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    Materials & craftsmanship

    Wood, craft, and what you can't see.

    Five woods, boards that are solid through and through, pieces turned and weighted by hand in our partner workshops in France. Here is what our sets are made of, and why they cost what they cost.

    Handmade in France · Walnut · Maple · Boxwood · Wenge · Sycamore

    Seven commitments. No asterisks.

    01Solid wood, or nothingSquares, border, base, pieces: solid wood through and through. Never veneer, never stained resin.
    02Measured dimensionsSquare size, king height and base, piece weight: on every product page, in millimetres.
    03Pieces that stand firmWeighted with 30 or 40 g, felted, Staunton design. They stay upright when the table moves.
    04Handmade in FranceIn the Maison's partner workshops. A cabinetmaker for the board, a turner for the pieces.
    055-year guaranteeMaterials and manufacturing. A lost piece is replaced individually, in the same wood.
    06A real personBefore you buy to choose the size, afterwards for everything else. 7 days a week.
    07The price you seeFree tracked delivery to the UK. No extra fees added at checkout.
    The woods · 01

    Walnut, for the dark squares

    Deep brown, wavy grain, a fine texture that takes the oil without drinking it. Walnut is the wood of the dark squares and borders: dense, stable, it develops a warm patina over the years instead of turning grey.

    We work it solid, never as veneer. A walnut square is 20 to 30 mm thick. Lay your hand on it: the wood feels cool, then takes on your warmth.

    The woods · 02

    Maple and sycamore, for the light squares

    Creamy blond, tight grain, almost no pores. Maple gives the crisp contrast that makes a board readable from two metres away, and it doesn't yellow. Sycamore, its cousin, offers a milkier, slightly shimmering white.

    It's readability that lets you play fast and without mistakes: a dark piece on a light square, a clean border between the two. A board where the squares blur together tires the eye within ten minutes.

    The woods · 03

    Boxwood, for the white pieces

    Boxwood has been the wood of Staunton pieces since 1849: very dense, very even, it turns finely without splintering. A boxwood knight keeps its ears and nostrils crisp after a thousand games. It ages to honey.

    The black pieces are in stained walnut or ebony depending on the model. The stain penetrates the wood instead of coating it: a scratched piece stays dark, it doesn't show white underneath.

    The woods · 04

    Wenge, for sets with character

    An almost black brown, streaked with lighter veins, heavy and hard. Wenge gives boards a depth walnut doesn't have, and an almost graphic contrast with sycamore. It's the wood of our most understated sets.

    It is slow to work. We sand it in several passes and oil it twice. That's also why it costs more: the wood, and the time it takes.

    Craftsmanship · 01

    Solid through and through, and why it takes longer

    Turn over a board from the Maison: it's the same wood underneath as on top. Squares, border, base, everything is solid walnut and maple. No 0.6 mm veneer on a panel, no plywood hidden under the squares. The grain runs through the thickness, you can see it on the edge.

    A solid board lives with the seasons, like a wooden table. To keep it flat, the wood is dried slowly before being cut, the squares are assembled grain against grain by the cabinetmaker, and the oil finish lets it breathe instead of sealing it in. That means more time, more wood, more offcuts. It's also what makes it something you pass on.

    Craftsmanship · 02

    Turned, weighted, felted, by hand

    In our partner workshops, in France, each piece is turned on a wood lathe, then finished by hand for the details: the king's cross, the rook's battlements, the carved head of the knight. A metal disc is then sealed into the base, 30 to 40 g per piece, two in the king and queen. It's this weight that stops the piece toppling when you lean your elbow on the table.

    Finally, wool felt is glued under each piece. The piece slides across the square without a sound or a scratch, with that soft thud of wood on wood that tells you you're playing on a real board.

    Craftsmanship · 03

    Oil, not varnish

    Our boards and pieces are finished with natural oil-wax, hand-rubbed in two coats. The oil penetrates the wood and lets it breathe: it still feels like wood, matt and slightly warm, and a scratch can be rubbed out with a cloth.

    A glossy varnish does the opposite. It sticks to your fingers in summer, turns white at the first knock, and is hard to repair. You find it on sets that need to shine in photos. Ours need to age well on the table.

    Craftsmanship · 04

    Measured, then written down

    Before it leaves, every set is measured: square size, king height and base, piece weight, board dimensions open and closed. These figures are written on the product page and on the card slipped into the case.

    It's the only proof that counts. A 95 mm king on 55 mm squares is the tournament format. A 60 mm king on 50 mm squares is a set you regret by the third game. You should be able to know before you buy.

    SHOP CHESS SETS

    MAISON PHILIDOR

    SOLID WOOD. WRITTEN DIMENSIONS.

    THE REST, THE GRAIN, THE PATINA, THE WEIGHT IN YOUR HAND, FOLLOWS ON ITS OWN.