that the square size for competitive play should
be between 5 cm to 6 cm (1.97 inches to 2.36 inches), with a recommended king height of 9.5 cm
(3.74 inches).  Here is the official FIDE World Championship Chess set and board used in the
recent FIDE World championship matches. The board has 2 inch squares with a 3.75 inch king. 

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H FIDE World Championship Chess set and board

The standard USCF and FIDE World Championship Chess sets pictured above are merely two
examples of board and set combinations. The possible combinations for boards and sets are
almost limitless. Next we will look at some guidelines for both boards and pieces, as well as some
strong relationships between them.

3. Chess board and piece guidelines

The final measurement to discuss is the king's base diameter, which is the measurement of the
base (or bottom) of the king.  Both FIDE and USCF give the same guideline that the king's base
diameter should be between 40-50% of the king's height.

There is a special relationship between the king's base diameter and the square size: the very
important guideline that the base diameter should be roughly 75-80% of the size of the
square.  It is this ratio that dictates whether a board and set combination has the proper piece
spacing.

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H Standard USCF board and set combination with a perfect ratio

The picture above is an example of the standard USCF board and king size that follows the 75-
80% rule.  The king's height is 3.75 inches, the base diameter is 1.75 inches (47% of king's height)
and the square is 2.25 inches.  This results in a 77% ratio of base diameter to square size.

By following the 75-80% rule you attain a board that has nice space in between the pieces, which
is ideal for any type of OTB play (e.g. Tournaments, blitz, analysis, friendly play, etc.).  Here is
another view of the standard USCF board/set combination to illustrate the nice spacing between
the pieces:

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H USCF standard set with good spacing

If we revisit the official FIDE World Championship Chess set and board again, we can see the
slight difference in the piece spacing.  Note that the pieces have less room between them
because the squares are 2 inches instead of 2.25 inches.  Many players prefer playing on a slightly
more crowded board like this - the choice is purely subjective.

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H FIDE World Championship set with less space - slightly crowded look

Ignoring the 75-80% guideline can result in not having enough space.  If the king's base diameter
to square size ratio is too high the result is an overcrowded board. In the following example we
see a 3.75 inch king with a 1.75 inch base diameter on a smaller board with 1.875 inch squares.
 This creates a 93% ratio of base diameter to square size. 

H 93% Ratio is too high!

As you can see, the king takes up almost the entire square.  This leads to an overcrowded
board where pieces could be easily knocked over while playing.  Here is the view of the entire set
on the same board with the 93% ratio:

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H Example of a board and set combination that is overcrowded

It is possible to make the mistake of having your ratio be too low - if your king's base diameter to
square size ratio is lower than the recommended 75-80% guideline then you will be left with too
much space.  In this example we can see 3.25 inch king with a base diameter of 1.31 inches on a
standard USCF board with 2.25 inch squares. This creates a 58% ratio of base diameter to square
size. 

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H 58% ratio is too low!

The king barely takes up half of the square!  This leads to a board with too much space between
the pieces. Here is the view of the entire set on the same board with the 58% ratio:

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H Example of a board and set combination with too much space

4. Board and set spacing tests

One test you can perform to see if your board has enough space is to see if you can fit four
pawns into one square.  According to USCF standards, this should be possible with most
tournament sets.  If you are using the standard USCF board/set combination, your set will pass
this four pawns test.

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H Four pawns test

As we have discussed before, there are many players who prefer to play with less space.  A simple
test for them to perform is the same test described above, but with only two pawns in one
square.  The two pawns test will not help you determine if you have enough space, but can help
to see if you can achieve a board/set combo that is slightly crowded.

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H Two pawns test

Lastly, there is a simple test to see if your board/set combination is overcrowded.  It is simple to
perform, and you only need three pieces!  You place a king and queen on adjacent diagonal
squares and see if a third piece can pass between them without any of the pieces touching.  If the
third piece easily passes between the king and queen, then your board/set combination is not
overcrowded.  The test is performed below in a youtube video created by a chess.com member.

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Best Chessboard Size

There are lots of rules, standards, sizes, ranges, ratios, combinations, choices, and tests to take
into account when it comes to chess board dimensions and selecting your board/set for OTB
play. The information given above is not for competitive play alone - it can also be used for
friendly play or even analyzing games on your own.

Above all else, remember that the goal of board and set selection is simple: to be able to play a
game of chess on a board with properly sized squares and to have pieces that have enough
space. Comment below with your preferences for board and set selections!

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c Comments (24)

OlegYurievich

Oct 26, 2019

на шахматной доске нельзя делать предход, это печально.
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turboroy

Oct 3, 2019
Daonna: glad my comments were of some help for your project, patience is the key on an
undertaking like this, mine also took around 12 months to finish.

afcolt

Oct 2, 2019
Very helpful! I have noticed a lot of the cheaper sets seem to fall down on this. Not all of them, of
course!

Daonna

Sep 30, 2019

Thanks for that turboroy. Your dimensions have helped me. My set is coming along slowly and
thanks to your comment I’m going to reassess my 4 pawns to the square thinking. 

My pieces will be of cast metal with green/ivory acrylic squares and I would also post pictures if I was able to,
although at this rate the finished project is probably 12 months away. 

imafairchessplayer

Sep 30, 2019

Thank you! Very informative!

joergan1

Aug 29, 2019

Alles klar.

arkahalder23

Aug 18, 2019

Thanks for the article!

norbmart

Aug 14, 2019

Buen artículo. No sabía estas cuestiones de proporciones, A veces me toco jugar con tableros
"incómodos", ahora entiendo por que.

EdgarMarquezC

Aug 11, 2019

Muy ilustrativo el artículo. Simplemente me encantó.

hreedwork

Aug 1, 2019

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Thanks! Fun and informative

GloriousB

Jul 30, 2019

Very instructive!

LStein62

Jul 24, 2019

i have chosen an indish staunton set from royaI chessmaI india  and combined it with a 45 mm
square set by Niggemann germany, Ahorn/ Wenge. fits perfect, I have a board with 55 mm size and a
Niggemann set thats no more avaiIabe for roundabout 100 Eur and happy with it.Dont forget importance of
contrast, Back/ White is aways better and the contrast of the squares is important !

turboroy

Jul 17, 2019

This is in reply to Daonna: Thought I’d share my experience of making a chess set. I made mine last
year, it’s a lot of work but very satisfying. I made the board with 51mm (2 inch) squares & a king base diameter
of 38mm, which is almost exactly 75% of the square size. The king height is 98mm. My pawns have a bigger
base diameter (30mm) than the norm & I can just about fit 2 in a square diagonally although I didn’t really plan
it that way, I just thought they looked better than piddly little pawns that would fit 4 to a square. The queen
base is 36mm & the bishop/knight/rook bases are all 33mm. I used some American walnut that I’d had lying
around for years for the black pieces, which turned out well. For the white pieces I used some oak that I had
but I wouldn’t recommend oak - it’s too grainy for turning small pieces like these, I finished up scrapping a few
which was frustrating to say the least. If ever I made another set (which I doubt!) I’d use boxwood or maple,
which both turn well. I also made large holes in the bases & filled them with fishing weights, gives the pieces a
nice solid feel. There are several videos on YouTube of people having made sets, I got a lot of good tips from
them. Good luck with your set, if you need any more info, let me know. I’d attach a photo of my set but can’t
figure out how to do it on here🤔

QuocHuy2345

Jul 9, 2019
Trơ

i ơi

QuocHuy2345

Jul 9, 2019
 

fhkjgnj

Daonna

Jun 29, 2019

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Thanks for the article. I’m about to attempt my first chess set build and found this article helpful
when searching for information regarding dimensions.  

I’m just wondering if the base and height of the minor pieces also have a standard/universal ratio to the king
(or the squares)? I’ve never paid enough attention to the dimensions of each piece in relation to each other so I
don’t know offhand if the pawns (and other pieces) are always the same size in relation to their king. 

I guess the pawns will be fairly straightforward. I can just make the diameter of the pawn’s base 25% of a
square’s side in order to obey the “4 pawns within the square” rule, but what about the base of the other 4
pieces?

Square = 2.25

King (base) = 2.25 x 0.75

king (height = 2.25 x 1.66

Queen (base) = 2.25 x ?

Queen (height) = 2.25 x ?

Rook (base) = 2.25 x ?

Rook (height) = 2.25 x ?

etc for Bishop and Knight....

Pawn (base) = 2.25 x 0.25

Pawn (height) = 2.25 x ?

Perhaps there is no standard and the build is strictly a matter of taste, but if there is a standard I would like to
adhere to it for my first set.

TIA for any replies. 

AmandaThePawn

Jun 24, 2019

 what about those back yard sets with a four foot high king?  may be a lil' hard to take wit u on a
camping trip... but u can adapt

drop64

Jun 23, 2019

I saw that video years ago, it is a nice one.

I use the 2 pawns & 4 pawns & K + Q + B methods all the time.

Then you get a good idea and all you have to do is measure the square size with a ruler.

If the square size is 55mm and feels a bit big or loose then you know that you probably want a board with say
50mm squares.

Note that wooden sets have been getting larger during the past say 10 years.

You would think that smaller uses less wood so that would be cheaper, but not with chess sets.
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You see the problem is the Knights, the top section is hand carved and that requires time + skill + training.

So sets have been growing larger to make carving of the knights quicker and easier for less skilled workers in
say India, a large producer of wooden sets.

Note that Pawns are larger in ratio for some styles such as the Dubrovnik sets, like the one that Fischer used.

Droitgate

Jun 22, 2019

I see you fixed the pix. I guess I should remove my post. 

MalySmok

Jun 22, 2019

“ checkmate1316 wrote:
Very nice article. I prefer wooden boards with UCSF spacing

Great choice  I Didnt know about such a simple test

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