LEGO patented its signature "binding brick" successful 1958. But it wasn't until astir 50 years later, successful 2005, that LEGO released its archetypal authoritative chess build.
I learned this information portion researching this article. And adjacent arsenic idiosyncratic who spends astir of his idle clip gathering and learning astir LEGO, it amazed me. Why had it taken truthful long? LEGO Chess seemed, astatine slightest successful my mind, a fixed – an easy, marketable mode to marque bricks accessible to a wide audience.
But successful 2005, LEGO's assemblage was chiefly children. The institution did not wide cater to its big audience until 2007. And the thought of LEGO manner branding – of integrating brick-built things into a non-brick surviving abstraction – didn't genuinely instrumentality disconnected until astir 2020.
What we present instrumentality for granted successful 2025 was unprecedented successful 2005. erstwhile the archetypal LEGO chess acceptable debuted. And it was unheard of successful the anterior decades, erstwhile the bulk of builds were miniature playsets, alternatively than depictions of real-life things.
Here's an ordered past of each LEGO Chess Set. There are 12 successful all, including the lone 1 that's presently disposable to buy successful 2025. You tin besides cheque retired our usher to the best wide chess sets for much options.
All LEGO Chess Sets In Order of Release
1. Knights’ Kingdom Chess Set - Retired

The archetypal LEGO chess acceptable was portion of the Knight's Kingdom, an enlargement of the LEGO Castle brand. It featured 2 Armies: the Shadow Knights, led by evil sorcerer Vladek, and the Kingdom of Morcia, led by King Matthias. The acceptable included 24 minifigures with elaborate armor and stylized shields.
2. Vikings Chess Set - Retired

Very akin to the Knight's Kingdom acceptable from the anterior year, the Vikings acceptable besides included 24 minifigures, this clip wearing archetypal horned viking helmets on with spears and axes for weapons.
3. Castle Chess Set - Retired

Another Castle-themed set, the Castle acceptable was a spot much generic than its Knight's Kingdom counterpart. It pitted an service of crown knights against an undead service of skeletons. The champion portion of the acceptable was the Grim Reaper bishops, which had monolithic scythes for weapons.
4. Giant Chess Set - Retired

Still the largest, astir ornate chess acceptable that LEGO ever designed (by a sizeable margin), the Giant Chess Set was bigger and amended successful each way. The committee itself was 2 feet agelong connected each sides, and it came with 4 miniature builds of the skeleton realm, the troll realm, the dwarf realm, and the castle realm.
The committee was creaseless alternatively than studded, which gave it a much elegant look. And the idiosyncratic pieces were the champion looking yet. The bishops were wizards. The knights were minifigures connected horseback. And the rooks were heavy fortified siege towers.
5. Pirates Chess Set - Retired

The archetypal pirates-themed acceptable pitted a Royal Navy against a motley unit of pirates. I loved this set's variety; whereas each naval serviceman pawn looked mostly the same, each pirate pawn had a unsocial costume and accessory. And champion of all, the pirate knight was a curly-tailed monkey, equipped with a knife. It doesn't get much chaotic than that.
6. Multi Game Pack 9-in-1 - Retired

This was a travel-friendly, tiny acceptable that allowed you to play 9 antithetic classic committee games: Ludo, Chess, Checkers, Solitaire, Backgammon, Fireman Hoses and Ladders, and 3 antithetic cards for Travel Bingo.
7. Kingdoms Chess Set - Retired

This Castle-themed acceptable depicted a Green Dragon service versus a Red Lion army. The idiosyncratic minifigures had a batch of quality and detail. A definite item was the Red Lion knight, a Jester with a big, cartoonish smile. The committee is mounted connected a unsocial baseplate with a bastion successful each corner.
This was the archetypal LEGO chess acceptable that didn't travel with a transportation case, nor did it person a abstracted retention compartment for its pieces. This acceptable wasn't designed with question successful mind, and it's an aboriginal illustration of LEGO that's designed for show alternatively than play.
8. Pirates Chess Set #2 - Retired

The 2nd Pirates-themed chess acceptable had an outdoor formation theme, with soil connected 1 broadside of the acceptable and water connected the other. This was the archetypal LEGO chess committee to person creaseless squares with azygous studs successful their centers, which was much aesthetically pleasing and functional than the baseplate boards that came prior.
9. Iconic Chess Set - Retired

This was the archetypal clip that LEGO released a chess acceptable with nary gimmicks and nary minifigures — conscionable a regular chess acceptable with blocky, accepted pieces, and abstraction beneath the committee to store them all. This acceptable had longevity; it stayed connected shelves for 7 years earlier LEGO retired it astatine the extremity of 2022.
10. Steampunk Mini Chess - Retired

Designed by idiosyncratic CorvusA, this tiny acceptable was a collaboration betwixt LEGO and LEGO fansite BrickLink. The BrickLink AFOL (Adult Fans of LEGO) Designer Program launched 13 fan-designed sets, including this one, successful 2019.
11. Hogwarts Wizard’s Chess Set - Retired

This acceptable recreated the iconic country successful Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, erstwhile Harry, Hermione, and Ron faced the chess trial, and Ron sacrificed himself to checkmate the King. This LEGO Harry Potter set came with 3 minifigures to correspond the "Trio."
12. Traditional Chess Set
We reviewed LEGO's astir caller chess set erstwhile it launched successful 2024, and it's the lone 1 that's inactive disposable successful stores. Its acheronian brownish and beige squares springiness the content of polished wood, which adds a spot of classical flair. It's simple, appealing, and functional – a acold outcry from the lavish yet impractical builds from years ago.
Where to Buy Retired LEGO Chess Sets
One of the biggest issues of discovering a truly chill LEGO acceptable from years agone is that it's astir apt already retired. That's the lawsuit with astir each LEGO chess acceptable connected this list, truthful if you spot thing you similar that is already retired, you'll request to look toward third-party sellers. Amazon volition sometimes person retired sets astatine a premium price, but your champion stake is places similar eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace.
See our usher to the best places to bargain LEGO sets for much details astir wherever to shop.
Kevin Wong is simply a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing successful LEGO. He's besides been published successful Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him connected Twitter astatine @kevinjameswong.