I decided during the peak of Covid to come up with my own chess set. I did some very quick scribbles of what it could look like, but moved almost right away into cad building as I wanted to be able to get this done quickly while still sharp and vivid in my mind.
The goal was to create something that imbued a sense of scale, and occasion. Something with heft, and impact. Each piece is designed in such a way as to subtly indicate its movement pattern. For example, with the rook, its square right angles and 4 notches near the base show how it can move in 4 directions. The bishop, can only move in diagonals, hence its surfaces being 45 degrees rotated compared to the rook. The queen, being the most lethal piece goes in all 8 directions, and her crown (quite intentionally) if made in the right material, probably could do some serious damage if a fight broke out at a game. I don't condone that kind of thing but I think implied lethality can sometimes be a useful guide in the user experience. Naturally, the knight didn't follow such a simple rules, and thus its design is unique to the others. looking very much like an armored or mechanical horse, its chest plate attained a crest, a pattern inspired by its L-shaped movements.
Having a 3d printer, I decided to print a whole set to see how it would turn out. At their natural scale, they are a definitely a bit larger than a standard set. There would have to be a future board built, so as to give the set breathing room, and beneficially, give the game a more grand appearance.
