Solid through and through
Squares, border and base in solid wood. Never veneered, never printed.
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A complete set: solid walnut and maple board, thirty-two Staunton pieces turned from boxwood and walnut, weighted and felted underneath. Each set is measured on the object before dispatch: the dimensions below are those of your own set.
Wood is a living material: grain and colour vary from one board to another. Dimensions given to within ± 2 mm.
Prepared within 24 to 48 working hours, free tracked delivery to the UK, 4 to 8 working days. The board travels in a double-wall carton, padded with foam, the pieces in their felt bags.
30 days to change your mind from receipt, no questions asked. You write to us, we arrange the return.
A soft, dry cloth after the game. Once or twice a year, a dab of beeswax or wood oil, buffed by hand. No household cleaners, no standing water. Keep it away from direct sunlight and radiators: it's sudden changes in humidity that tire the wood, not time.
Five years against any material or manufacturing defect: cracked piece, lifting square, hinge or clasp. A lost piece is replaced individually, in the same wood and the same height.
The set leaves in its case, with no invoice or price in the parcel. Add a note when you order: we'll write it by hand on a card slipped under the lid. For a set date, write to us before ordering and we'll confirm what's possible.
It's really very pretty, the pieces are magnetic and the size is good. The underside of the pieces is covered in felt, which protects the board.
Complete and very well designed. Honestly, it'll be an ideal travel companion.
As described. The board and pieces are properly magnetic, even if the magnets aren't very strong. I can only recommend it.
It's really great, perfect, I loved it. Beautiful design and good materials.
The pieces are really great. Shame I didn't have this set when I was a child. I recommend it!!!
Good chess set. When I ordered it, I thought it would be a little bigger.
The chess set is great.
Perfectly made. I'm happy. Thank you!
It's perfectly adequate for playing chess.
Perfect.
Folding magnetic walnut chessboard.
Great set, I really liked it. I recommend it to everyone and it arrived before the expected delivery date.
The board
Solid through and through: walnut and maple squares, border and base in solid wood. Assembled and oiled by hand, in France.
The 32 pieces
Staunton design, turned from boxwood and walnut, weighted, felt bases.
Two felt bags
One per colour. The pieces don't knock together, don't get scratched, don't get lost.
The dimensions card
Square size, height and base of each piece, weight: measured on your own set, written down in black and white.
The First Steps booklet
Setting up the board, placing the pieces, playing your first three moves. Signed Philidor.
A real contact
A real person, reachable 7 days a week by email or through the form, who knows the pieces.
Solid or veneered
Turn the board over: it's the same wood underneath as on top. The squares, border and base are in solid walnut and maple, with no veneer or hidden panel. The grain runs through the thickness; you can see it on the edge in raking light.
A solid board moves a little, like a wooden table. To keep it flat through the seasons, the wood is dried slowly before being worked, the squares are assembled grain against grain in our partner workshops in France, and the oil finish lets it breathe. It won't warp or crack, as long as it's kept away from radiators and sunny windows.
As a gift
A chessboard is never given by chance. For a father, a new home or an enthusiast rediscovering the joy of playing. A refined case, ready for the first games and for making new memories.
What you pay for
At £30, an ordinary chessboard gets replaced. Here, solid walnut and maple meet pieces turned, weighted and felted by hand. French craftsmanship, designed to last for generations.
The pieces
Pick up the king. It weighs what it should, it drops into your palm, it lands on the square with that soft thud of wood on wood. That's the sound the pieces of a real set make. A hollow piece makes a sharp clack, and topples at the first nudge of an elbow.
SEE PIECES ON THEIR OWNThe honest comparison
Six points you can check in two minutes on any product page. If one is missing, it's rarely an oversight.
*Points checked in September 2026 on the product pages of online chess shops.
On most of them, the square size wasn't given.
The Philidor commitment
A set from the Maison is guaranteed for five years: wood, hinges, clasps, felt. A cracked piece, a lifting square, a failing clasp: we repair or replace, individually, in the same wood.
And if it arrives broken? The board travels in a double-wall carton, padded with foam. If it isn't intact on arrival, a photo is enough: we send the piece or the board again, no arguments and without waiting for the first one to come back. And if you don't like it: 30 days to send it back, fully refunded.
To go with it
Pieces on their own and backgammon sets, in the same wood.
−40 %
£77.00£128.00
−18 %
£154.00£188.00
£171.00
£171.00
£162.00
£128.00
£298.00
£298.00
−34 %
£85.00£128.00
The ones people really ask us before ordering.
Yes, and it's measured: the king's base covers 75 to 80% of the square. Two neighbouring pieces sit side by side without touching, and a toppled rook fits within a square. If a product page doesn't give these two figures, square size and king base, you can't know. Here, they're in the table above.
Yes, through and through: squares, border and base in solid wood, with no veneer or hidden panel. Turn it over and look at the edge: the grain runs through the thickness. The wood is dried slowly then assembled grain against grain to stay flat through the seasons. It takes longer to make than a veneered board; that's also why it lasts.
In France, by hand, in the Maison Philidor's partner workshops. The board is assembled and oiled by a cabinetmaker, the pieces are turned, weighted and felted one by one, then each set is measured before it leaves. It's written in the features table, and on the card slipped into the case.
No, not exactly, and that's proof it's real wood. Each board has its own grain and colour, a shade lighter or warmer. The wood, dimensions and finish are identical. If you'd like to see yours before dispatch, ask us for a photo.
The living-room board is made to stay on the table; the pieces are stored in their two felt bags. If you want a set that closes and slips into a bag, see the Travel chessboards collection: folding, magnetic, with the pieces stored inside.
A real board doesn't make the game harder, it makes it clearer. To learn, take 50 mm squares: the club format, the one on which you don't knock anything over. The First Steps booklet is in the case, and the Philidor box above gives you your first three moves.
We'll turn you another one, in the same wood and the same height. Write to us with the name of the set and the colour: the piece is sent individually.
Dispatched within 24 to 48 working hours, free tracked delivery to the UK in 4 to 8 working days. For a specific date, write to us before ordering: we'll confirm what's achievable and, if needed, offer express shipping.
Squares, border and base in solid wood. Never veneered, never printed.
Double weight in the king and queen. They stay upright when the table moves.
The piece slides across the square without a sound or a scratch.
Assembled and oiled in the Maison's partner workshops.
Square size and king height, recorded on your own set.
A dab of wax once a year. Away from the radiator, that's all.
Materials and manufacturing: cracked piece, lifting square, clasp. Replaced individually.
Easy return, full refund, no questions asked.
Dispatched within 24 to 48 h, 4 to 8 working days to the UK.
7 days a week by email, someone who really plays.
BEFORE • ON ARRIVAL • IN FIVE YEARS
We'll tell you which square size to choose.
Any doubt? We reply the same day.
A lost pawn, replaced individually.
A question before you order?
Replies 7 days a week.
Ibtissam
Maison Philidor customer service
Hello, it's Ibtissam from customer service.
A question about Burl Walnut and Maple Chess Set with Drawers? Message me and I'll reply to you directly.
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